What a delightful start — vegetable clear soup with steamed momos. As I bite into the momos the minced vegetables spill into the clear soup and lend it a spicy flavour. We are at Myx, the fine dine restaurant on Race Course where a Chinese Dumpling festival is on. And, it’s momos all the way.
William Fan, Partner of Myx, came up with the idea of a momos festival for his health-conscious diners. “They love the momos and wanted some variety, so here we are with a momos festival,” he says. “They are light on the stomach and healthy as they are steamed,” he adds.
The menu has momos as part of the starters, the main course and even deserts! You can choose from pan-fried momos, sizzlers, and momos with hakka noodles or rice and Chinese greens. For dessert they come filled with chocolate! “The Chinese have only the steamed ones with rice and curries. Here, we are attempting to offer a balance of tastes to suit our diners’ palate. So there’s a touch of authentic Chinese fare with local flavours. Chicken manchurian or chilli chicken is unknown in China. But here, it is a part and parcel of the Chinese menu. So, we have included momos sizzlers in Schezwan style.”
As we talk, the bamboo baskets arrive with their steamed delights. I dip the soft momo in coriander and mint chutney, add a dollop of tomato sauce, and enjoy the burst of flavours. I have momos after momos. Next, he serves me sizzlers, which are piping hot. The steamed momos are pan fried and then sautéed with garlic, ginger and Schezwan sauce (made in-house with celery, the way it is made in China) to get that perfect sizzler. I pour soya sauce, vinegar and chilly, and tomato sauce and bite into it. The sizzlers pack a punch.
For the non-vegetarian starters, there is the appetising prawn momo with barbecue and wine sauce. Schezwan prawn momos with green pepper, chicken momos with Chinese greens and served with dragon sauce are some of the varieties that are on offer. There is chicken, crab meat and prawns to choose from. For the vegetarian platter, they have added broccoli, Chinese cabbage and shitake mushrooms along with minced carrot, beans and onions. William recalls how momos and steamed bread form a part of the delectable festive menu during the Chinese New Year celebrations back home in China, his hometown. “My father added coins in the stuffing and the ones who get the momos with the coins are believed to have a lucky year ahead!”
He mentions kothe, which are pan-fried momos. You have the prawn kothe in hot pot soup (pan-fried momos in a spicy soup) and vegetarian kothe for the vegetable hot pot soup. There is chicken and vegetarian siumai too served as a part of the soup. Siumai are steamed momos with an open top and stuffed with button mushrooms, greens, cauliflower, and corn flour and minced vegetables or chicken.
“Siumai in Chinese means a flower,” William says. And, the beautiful flower-shaped siumais arrive. I cut the siumai, add the sauce and enjoy the taste of the thick vegetable stuffing. Steamed momos with gooey chocolate and served with chocolate sauce, and crispy caramel momos with a dash of sesame seeds and honey sauce, is a yummy finish to a hearty momo meal.
The Chinese Dumpling festival is on till March 15. Open for lunch and dinner. Call: 086750-33999/ 0422-3191800.
