The new menu at this Hyderabad restaurant transported us to China

As the world welcomes the year of the snake — the sixth of the 12 year animal cycle, we were warmly welcomed by KOKO to taste their new menu. We entered through red glass archways, transporting us to the oriental part of the world. They have a separate bar section with upbeat music, and a dining section with calmer music, inviting conversations, and a large private dining room with paintings on the ceiling resembling the guó hua technique. The dining section had an installation on the ceiling which reminded us of the mythical yellow dragons in Chinese culture.

We started our meal with an array of appetisers, beginning with the Legacy lotus dumpling, served in a bamboo steamer basket. On taking a small bite, it melted in our mouth. The soft dumpling wrapper effortlessly blended with the texture and peppery spice of the filling. The taste of this dumpling was elevated with a dip in the smoked chilli sauce.

We were then presented with Golden enoki tempura, and Imperial unagi maki—two kinds of sushi. The Golden enoki tempura, a little on the chewy side, had a nice crispy coating and tasted scrumptious with wasabi. The flavour of salmon in Imperial unagi maki did not overpower and blended in perfectly with the refreshing avocado and cream cheese.

Next on our table was Gong XI cheung fun, a variant of spring roll filled with charcoal crisps, coated with leeks which had a dominant taste of soy. The flavour of this crispy delight was amplified by the Singapore chilli and Imperial sauces. The cocktails at this restaurant stole out hearts. Peach fortune, a crisp gin-based beverage had a fruity flavour infused with Sakura tea. The Lucky Mandarin, a rum-based drink with notes of coconut and lemon juice, was a smooth concoction where the taste of the alcohol seamlessly blended into the other flavours.

From the main course, we tried the Longevity noodles which traditionally symbolise long life. These soft, chewy noodles with a dominant taste of sesame, and notes of sweetness were a little heavy to eat.

No meal is complete without a sweet. We were served Red Dynasty — vanilla sponge encapsulated in melt-in-the-mouth strawberry mousse served with strawberry sorbet. We ended the meal on an exciting note, looking forward for the upcoming year, with a vanilla-flavoured fortune cookie!

INR 3,500 for two. At Hitech City.