Reaching its 40th-milestone, the IHCL is celebrating its culinary trail by tossing up some yummy Chinese and nostalgia by the master chefs from the House of Ming and two other ‘sisters’ – Spicy Duck and Thai Pavillion
In a balmy October evening 40 years ago, 1, Mansingh Road in Lutyen’s Delhi became one of the coveted addresses when the Taj Mahal opened its doors in a grandstand show by Yves Saint Laurent. The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) walked into Delhi, and eventually into the hearts of Delhiites, displaying finest art work by the likes of Anjolie Ela Menon, MF Hussain, Jamini Roy, among others, and marble fountains, sprawling greens and timeless luxury.
Forty years of teekha Chinese
The landmark hotel would be a trendsetter, giving the city its first 24-hour international café, Machan and a Chinese restaurant in a five-star, House of Ming – serving Sichuan cuisine. The restaurant has chronicled a journey of 40 years, delighting the likes of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpyaee, author Amitav Ghosh, the Kapoors, Subhalakshmi Khan and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, and continues to enjoy a loyal patronage of the city’s hauté and happening.
Interestingly, when it launched in 1978, it did not have a menu! It, however, did not to matter to the Punjabis who were being fed bland food in the name of Chinese, till House of Ming with its famous Golden Fried Prawns, happened. “Only Ginza and Fujiya back in the 70s served Chinese...unpalatable to our Punjabi taste buds used to mirch-masale,” says socialite and entrepreneur Arvind D, a regular old-timer. “At House of Ming, we discovered that spices and Chinese food can be married. The restaurant may have tweaked the original cuisine to suit Delhi, but continues to work for over four decades.”
Overall, it became iconic for giving the city ‘teekha Chinese khana’. The menu, which has since been printed in delicate fonts, has a diverse selection of Schezuan dishes, offering deliciously hot and spicy fare, and the Canton cuisine to pamper palates that prefer subtle and light flavours.
To exalt this 40th-milestone and counting, IHCL is celebrating its epochal culinary trail in an extraordinary fashion where master chefs from the historic House of Ming and two other ‘sisters’ – Spicy Duck (Taj Palace) and Thai Pavillion (Taj City Centre, Gurugram), will toss up some yummy Chinese and nostalgia. The three oriental restaurants will traverse across Delhi in what is being called the first-ever culinary sojourn titled, Treasures of the Orient. The trail, divided in three segments with select intervals, will have chefs from the three restaurants switch places and showcase the best of their cuisine at the designated spot. Currently in its second leg, chefs from Thai Pavilion, House of Ming, and Spicy Duck have moved out of their kitchens to Taj Palace, New Delhi, Taj City Centre Gurugram and Vivanta New Delhi Dwarka respectively. Elaborating on this unique concept, Gaurav Pokhariyal – Senior Vice President, Operations, IHCL, says, “We are proclaiming the legacy of our culinary brands such as House of Ming, Thai Pavilion and Spicy Duck. This initiative is a journey of oriental flavours crafted by the master chefs at these restaurants.”
The other two sisters
While House of Ming celebrates 40 glorious years, the Thai Pavilion boasts of a legacy of 25 years and the chic Spicy Duck has reinvented the flavours of Sichuan and Canton in a contemporary way. Thai Pavillion is also India’s first Thai fine dining brand. The Zen space with carved teak walls, neo-classical artifacts and detailed panels inspired by the Grand Palace, Bangkok’s Royal Hall, has served global luminaries like the late Nelson Mandela and Jacques Chirac. Spicy Duck captures the contemporary vibrancy of the space combined with the authenticity at the heart of the cuisine, reflecting the specialties of the Sichuan and Canton provinces of China. “Use of homemade concoctions and infused oils for cooking, with minimalistic use of condiments impart lightness to the preparations at the restaurant kitchen. Most of the spices and vegetables are sourced from the country of origin to keep the offering most authentic in nature,” says Chef Thanglawm Valte.