Many tend to dismiss off Chinese cuisine with noodles and fried rice. Hotel Fortune Pandiyan's new energetic chef K Suresh disagrees. “There's much more to the Oriental country's rich and varied culinary culture,” he asserts for he is armed with signature recipes of Chinese cuisine and decades of experience at star hotels. “I have curated the menu for the festival carefully,” he says, offering a bowl of steaming hot prawns soup. With a strong aroma of ginger and garlic and a faint whiff of herbs, the soup makes for a warm and soothing start.
Even as I enjoy a wide range of starters including vegetable dim sum, delicately steamed chicken momos and crispy wanton, the sheer variety of sauces and condiments amazes me. Suresh neatly loads the plate with an assortment of starters and places little circles of the colourful sauces. From the spicy brown sauce, sweet soy sauce and the tangy ginger garlic sauce to the fiery chilli sauce, they make for an eclectic indulgence. “The starters are to impress your tastebuds with a bombardment of flavours and tastes. Our aim is to give the city foodies a sample of real Chinese food,” says Rajan, the General Manager. “The festival offers a wide variety from the different regions of China, including Cantonese, Sichuan, Shandong, Fujian and Zhejiang.”
The dinner buffet features two soups, five starters and a rich spread of main course that includes nearly 10 kinds of vegetarian and five non-vegetarian recipes followed by an assortment of desserts. If the super-soft momos and perfectly cooked dim sum are a delight in the mouth, the noodles are sheer pleasure. From the delicate strands of glass noodles to the crispy bands of Shanghai noodles, every bite is an explosion of flavours and tastes. Ribbon-like Shanghai noodles are deep-fried and tossed with a range of herbs, chopped vegetables and shredded chicken,” explains Suresh.
There are some star items on the menu: Chinese steamed bun with the bland Cantonese water chestnut gravy that is an ideal pick for non-spicy eaters. Steamed Shanghai Bamboo shoots tossed in spices is a rare delicacy that tantalizes your taste buds. “Bamboo shoots are used widely in Chinese cooking. They also pickle it. At the festival, we offer both fry and curry that go well with buns.” Batter fried banana stem makes for a crunchy munch while stir fried broccoli and cabbage are best for binge-eating.
The dessert counter tempts you with a mouth-watering range of sweets like fried ice cream, date pancakes, apple toffee and coffee pudding. I peck into bowlfuls of all of these and declare the coffee pudding my personal favourite.
The festival is on from August 18 to 20, 7 pm to 11 pm.
@ Orchid Multicuisine Restaurant, Hotel Fortune Pandiyan
HIT: Wide variety and strong flavours
MISS: The vegetable dim sum was a bit rubbery
MEAL FOR ONE: ₹750 Plus Taxes
Phone: 8870123366
