Executive Decisions

XO is the Executive Officer in navy or in the military. XO can also be a rich seafood sauce in an Oriental restaurant, but its presence is crucial for life and appetite. In The Leela Palace, this is beautifully demonstrated at the China XO restaurant, which has come up with Executive Lunches, to add gourmet fuel to corporate presentations.

We started with a hot and sour chicken soup, a very popular element in Chinese cuisine. Said to be originally from the Sichuan region, it later travelled to Henan province where vinegar was added to enhance the sourness. Our example here with chicken and a lot of vegetables was served piping hot and felt quite refreshing. Normally we are not very big fans of soups, but this one was polished off quickly indicating our keenness. A dimsum variety followed comprising of edamame and vegetable crystal for vegetarian and prawn and chicken for non-vegetarians. One should never judge a book by its cover they say, but in this case we precisely did that. The outer covering was paper thin as it is supposed to be and the interior fillings were generous and hot, as they should be. The dipping sauces served alongside were also excellent. The taste of the dimsums in their tangy sauces felt good to the palate.

Executive lunches are about quick turnarounds, so our next course was the main course. Here again you can pick between both vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices, in a pre-decided menu. We decided to taste The Kung-pao chicken and prawns done in black bean sauce. Although there is an option of fried rice, we decided to partake of the vegetarian-hakka noodles, an old classic favourite.  First coming to the Kung-Pao chicken. This is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish made with cooked chicken, peanuts, vegetables and chili peppers with Sichuan peppercorns. It’s origins are equally interesting – Ding Baozhen, a Qing dynasty official was known as Kung-Pao, or ‘Palace guardian’. The name apparently originates from there. But royal or not, the dish tasted quite good. One of the reasons for this is the fact that chicken thighs were used, which are always way juicer than the breast. Additionally with the proper usage of Chinese black vinegar and Sichuan pepper, the taste sits with a zing on the palate with some sweetness and a very thick sauce, which gives it the ideal consistency to have with fried rice. Of course we were using the superb vegetable-hakka noodles here, and just loved the interplay of the somewhat bland noodles and vegetables with the sweet, sour and tangy sauce of the Kung-Pao chicken. We love peanuts too, and the inclusion of peanuts in this flavour-bursting dish gives it a crunch to love.

What is an oriental meal without seafood and we decided to go with the prawns here. Black bean sauce is a favourite, made from fermented black soya beans or Douchi. In this case, the fresh, tender prawns sat very well in black bean sauce and of course opened up our palates to an umami taste profile that was like comfort food for the soul.

The Executive lunch at China XO is quite a treat if you want a quick, fixed menu that not only tastes good but gives you a full feeling as the portions are quite large and can satisfy even the most demanding eaters. Thoroughly recommended for a quick pit stop that is yummy in your tummy.

Meal for one: INR 3,500++