Sandesh Reddy is mortified by the “cliched” bowls of sauce shaped like Yin and Yang, even though they go with the look of his new Chinese restaurant. Because, despite typically soothing Chinese music and transparent flooring that offers a view of the koi pond below, the only thing the restaurateur wants to describe as “very in-your-face” is the Sichuan cuisine itself.
HuTong, formerly named YumCha, has incorporated feedback from the trials, about the food being too strong. Though that is characteristic of the cuisine itself, “We had to dial it down; it has been one of our biggest learning points,” says Sandesh.
Take, for instance, the simple vegetable broth. The soup brought to the table is almost completely clear, and yet it retain the texture of each vegetable, including the crunch of the leaves, without leaving anything uncooked. It’s an unexpected study in subtlety and perfect timing.
CHENNAI : TAMIL NADU : 16/10/2018 : FOR METROPLUS : Food review at Hu Tong in Alwarpet on Tuesday October16,2018. Photo : K. Pichumani/The Hindu
Then come a range of dumplings, each with a different filling and a different (again, almost transparent) skin. The baos, which are made in-house, are soft and sweet, indeed a tad too so. It doesn’t always complement the spice of the filling.
What stands out in the menu is the savoury egg custard. Soft to the point of being almost runny — and served with yet more soft baos — this is simple scrambled eggs taken one step further and turned into the ultimate in comfort food. Here, for once, the slightly savoury egg (helped by the tart relish it comes with) goes with the sweet bao perfectly, leaving you with a plate of gooey delight that makes you ache for your pyjamas and grandma’s quilt.
CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, 16/10/2018: FOR METROPLUS: Food review at Hu Tong in Alwarpet in Chennai on October 16, 2018. Photo: K. Pichumani/The Hindu
Equally nostalgia-driven, is the milk toast. This is what your mother packed in your lunchbox for most of your childhood — buttery bread coated with a generous amount of sugar. It is served in a lavish quantity, that suggests that the restaurant knows exactly what it is doing to you emotionally, and is so sugary that it shouldn’t be allowed. But no complaints here.
“Our menu is more process-driven than cuisine-driven,” says Sandesh, who credits the authenticity of the food to an extensive research process. Creative chefs, for him help the branstorming process, but “are only a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have.” It’s an unusual approach, but the end results served on our table are difficult to find fault with.
HuTong is located at 34, Co Operative Colony Road, Alwarpet. 42661661.
