Thai, Japanese or Chinese cuisine has always been a terra incognita for me. Mention Asian cuisine and what comes immediately to the mind of a layman are stir fried chow mein, Manchurian balls, chilly potatoes and the beloved steamed momos. But now things have changed with Delhi emerging as a hub for multi-cultural cuisine over the years and its people getting exposed to a variety of food from around the globe. One such place is Lodhi Colony’s Ping’s Café Orient, an eatery which came up nearly two months ago and has gone on to add to Capital’s rich food heritage. This pan Asian café offers authentic Chinese, Thai and Japanese cuisine with a fine dining experience.
On entering the place, a sense of excitement and daring catches on to me as I take in the quirkiness of the place. With neon lights and green and red dim bulbs hanging down the ceiling, the cafe aesthetically portrays the streets of Singapore. I am escorted to my table and sitting there, I contemplatively observe the artistically done walls.
An extensive menu is offered to me which I take a while to go over and ponder upon. The menu does not disappoint health conscious people as it has an exclusive section for salubriousness. A few minutes later, Executive Chef of the café Prantush Rai comes to my rescue. Handing over the charge to him I seek his advice.
My welcome drink is a refreshing lemongrass ice tea that has a pleasant aroma of lemongrass, but turns out to be average. What shoots up its taste are chips that come along with it to be enjoyed with two dips –– the black bean jam and spicy sambal sauce. With the right amount of hotness and tanginess, sambal sauce (a mixture of chilli paste along with garlic, vinegar and other ingredients) becomes my favourite instantly.
Somehow I don't miss my old favourite momos as the Macau special tiger prawn dumpling bowls me over with its extremely soft consistency and its presentation in a wooden box. The prawns are juicy and are marinated with chives and water chestnuts, which transmutes its simple taste into a bomb of flavours.
While waiting for my next meal –– with expectations going a notch higher –– I explore the interiors and see a switch board adjacent to every table that looked quite fascinating. Wondering as to what it is for, I decide to switch one with the bulb above my seat glowing green. The waiter comes to my assistance immediately and thereupon I perceive the avant garde concept of the ‘ping me’ service here.
I am served pork char sui bao which is a pork filled in a bao (hokkien bun) along with fresh lettuce leaves and garnished with peanuts. With the first bite itself, I am left ecstatic with the juiciness and tenderness of the pork meat. The peanuts add the right crunch and complements the sweet taste of the pork. Even though, the portions are big and mouthful, I can’t resist and end up eating the entire serving.
Following this, I am served tenderloin ramen with snow peas, black mushroom and water spinach. At first glance, it appears like a soup filled with veggies and ramen down inside. It does give a pleasant warmth to the body but disappoints with the bland taste of the meat.
Making up for the disappointment is the Singaporean Hainanese chicken served with delicate and moist sticky rice which completed my main course blissfully. Once again served with my favourite spicy sambal and flavoured soya sauce, the dish has a slight resemblance to the Indian flavours. The bowlful of lettuce soup that comes as a side dish may be safely ignored. The chicken is tender and has a strong flavour of ginger in it which is pleasantly delightful.
Having this grand meal I move on to the last leg of the feast. Astounded by the appearance, the dessert sticky banana pudding with homemade coconut ice cream with its pleasant taste round off my meal at Ping’s Café Orient.
Address: Lodhi Colony Market, New Delhi
Meal for two: Rs.1000
