It’s authentic Chinese now

Chef Lai Hin Tong William revamps the menu of Red Pearl, at Surya by Taj Vivanta

November 24, 2016 03:13 pm | Updated 03:17 pm IST

Chef Lai Hin Tong William and the dishes he has created

Chef Lai Hin Tong William and the dishes he has created

As I settle into the yellow-lit Chinese restaurant, my attention is immediately drawn to the yangqin, a Chinese instrument that’s being played softly in the background. I leap into the Kimchi served along with chilli-garlic and chilli sauces. The cabbage soaked in a salty sauce leaves an after-taste of raw sunflower oil in the insides of your mouth. I wrap the salad up in under 120 seconds. The chef tells me that it takes 24 hours to prepare it.

After Red Pearl’s annual make-over this year, patrons will be treated to authentic Chinese food. Chef Lai Hin Tong William, who specialises in food from Cantonese and Szechuan areas of China, will be the guest chef here. A team of cooks will train under him, after which they will serve authentic Chinese food, not Indian-Chinese, to the people of Coimbatore. “There are 75 items in the new menu and the Steamed Grouper Fillet with light soya served here will be like nowhere else,” says a perky Chef Lai Hin Tong.

My love for all things boiled gets the better of me and I end up eating more steamed vegetable dim sums than I should have. The crispy chilli lotus stem and water chestnut is an exotic addition to the starters. I was a practising vegetarian for a good 19 years and it did not ever occur to me that one could design such a dish out of a lotus. I gorge a little more of the water chestnut. The salt-and-pepper prawns make me want to have more and I end up eating the crushed remains of the prawn on my plate. These are just the starters; the main course awaits.

Mapo Tofu Vegetables and Kung Pao Chicken arrive and I cleanse my tongue with some green tea. The chef tells us that a sip of Chinese green tea after each meal/course/dish gives you a better taste of the next assortment of dishes coming your way. “And it’s healthy too, of course. The Chinese have a flat tummy,” remarks someone at the table. The tofu vegetables are traditionally different from their pork-laden counterpart, as they are one of the very few vegetarian authentic Chinese dishes. The benefits of being a converted non-vegetarian are many. You get the best of both worlds and you don’t judge paneer . I like the cottage cheese in the mapo tofu vegetables. It is super-soft and cuts in one stride of the fork. The taste of the sauce dances in my mouth, as I reach out for some more Chinese tea. The soya vegetable noodles and stir-fried Chinese greens with garlic would be my picks for vegetarians.

The pork spare ribs in Peking sauce is the dish to relish for its honeyed taste and the quickness with which the pork melts inside my mouth . For dessert, there is Honey Darsaan with vanilla ice-cream that is an easy yet fulfilling culmination of a Chinese lunch. “I was working with the Vivanta By Taj, Bengaluru, before this and just the day before we won an award for the Best Chinese Restaurant in the city. I want to continue that tradition with the help of the team here,” says Chef Lai Hin Tong.

Red Pearl

Location: Surya by Taj Vivanta, Race Course

Timing: Open from 12.30-3.00 p.m. and 7.30-11.30 p.m. on all days

Meal for two: Rs.3000

For reservations: Call 0422-668 1000.

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