With the summer making its presence felt, going out has become a bit difficult. You have to think twice before preparing to dine out. But with its lake and forest cover, Hauz Khas Village is a nice place to visit. However, every time I visit the Village, the most difficult part is to choose the restaurant. A small placard of Fat Ninja tempted the Oriental cuisine lover in me to give it a try.
Just a couple of steps away from the entry barrier to the left, Fat Ninja is quite an easy find. The climb to the third floor, where it is located, is the difficult part. Once I enter the restaurant huffing and puffing I am refreshed by its soothing wooden décor and comfortable furniture. After I regain my breath, I go through the extensive menu which offers Burmese, Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. I start with a nice piping hot Indonesian import mie basko, a refreshing and light clear soup with flat noodles and small meat balls.
I follow my soup with a platter of vegetarian starters. Crispy spinach and corn and pepper both lack the crunch but taste good with the accompanying dip. Vegetable tempura, a very common dish, has a nice crispy coating but a little bit of balanced seasoning would have made the dish even better.
On the other hand, the non-vegetarian delicacies are worth trying. I like the crispy conjee lamb and it does justice to its name. It is perfectly seasoned and the lamb shreds are juicy too. The bird prawns are presented beautifully. For a moment, I don’t want to judge the dish on its taste but solely on its presentation. Dimsums, of which there are around ten variations at Fat Ninja, are also worth trying. For my main course I shift to the rooftop and love the lighting around the busy Hauz Khas lane. I taste shredded chicken in Cantonese style with fried rice and love it. Prawns in Szechuan sauce are a letdown and bit undercooked. I sign off with one of my favourite desserts Darsan.
Meal for Two: Rs. 1200
