Right in time to celebrate the Chinese New Year (January 25), China Bistro has launched a brand new festive menu, which happens to be one of their most elaborate ones to date. It will be available in their Jubilee Hills and Kondapur outlets till February 16 and includes a good mix of new dishes and classics that they stopped serving a couple of years ago. Like their Hangzhou Beggar’s Chicken, for instance, is back in the menu! The squarely diced chicken wrapped in lotus leaves and slow-fire cooked had always been a favourite with their regulars and now they have brought it back after four years. We suggest you don’t miss out on this one.
As you wait for your food to arrive, you can sip on a hot cup of freshly brewed jasmine tea and check out your character traits as per the Chinese zodiac chart kept on the tables. We are first offered the Moo Shu Vegetables — healthy stir-fried greens with a hint of sichuan peppercorn and hoisin sauce. Bonus points to this dish for the wholesomeness of the shredded vegetables. We like it way better than the Exotic Vegetables in thyme sauce, a similar diced seasonal veggies preparation soaked in coconut milk, thyme and burnt garlic.
We also tried their Roasted Chicken with Shallots, with mustard and chilli oil cooked on a slow fire and it makes for a delicious combination with steamed rice. If you are going to try their Pot Meals, we suggest you give the appetisers a miss and dive straight into that because it has all the goodness of a full meal. We tried the Vegetable Thai Green Curry served with Jasmine Rice and Pumpkin Crackers. Mix it up well with the burnt garlic and fried onion with a dash of peanuts for a flavour burst. We ended the meal with a sweet surprise as we were not expecting water chestnut in our dessert! The Water Chestnut White Fungus Cream is strictly for gastronomes who are always looking for something unique to try.
Price for two: Rs 1,500.
Pics: Vinay Madapu