Janice Savina Rodrigues |NT BUZZ
The Chinese have a way of enchanting the world, be it through their closed culture, or their booming electronics industry. Their food has been taking over plates of millions of foodies all over the globe, with every country or region adding their own bit of ‘tadka’ to make it more appealing to their palates. One aspect of the Chinese cuisine that has latched onto the taste buds of those who love the cuisine is the dim sum and more recently the bao.
Bringing in the flavours of China is the Wan Hao pan-Asian restaurant in the Goa Marriott Resort and Spa, with their sizzling line-up of ‘All-You-Can-Eat Dim Sum’. This festival, or rather promotion, is aptly positioned during the onset of the summer months when you would rather ditch the rice-curry combination and dive into something a little lighter on the tummy.
The assortment of dim sums on the menu is a delight to read and gets your imagination craving for the bite-sized wonders. The range from chicken to prawn to mushrooms is all-encompassing and chef Dibyendu Roy has made it his mission to serve Goans with the best he can offer. There is the crystal prawn dumpling, with finely minced prawns, asparagus, ginger and coriander; the chicken glutinous rice dumpling is a real charmer, the sticky rice coats the chicken flavoured with water chestnut and scallions in the perfect balance, giving it a nice texture when you bite into one.
For those who prefer the vegetarian way, the Sichuan mushroom dumpling is a stunner, this one’s got a sight crunch, the shitake, mushroom, peppercorn and chilli confluence is just right for a slightly fiery meal. There is also the Crystal Jiaozi dumpling with the mix of zucchini, pok choy, glass noodles and truffle oil.
The culinary journey doesn’t end here. The chef has been gracious and included the wraps and baos too in this offering. The wraps are a delight for those who love the home styled spring rolls – yes, they are fried and crunchy. With the Seafood Beijing Roll sporting a filling of minced bits of seafood, onion, pepper, fungus, chilli, and the Beijing Spring Roll with its vegetables, garlic and wood ear fungus, these are on the mildly spicier side and thoroughly enjoyable.
The baos were my favourite, although after sampling all the above mentioned items I must admit it was a full-house in my tummy. The Crisp King Prawn Bao, Pulled Chicken Bao and Vegetables Kung Pao Bao were ruling their own areas. These baos are made fresh and thus take a while in making their way to the table, but the wait is sure worth it! “Traditionally baos are never served on a take-away option, for the simple reason that they have to be eaten as fresh as they can be,” says chef Roy.
The sheer variety of the items available is a treat visually as much as they are to the taste buds. “Traditionally dim sums, baos and rolls are not had with either rice or noodles, but to give the Indian rice lover something substantial we have also included two rice and noodle dishes here in the egg and vegetable options,” adds chef.
Priced at `899 plus taxes and open only for lunch, the All-You-Can-Eat-Dim-Sum is a real treat, and what’s even better is that the dim sums are unlimited!