Pan-Asian is definitely passe in Bengaluru, but restaurants focusing on more regional Asian cuisines are popping up, and Chinese food seems to be coming back in style. The newly opened Dofu, named after the Mandarin word for tofu, brings to the city ‘chuka’ Chinese (Japanese influenced Chinese cuisine) and Korean-Chinese cuisines. We paid a visit to this cute restaurant for lunch. Located on 100 Feet Road, Dofu has a chic and modern design. Chef and partner Vivek Salunkhe wanted to present a novel take on Chinese cuisine that India has never seen, hence the choice of dishes.
Monkey business
Tea was the first order of business. We tried a smooth oolong, called Monkey Picked. Legend has it that monks in China trained monkeys to pick the leaves of this tea. Boba fans should surely try the classic and chocolate boba they offer. From the soups, we were served the Sweet Corn Congee and the Chicken Dumpling and Ginseng Soup. The congee was silky and comforting, while the delicate flavours of the ginseng soup were very soothing. Another recommendation is the Ssam Wrap Salad. A DIY affair, this one came with leafy greens, that one can fill with grilled pork belly, apple kimchi, sticky rice and sauces. If you’re vegan, do opt for the Grilled Mock Meat, Plums, Peanuts and Arugula. The dish had chewy mock meat, sweet and salty plums and nutty rocket leaves.
Roll model
A dish from the small plates section that we found unique was the Rolled Chickpea Tofu Skin — rolls of chickpea tofu topped with tomato, peanuts and spicy oil. The cold tofu and the hot oil were an interesting combination. But the stand-out dish was the Steamed Egg Creme Custard, Chicken Lao Gan Ma and Rice Crispies. The velvety custard was topped with the minced chicken preparation, and the interplay of textures in this number was a hit. As we had eaten one too many starters, we only nibbled on the main course. The Stir Fry Chinese Greens paired well with the Kimchi Fried Rice and the XO Mixed Fried Rice that has prawns, squid, egg, chicken, pork and beef.
We rounded off our meal with their signature meringue dish. The almond-crusted gooey meringue was topped with tea-poached strawberries and lemon curd, and we couldn’t help but finish it!
Dofu introduces Bengaluru to a completely new kind of Chinese, and while ‘Chindian’ restaurants will always have their place, this one’s a must-try.
Rs. 1,000 for two. At Indira Nagar
anagha@newindianexpress.com
@anaghzzz