The Hindu Business Line : Return of the dragon

That Chennai’s most authentic Chinese restaurant — The Golden Dragon at Taj Coromandel — has been missed was obvious from the packed dining hall. It was barely a week since this trendier and glitzier version of the fine-dining restaurant had been re-launched — after a long gap of two years — but there was not a table to be had, and it wasn’t even a weekend. In fact the restaurant manager came and politely asked if the two vacant seats at our table for four could be spared!

The restaurant’s regulars in Chennai will find some of their favourite items have been retained on the menu, and many new ones added. Whether it is soups, starters/Dim Sums or the mains, there is plenty of choice, and happily even for vegetarians, who often get shoddy fare at many speciality dining places.

As Executive Chef Nabhojit Ghosh explained, the refurbished 75-seater restaurant has retained its focus on the Szechwan and Cantonese cuisine. But the dim sums have been given a makeover. “The dim sums we had earlier were few and straight, but now you can choose from a huge variety. Also, we now get the flour and potato starch from China and you will see the difference.”

As he promised, it was a discernible difference; the lamb and prawn dumplings were absolutely light, and the taste subtle. The vegetarian starter Beijing Onion cake was as delicious as light, and made with finely chopped spinach and onions. If you find the flavour too delicate, you can try out the dips that accompany the starters — my favourite was one with ginger and vinegar.

Along with the flour, the dry shrimp, dry scallop and some basic pastes not available in India are being sourced from China. But not the Peking duck; “excellent quality duck is now being farmed outside Pune and there are different varieties available for different styles of cooking,” said Chef Ghosh. And, importing too many ingredients pushes up the cost, so there is a conscious attempt by the Taj Group of hotels to import only the absolutely essential ingredients, he added.

Chef Ghosh said Chhada Siembieda and Associates from Hong Kong had designed the restaurant.

The Szechwan element stands out in the décor through the use of decorative light fixtures and artefacts, theme walls and motifs. Both the linen and crockery catch the eye with their gentle shades of white, cream and brown.

The interactive show-kitchen enables guests to request the chefs for their favourite ingredient and flavour. “We’ve put a lot of focus on keeping the steamed items very light and their taste very subtle.”

In Cantonese food there is traditionally “not much spice level,” says Chef Ghosh, but keeping local tastes in mind “an adequate spice-level is maintained. Most of our diners, though not all, generally prefer spicy food, so we’ve balanced the spice level, keeping particularly in mind our regulars.”

The Indian palate is constantly evolving as more people travel overseas and sample different cuisines. “The whole gamut of the spice level and composition changes across India. While we do have ginger garlic, onion and cumin as essential elements all over the country, the spice levels go up in certain pockets. How hot (spicy) the food is primarily depends on the region. In Andhra Pradesh, because it is arid, the requirement of chilli is higher to cut the body heat. And then, to counter that you need something sour. So the sour and chilli element has to blend and balance here.”

In Chennai, Chef Ghosh adds, diners prefer “more authenticity; people in Chennai understand food but don’t like to experiment too much. So here we do experiments not so much in restaurants but in banqueting when people ask for new things.”

All this talk about food and spices and blends, coupled with a study of the exhaustive menu at Golded Dragon… Jumbo prawn steamed in garlic sauce with shell; Steamed fish fillet pickled chilli, Crab meat hot garlic sauce with broccoli, Stir-fried scallop with asparagus in X.O. sauce; Shredded chicken with colour peppers, Tender Steak; Sauted sliced steak with straw mushroom in oyster sauce… can try anybody’s taste buds.

The Beijing duck, one has to admit after trying it so many times at different Chinese restaurants, is only for those with a cultivated taste. Even though it is served here with a thin, roomali-roti like pancake, which first gets a coating of a red bean sauce and a sprinkling of spring onions, I found the oven-cooked meat a little tough for my palate.

But what followed, Kung pao chicken with peanuts, cooked in sesame oil and cooking wine, was tender, juicy and with the right blend of spices; the shredded lamb with black pepper sauce was just right as were the ‘Rainbow vegetables’ — beans, broccoli, red and yellow peppers, carrot and tomatoes.

All this, including the staple chicken noodles and fried rice — an all-time hit at Golden Dragon — washed down with the most delicious pineapple and apricot flavoured green tea, and the meal was delectable. One did try the Chinese Chardonnay (white wine), but would any day prefer the delicious green tea, in which pieces of pineapple and apricots are actually added to bring out the flavour and aroma.

A wide selection of green tea is available here… with apple and cinnamon, peach and camomile, vanilla, Ginseng and citrus, peppermint and lotus.

But the tantalising items on the menu merit a return to try out Crab meat hot garlic sauce with broccoli; Lobster; Crispy honey noodle with almond flakes; Fried tofu with chilli garlic vinegar sauce; Tofu in chilli yellow bean sauce with vegetables, Pickled chilli chicken with water chestnut and Chilled mango pudding!

More Stories on : Hotels | Food & Cuisine | Rasheeda Bhagat

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