A cuisine which always excites me is Oriental. But to get good Oriental food in Delhi, and not the usual ‘Chinjabi’ stuff, is a yearning sometimes. On my recent visit to Gurgaon, which I feel still lacks a fine Oriental standalone restaurant, I try out The Oriental Terrace. Launched this past weekend, the restaurant is located on the second floor of DLF Club 5.
Must say, I am impressed to see the fine dining setup which has a nice positive feel about it. The lighting is balanced and the ambience is pretty serene, apt for an Oriental restaurant.
After settling down, I am introduced to the menu by Chef Syed Murshid. The selection of dishes needs to be praised as the menu offers master dishes from the regions of Thailand, Malaysia and China. I opt for a four course meal and start with a couple of starters followed by salads and a soup. Till my food arrives, I munch some really tasty caramelised cashew nuts.
Tasting the wok-tossed Sambal vegetables is a delight. The veggies are crunchy, have a perfect balance of the Sambal sauce. Satay lilit udang, a delicacy made of minced prawns skewered on lemon grass stem, is expectedly flavourful. The Mandarin chicken is simply made, has tender chunks of chicken tossed in garlic, onion and chilli.
I opt for the Thai spicy raw papaya salad. It is done here with a tweak and is impressive. The bang bang chicken salad, I feel, needs a pinch of seasoning to enhance its flavours.
The curried laksa soup is one of my favourites any day. Wheat noodles are blended well to give the soup a nice texture. I must say, the staff at Oriental Terrace are well trained with workable knowledge about the cuisine they are serving guests. I am impressed by the particular waiter who could introduce me well to the various curries available for the main course. I take a spoon of its basil prawn curry with a dollop of steamed rice and what a flavourful moment it is! The black pepper lamb is a bit overpowered with sauces but its counterpart import from Schezwan region, kung pao chicken, is tasty enough to make up for itEven the Asian greens with burnt garlic go well with the rice.
At this point, I am done with my meal but then, how can I seal an Oriental dinner without tasting noodles? Though I have grown up on typical chowmein, I love the pad Thai version of noodles.
I leave the restaurant with some sweet memories, literally so. By choosing from its dessert option such as five spiced chocolate mousse, Kaffir lime panna cotta, etc. For a change, I choose to have a basic darsaan with vanilla scoop.
Meal for Two - Rs.1500
