Usually, there is no recovering from a messy, loud, infuriating traffic jam which lasts for what seems like hours and probably is. And usually, I try to keep the distance between me and the waiting food to a minimum. But the Kylin Experience is an unusually good place, and all the usual rules don’t really apply.
Of course, we reached this newly opened restaurant in Mayur Vihar’s Holiday Inn’s fully prepared for a good meal, a decent spread with the promised sushi bar, Teppanyaki grill and dim sums among other delicious distractions. We came back with every expectation met, and then some.
The ambience was smooth, the loud, thumping music around the bar softening into a pleasantly quiet dining area— conversations over meals is pretty important. We chose seats around the Teppanytaki grill, because a little live demonstration never ruined a good meal, did it?
The menu at Kylin Experience is extensive, and incredibly tempting. It took us a while to pick, and fortunately, we had Executive Chef Tanmoy Mazumdar to help us. We turned ourselves over to him, and as the food started appearing before us, I thanked our good sense in doing so. First up, a platter of sushi immediately set the bar high enough for me to worry about the rest of the meal catching up. The salmon and tuna nigiri were perfectly formed, fresh and deliciously light. It was the vegetarian Philadelphia roll, though, which stole the show. Wrapped just right, its outside lightly coated with crunchy tempura bits, it was a burst of textures and freshness. I could have just had platters of sushi the entire night, but I had a job to do (albeit a very welcome one).
The cocktails, garden fresh and wasabi martinis, were beautiful, light green things, so deliciously complimentary to the food that I can’t quite imagine our meals without them. They went especially well with what came next – a serving of Kylin lettuce wraps and chicken curry dim sums. I would recommend both to anyone who makes their way to this restaurant. Just the fresh, crispy lettuce, with a filling that makes you desperately wish to lick your fingers, and the sweet, spicy sesame curry dunked over those perfectly steamed dim sums alone can make your night a good one.
Other treats followed. There was the wok tossed chicken with bullet chillies. The flavour was unique, with all the smoky goodness of the chilli and none of its bite wrapping itself around tender chicken bits. The chef encouraged us to try the little round whole chillies and we did. Should you find yourselves at Kylin with a plate of this dish in front of you, I suggest you do too. We were scarcely done with all the wonders on our plate that the one in front of us started. It’s a pleasure to watch the chefs work the Teppanyaki grill, a treat to watch the ingredients transform before your very eyes. We watched as the lamb bulgogi was prepared, and waited as it was served up in bowls so it could make its way to us. The incredibly tender, deliciously flavoured lamb with the Teppan special sticky fried rice — two more winners from the night.
Almost everything, the salmon teriyaki, the ubon noodles, tasted entirely different from each other, and I think that’s what especially helped the meal along. Each item on the menu surprised the palate. It was perhaps the Kung Pao chicken which made the least impression, the sauce with the otherwise well cooked pieces of chicken too strong, too sweet and too thick.
We should have stopped their, ideally speaking, considering that there was very little space for dessert. But there was a wasabi cheesecake and a trio of basil, star anise and green tea ice cream on the menu. Greed is the mother of a just a little more, and we allowed ourselves to be led astray. Everything turned out all right though, when the star anise ice cream with its delicate but sure footed flavour and the wasabi cheesecake with its generous serving of everything sweet strong and creamy made up for the little bit of guilt creeping up on us.
Meal for Two: Rs. 1500
