JOIN USWith the festive spirit in the air, Saturday evening saw patrons of The Oberoi, get together for dinner, drinks and some fun.
The evening, co-hosted by the Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve, has been organised to celebrate the culinary journey and legacy of Szechwan Court, The Oberoi's contemporary Chinese restaurant.
The nostalgia was palpable as old-timers and true blue Bengalureans shared their memories of the restaurant and the hotel. Szechwan Court, which threw its doors open in 1992, is celebrating 24 years.
“This (The Oberoi) is where my children literally grew up,” shared the celebrated fashion designer Paresh Lamba. “My son has fallen in the pond here; my father has fallen in the pond here.”
After the laughter died down, he went on to say that it has been his home for decades now. Most guests were in agreement that the restaurant in the decade-old Oberoi, though understated, is one of the few across the country that serves authentic Chinese cuisine.
And the spread that followed, whipped up in style by the chefs led by Ajit Raman, was an ode to this legacy.
The crispy lotus stem, tossed in a sour-spicy sauce, simply had to be on the menu, according to the executive chef. “Making it is really simple, really,” added Ajit. “Cleaning and the rest of the preparation is what takes time.” This is a customer favourite, a dish that can be served minutes after it is ordered, he explained. His personal favourite, he went on to say, is the ‘steamed fish with ginger soy and coriander’, part of the main course, followed by the soup (‘crab and asparagus’ for the non-vegetarians and ‘black mushroom and tofu for the vegetarians’) and a rather interesting ‘green tea sorbet’.
“The flavours are very subtle so not everyone may like it,” he elaborated. Traditionally, he offered, it’s often served whole, but these, layered lightly with spring ginger and soy and a sprinkling of spring onion and coriander, were easier-to-eat filleted pieces.
‘Tenderloin black pepper’, ‘chicken in black bean sauce’, ‘tofu in Szechwan sauce’, ‘Chinese greens’, ‘bean sprout and bamboo in garlic soy’, ‘stir fried jasmine rice’ and ‘vegetable soft noodles with vegetable’ were the other dishes on the menu for the evening.
The desserts — ‘date pan cake’, flanked by the ‘custard Bao’ on one side and a scoop of 'litchi ice cream' on the other — were a delight to gorge on. “The ‘custard Bao’, a bun steamed to perfection with gooey custard on the inside, is the most popular,” the chef said. Of the restaurant’s offerings, Ajit said, they try to keep abreast of what is happening in the Chinese market. “And whenever a new expat chef comes to work here, he adds a contemporary twist to the dishes,” he said, talking of authenticity.
The dinner ended with the unveiling of a painting by an anonymous artist that paid tribute to the chefs, the men behind the delicious spread that left the guests feeling
content.