The Dragon Boat Festival @ Memories of China | Vivanta by Taj | Bangalore
01:50
We have been visiting many starred hotels lately for food
festivals, launches and of course events. Most of them have amazing grandeur
and their decor is a level above. But very few of them actually serve good
food! Most of the times their grandeur, decor and service fetches them good
ratings but in reality they do not deserve it food and taste wise!
On the same page, we recently visited Memories of China @
Vivanta by Taj located in M.G Road, Bangalore for trying out their special
Dragon Boat Festival Menu. We visited this restaurant for the first time and we
believe it should be judged only after having a complete meal.
From the outside, it might not seem impressive but if a step
is taken forward, the vision changes. It has authentic Chinese decor and it also
serves authentic Chinese cuisine! An attractive feature is the presence of
rotating tables.
Now coming to the special menu, it is a complete menu with a
huge variety of items so we could not try everything. This menu has been created or better to say crafted by their Chinese master chef Lai Hin Tong William who has over 43 years of culinary experience. We had the pleasure of meeting him as well and he was a charming personality.
We tried many items, but it is better to talk about the
highlights only. For starters we ordered the hong kong style roasted duck, salt
and pepper prawns/tofu and wasabi coated prawns for non veg and for veg a fried
lotus root, baby corn and water chestnut preparation.
 |
| Jasmine tea |
The duck had skin intact which added a crisp to every bite.
The duck meat was very juicy and combined with the sauces the preparation was
very appetizing. The wasabi coated prawns is a must try if you want your mind
almost blown! The prawns were perfectly cooked and sweet with a dilute wasabi
coating. This dilute coating was enough to ping my (Rudra’s) brain. The salt
and pepper prawns were deep fried and had a crunchy coating. The salt level was
perfectly balanced and it tasted supreme, being such a simple preparation.
The fried baby corn had the typical taste and flavour but
the lotus roots had a different aroma and taste. The salt and pepper tofu had
the same base ingredients as that of the prawn but hats off to the chef for
making the tofu so juicy and tasty.
For main course, we tried sautéed lobsters with egg white, a
preparation with prawns and scallops, stir fried veggies, a mushroom
preparation, and sesame roasted chicken and some more.
A special mention would be the crab meat soup we tried which
was loaded with crab meat and sweet corn. It was tasty and very appetizing but
heavy at the same time.
 |
| Thick crab meat soup |
 |
| Wasabi coated prawns |
 |
| Salt and pepper prawns |
 |
| Salt and pepper tofu |
 |
| Deep fried lotus root, baby corn and water chestnut |
 |
| Hong Kong style roasted duck |
It was amazing how using just lobster and egg whites such a
beautiful dish was created. The lobster was juicy and with the aroma of egg
white around, this item was incredible. The disappointment was the roasted
chicken. It also had the skin intact which imparted the crispness to each bite.
The sesame seeds added a good flavour to it as well but the chicken was dry and
overcooked. The prawns and scallop preparation was simple yet lip smacking. The
best part about this dish was the freshness of the prawns and the scallops. The
stir fried veggies were juicy and good to have as a side dish.
The mushroom preparation consisted of shiitake, button and
oyster mushrooms. The juiciness of the mushrooms deserves a lot of praise! Only
this fact stole the show. Apart from this, the sauce was very tasty and
balanced.
 |
| Staple veg noodles |
 |
| Stur fried veggies |
 |
| The assorted mushroom preparation |
 |
| sauteed lobsters with egg white |
 |
| prawns with scallops preparation |
We were also served Zongzi, which is served during this festival in china. It was a sticky rice preparation which was mildly sweet.
For desserts, we tried the mango dumplings, chilled alphonso
pudding, date pancakes with coconut ice cream and a mango tiramisu preparation.
It was amazing how the dumplings were made. Mango, being a
slippery fruit stayed intact inside the dumplings after a bite. The mango
inside was not so sweet though, but its flavour and aroma was excellent. The
date pancakes were extraordinary! There were crispy with actual date filling.
The best part about this dessert was the coconut flavoured ice cream which was
one of the best ice creams we have tried. The mango tiramisu felt more like
chocolate ice cream with real pieces of alphonso and a mild flavour of coffee.
It had chocolate and mango, so taste wise it was great.
The best dessert was the alphonso pudding. It was perfect in
every way: presentation, sweetness and the great aroma and taste of alphonso
mango.
 |
| Chilled alphonso pudding |
 |
| Date pan cakes with coconut ice cream |
 |
| Mango dumplings |
 |
| Alphonso Tiramisu with coffee |
It was truly a delightful and thoroughly enjoyable
experience. This menu is available till the 14th of June, so
officially time is running out for those who are willing to try.
Treat your taste buds a short and lively trip to Chinese
cuisine this Dragon Boat festival.
The food prepared is very simple, yet flavourful and tasty.
The best part is the flavours come from the core ingredient without the use of
additives!
We would have definitely revisited if this menu lasted
longer.
So, if you want to treat yourself with these simple but
crafted preparations, there is not much time left. If you do visit, do let us
know about your experience!
Till then – bon appétit!
0 comments