Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Chinese Lanterns … would you believe it! Arguably the kingdom’s favourite Indian restaurant chain has gone all oriental on us and is tempting diners with a whole new dining out experience.
Walk up the stairs at its Juffair venue and you are transported into Chinatown with fabulous fans, pottery pieces, plates, sugar pots, tea cups and, of course, those Chinese lanterns on display.
The decoration and the ambience are spot on but could the kings of Indian cuisine deliver the same standards with their new operation? I should have cast away any doubts at the door for the Lanterns team has it well sussed thanks to a little help from their friends.
They called in the expertise of Consultant Chef Arun Tyagi, renowned for working on the winning menus at the celebrated Kylin restaurants operating successfully in India.
What I hadn’t realised was that Chinese food has become extremely popular with the growing and busy time-conscious middle classes in India who flock to savour stir fries and noodles which are a hearty, healthy alternative option to traditional fare which often takes a long time to prepare at home.
Lanterns has set up a separate kitchen and team to tempt lovers of Chinese cuisine under the able control of in-house Chef Deepaksingh Bhandari, an experienced hand who boasts hands-on experience at Spices restaurant at the JW Marriott which is regarded as one of the best Chinese and Thai food exponents in Mumbai.
The GulfWeekly team was in good hands, the selection of dishes was swiftly presented to our table and what a delight was in store.
The starters we sampled included Bullet Chilly Chicken, a wow! dish, if ever there was one, simply chicken tossed with bullet chilly and black beans leaving a full-on after taste that is triumphant at just BD2.500.
The Prawn Balls (BD3.500) were a sight to behold and my assistant editor Nawaar appeared to attempt to swallow one of the giant crisp fried prawn dumplings in one mouthful and narrowly missed out on achieving a culinary impossibility.
She has now been nicknamed Prawn Ball and it looks like it’s sticking just like the wasabi mayo on her chin.
Something even steamier followed in the shape of Pokchoy and Shitake Crystal (BD1.900), five pieces of Dimsum dumplings and the Chicken Crystal dimsum with five spices (BD2) could not be ignored.
But the best was to come. The Kung Pao Chicken (BD3.500) accompanied by a sweet and tangy sauce with ginger and peanuts was perfect. I would have said it was my favourite dish of the day had the signature dish of steamed whole baby hammour (if this was a baby, its mother must have been a sea throll!) with Thai herbs hadn’t arrived on a large dish. It was swiftly set upon by the fish fanatics in our party (me and Bambi, our sales executive). This was seriously sensational and at BD16 a treat worth savouring.
The spice lovers were also given a treat with a dish of Sichuan Prawns (BD4.500) in a warming pepper sauce.
No Chinese dining experience is complete without Roast Crispy Duck, served with hoisin and plum sauce, cucumber and leek pancakes (BD5.500) and it brought whoops of delight from my merry band.
The Stir Fried Asian Greens (BD2.200) with pakchoy, morning glory, asparagus and broccoli, added colour and crispy freshness for some whilst others had their heads turned by the Hakka Noodles, starting at BD1.800, which come with vegetables, chicken or seafood.
Thankfully, I had marked Wednesday as my dieting cheat day, so felt no guilt on sampling a couple of dishes from the sweet menu. The Date Rolls (BD2) with coconut ice-cream are going to be a massive hit with the locals and the Custard Wrappers, again served with some incredible ice-cream, was a joy at BD1.500.
What a triumph … you’d be Chinese crackers not to give it a chance.
* Call 17666517 or 17224417 for further details, to book a table or order a home delivery. The American Alley (Shaba Avenue) destination will soon be joined by another Chinese cuisine restaurant in Riffa early next year, says Uday Mukundan, Lanterns Lounge’s group operations manager.
