Review: Vintage Asia's new menu does justice to diverse flavours of the Orient

JW Marriott’s pan-Asian fusion diner Vintage Asia has come up with a brand new menu, which is perfect if your new year resolution is to take a deep dive into the nuances of authentic Oriental cuisine. With the new menu, Chef Alexsander Cheng has brought together some very interesting flavours from Thailand, Japan and culinary hotspots of China, including Canton and Sichuan.

The chef has also included some uncomplicated homegrown flavours which are found across homes in South-Eastern Asia but are not so readily accessible in the country. The Isaan Style Pork Curry with Raw Papaya, Kaffir Lime Spices, for instance, relies on seasonal bounties, whereas Cantonese-Style Hanging Roasted Chicken or the Sichuan Beef with Chilli Broth are festive comfort picks, ideal for family-style dining. 

We were impressed with the Har Gow menu, which should do exceptionally well, considering how fast Gen-Z is warming up to the Asian small plates culture. From Chicken, Shitake Siuma to Chicken Gyoza and Cheon Fan ( a Cantonese rice noodle roll), the menu seems to cover all the basics. We were also delighted to find options like Thai Glass Noodles & Bean Sprouts Spring Roll and Bangkok Grilled Satay, which are bonafide Instagram hits.

We decided to start our lunch with some classics, so we opted for the humble Gyoza, which is perhaps one of the best things on the menu. Vintage Asia’s Chicken Gyoza has a delicious meaty consistency, the filling has an unpredictable decadence to it, but it’s still very easy on the palate. 

One of our absolute favourite additions to the menu is an Old Cantonese Style Steamed Minced Pork with Superior Soy Sauce; a speciality item, found in households across China and Hong Kong, the steamed ground meat makes for a delicious entree and is surprisingly compatible with other more demanding flavours. Chef Cheng’s new menu is also generous with its curation of street food-inspired stir-fries.

We found some Mushroom stir-fry with Thai chilli paste and sweet basil, Wok tossed tofu in sweet and sour sauce with crushed peanuts, Wok-fried Vegetable Rice Sichuan Style and Wok-Tossed Rice In Black Truffle Oil. The Stir-fried prawn with Singaporean Chili sauce is the clear winner in this section, featuring a stunning, flavourful gravy and a giant prawn slow-cooked and seasoned to perfection. 

The menu also has a section devoted to Thai curries, which is not surprising considering how much new-age gourmands favour the appetising but digestible Asian curries. The Chef’s Special Homemade Yellow Curry and the Thai Jungle Curry are must-haves. We’d be doing a disservice if we didn’t rave about the thoughtfully designed dessert menu. Comprising exotic locally-produced ingredients and just the right kind of edge, the pairings are in a word, excellent.

We settled for the Matcha & Pistachio Cremeux with Raspberry Sorbet, a tropical take on the classic pudding. Matcha-based desserts are always a success, but Vintage Asia’s rendition plays up with the texture a bit, so expect to be surprised with the final plated result, Price for two: Rs 3,500.