A small warm yellow light welcomes you to Maong’s Chinese Dine-in and Takeaway at Lawson’s Bay Colony. Your quest for authentic Chinese food ends here. Stepping into Maong, one can’t help but be struck by the homely feel of the restaurant. “We wanted to make people feel at home, give them a place to enjoy and strike friendly bonds over the meal. I love knowing about different cultures and this restaurant was a dream come true for me where I can connect with people and dish out a simple Chinese meal,” says Yanger Sinha, the restaurant owner. Yanger and his wife Mayo shifted to Vizag a decade ago from their hometown Dimapur in Nagaland for work. After being in the corporate sector for a few years, their love for food and people led them to start the city’s first food truck that was called ‘Pepper Yummies’ in 2014. “At that time the food truck culture hadn’t yet picked up in the city,” recollects Yanger. After a year and a half, he had to close the enterprise and look out for a suitable place where he could start a modest Chinese restaurant.
Mayo, his wife, is an equally affable and gracious host. As we got ourselves comfortable in the chairs spread out in the small space, Mayo got talking about her love for the city and Nagaland’s vibrant culture. It almost felt like we were being hosted at the home of the friendly restaurant owners. With a team of two chefs and some helpers, the couple dishes out a range of some good old Chinese dishes listed in the menu. “We started the restaurant in December last year. We have kept a basic menu, but our intention is to keep changing the menu every four to six months so that we can offer some variety to the customers,” explains Yanger. Soon, they plan to include the signature dishes in the menu and have a day’s special menu as well.
Their Chinese fried rice is a regular favourite. But for those wanting to try something different, our vote goes to the spinach and mushroom fried rice. Its simple, non-oily and tantalising flavour will win the hearts. In the main course, chicken broccoli in oyster sauce is a personal favourite. You can also go for the diced chicken in black bean sauce or the prawn in black pepper sauce which tickles the taste buds on a wintry evening. The menu has a decent list of appetizers in vegetarian and non-vegetarian sections as well, including salt and pepper squid, fish roll, chicken drum stick and crispy calamari. In the vegetarian section, don’t miss the honey chilli potatoes and crispy baby corns.
For the cool winter evenings, a bowl of soup is a must to set the mood for a culinary feast. Make your pick from ginger egg drop, Manchow soup, clear soup or lung fung among others. Having scoured the city hotels and restaurants for quite some time looking for an authentic Chinese feast, I would say this one comes as close as you can get for a memorable family time together over some great food. Like me, at the end of the meal, the other three tables at the restaurant were brimming with happy faces. If you are a Chinese food lover, eating at Maong’s is well worth the visit and even if you aren’t, just check it out for fun.
Maong’s is open from 12.30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and from 6.30 p.m. till 10.30 p.m. on Sundays. They also have a takeaway counter.
