Chinese food has its own Indian version: spicy, chock-full of soya sauce and liberally sprinkled with cabbage. Of course, there are some who claim to recreate authentic flavours, but they too largely pander to the palate of customers used to eating a certain type of Chinese.
The quest for “real” Chinese food takes a friend and me all the way to Shollinganallur on Old Mahabalipuram Road.
Stepping into Sian at The Gateway by Taj late on a weekday evening, one can’t help but be struck by the symmetry in the restaurant. “We’re all about balance; even our seating is shaped like the Yin Yang,” points out the restaurant’s affable chef, Ashwani Pandey. He explains the idea behind the cuisine: “Xi’an is a province in the northwest of China which was home to Emperor Qin Shi Huang and where the Terracotta Army is found. The region has a wide range of cuisines that in their original form will find favour with Indian diners. And since Xi’an is a bit difficult to pronounce, we’re called Sian!”
Keeping with tradition, warm, fragrant jasmine tea is served in small china cups. This is followed by a well-balanced hot and sour soup — it is thick and filled with noodles and chunks of vegetables and chicken.
The chef recommends the Chang’an cocktail made with pickled ginger, mint, basil, lime and ice with ginger ale; might sound like a weird combination, but it definitely works for us.
Dim sums are a must, and so we sample the chicken, broccoli and corn and prawn (the winner) with a variety of dips. A fiery-looking chilli mountain chicken turns out to be subtly spiced; the Schezwan style lotus stem is flavourful and crispy. A plate full of butter chilli garlic prawns is polished off in minutes: clearly, the star of the appetisers.
The signature dish of Sian is the pork rib: it has a smoky sweetness from the combination of star anise and cinnamon. The flavour can be quite overwhelming after a couple of bites, but is tempered when eaten with the burnt garlic fried rice. Thin slices of tofu braised in black bean sauce and whole wheat noodles with crispy vegetables are the best bet for vegetarians.
Flipping through the huge menu one last time, we are intrigued by two dishes. The chilli chocolate pot looks simple enough as a cylindrical chocolate mousse lands on the table.
Chef Pandey deftly pours a strawberry crème anglaise: the crème begins to bubble and froth and it looks like our dessert has transformed into a science fair volcano. Undaunted, we dig in. The heat from chilli in the chocolate mousse hits the back of the throat; surprisingly, it is a pleasant feeling.
We end with a green tea and pepper crème brûlée – a delicately flavoured, melt-in-the-mouth concoction that leaves us feeling light.
Following the theatrics of the previous dish, this one is quite tame in comparison: it just sits quietly in its bowl, waiting to be devoured.
A meal for two costs Rs. 2000. The Gateway by Taj is at 309, OMR, Shollinganallur.
