KOCHI: This one simply can’t be categorised into the usual Chinese food fare happening every now and then in the city. Executive chef Denny Davis and team has in store for you an array of lipsmacking Chinese delicacies at reasonable prices at the Woods Manor on MG Road.
Although the Chinese food fest at the hotel is an annual affair, Denny has incorporated a host of his signature dishes into the ongoing food fest, ‘The Great Wall of China.’ Like the wonton which is made from homemade pasta and the zhima prawns (spicy prawns flavoured with sesame seeds). “We have on the menu all the popular dishes from the five provinces of China. But its Szechwan that is highly in demand,” Denny says.
We started our gastronomic expedition with fried wontons. The flavours and spices in the right combination made every bite melt in the mouth. Among the starters are prawn tempura (batter fired prawns with tempura sauce), sesame cauliflower, veg and non veg spring rolls and Szechwan pepper chicken. Soup yangast, a seafood soup with shredded vegetables, was the next specialty served. The menu features a host of soups including chilly garlic, peking chicken, lung fung kaung (minced chicken with mushrooms and prawns) and wild mushroom, all of which are
priced at ` 70.
There’s much to choose from the chicken, mutton, pork and vegetable dishes. Seafood never tasted this good in a Chinese preparation, we realised, as we had pomfret thu su. Sweet, spicy, crunchy and tangy, this one is a must try.
There’s also fish in yellow bean sauce, braised fish chilly dry, crab in shrimp sauce, yanki fish (fish cooked in lemon curry flavour) and fish maa lak (spicy fish with Szechwan pepper) in the seafood section.
Denny urged us to try the konjee crispy lamb (crispy shredded lamb in spicy sauce) and yang chong tofu (bean cued with shredded onion, red chilly and garlic in soya sauce) before we moved to the main course. Yummy! We were almost full when the ta-tia rice (vegetable stuffed chicken breast with spicy ginger sauce served with rice) arrived. Make your choice from moon fan (rice tossed in five spices, chicken sauces and shrimps), yangsti fried rice, choice of chopsuey (American and Chinese) and noodles.
How about a Chinese thaali? “We introduced it this year. It comprises a soup, rice or noodles, one veg or non-veg dish and a dessert. The compact meal comes at ` 400,” says Denny.
We winded up on a sweet note with dates pancake and ice cream. Check out darsaan (crispy ribbon noodles tossed in honey with almond flakes and served with ice cream) if you still have that extra space in your tummy! The food fest is open for lunch and dinner till
September 3.
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