BENGALURU:As Summer approaches, if you are looking for comforting light food, try a variety of dim sums at Dim-sum Degustation at WelcomCafe Jacaranda.To start with, you can try some Clear Mushroom Soup. Served hot, the soup has spring onions sprinkled over it and, as it is a clear soup, it gives out the flavour of mushrooms – earthy and smoky. For vegetarians, there are Water Chestnut and Asparagus Dumplings; Asian Vegetables and Golden Garlic Dumplings; and Sweet Corn and Spring Onion Dumplings.
The dumplings come with three sauces – black bean sauce, honey chilli sauce and the sweet soy. The corn and spring onion dumplings pair well with the honey chilli sauce. The sourness of spring onion blends well with sweetness of honey chilli. If you like veggies, try the Asian vegetables and golden garlic dumplings because they have an assorted variety including carrots and broccoli. The green-coloured water chestnut and asparagus dumplings are for those who like it hot, with their pungent flavour of garlic. Go hungry since these dumplings are filling with heavy stuffing.
The Chicken and Shitake Shao mai has a chunk of chicken meat topped with a few pieces of carrots. It is nothing to write to the chef about. The steamed prawn and celery dumplings, on the other hand, is sterling. This is one of the best prawn dumplings I have had – pink-cooked meat in a transparent dumpling, it looks appealing and the prawns are juicy and moist.
In main course, there is an option of Mapo Tofu (with chilly bean, chili flakes, black bean or Five Treasure Vegetables) served with noodles or fried rice (ginger-capsicum or garlic) and stir-fried Asian greens for vegetarians.
For non-vegetarians, there's stir-fried fish in chilly bean sauce or Mapo Tofu (with chilly bean, chilli flakes, black bean and minced chicken) served with egg noodles or fried rice and stir-fried Asian greens. The stir-fried Asian greens has a different combination of veggies than the usual stir fried veggies that you find at most other places. It has an assortment of Chinese cabbage, field beans, asparagus, garlic and yellow and green zucchini.
The dish served with the vegetarian platter looks bright and has varied flavours – mild peppery crunch of Chinese cabbage, nutty-field beans, sweetness of zucchini and sourness of asparagus. The Five-Treasure Vegetables is sweet, containing cauliflower, broccoli, corn, mushrooms and carrots. On the contrary, its non-veg counterpart – Mapo Tofu with chilly bean, chilli flakes, black bean and minced chicken – is spicy with thick light red gravy sprinkled with chilli flakes. The chilly bean adds more spice to the tofu and minced chicken curry. I must add, chilly beans is an acquired taste.
The egg noodles is better for the large chunks of omlette pieces, than the scrambled eggs that you usually find in noodles.In desserts, try the Sticky Date Cake with tender coconut ice cream. The date cake is too sweet with its caramel centre. You can take a spoonful of it with the coconut ice cream to tone it down.
The festival is on till March 4.
Price: Rs 999 (veg), Rs 1,099 (non-veg)