New additions to the lavish menu of HUNAN

Hunan, this Chinese restaurant has some memories with me. I was one of their first guest when they had opened their restaurant, also I did bring in my birthday at this restaurant with their 5-course anniversary meal.

This visit was special as I was part of the preview of the new items on their menu. Hold your breathe, 70 new dishes are included to their menu which are not just healthy but most of these dishes are gluten-free, crafted by Chef Pema Takchung Lepchaand and the owner Jagdish M Menda. We tasted some of these dishes and most were loved by everyone.

Though I missed my favourite soups to start my meal with, I refreshed myself with lemongrass iced-tea which was so different from the usual lemon iced-tea, followed by a Cucumber cooler. Also, we sipped on Jasmine tea.

2 salad's were served - Asian flavor Chicken salad & Thai seafood and rice vermicelli salad. Both were very good and choosing one would be difficult. Asian flavor Chicken salad had fresh ingredients like carrot, red cabbage, shredded chicken, spring onion tossed with peanut butter and vinaigrette dressing while Thai seafood and rice vermicelli salad had rice vermicelli with prawn, fish, squid in delicious lime and sweet chilli dressing.

Next were steamed dishes - Hong Kong styled steamed Seer Fish and Asian Style Stuffed Tofu with Chicken. Steamed Seer Fish was served with vegetables and ginger - coriander broth. I have not been a tofu fan but this dish took me by surprise, tofu was very soft and with a dash of chicken, it was a perfect side dish, cant stop at one.

Next came the starters, Chicken Hot Basil which had finely chopped chicken with bird's eye chilli, basil, garlic, served in a lettuce cup. I am a lettuce fan and despite having bird's eye chilli, it wasn't very spicy but nice blend of flavors.

Salt and pepper silken Tofu & Fried Corn Curd Chili Pepper looked the same but as I loved the tofu in the steamed dish, I preferred the fried corn curd chili pepper.

Fried Chili Prawns with Tamarind Sauce was next served which had fresh red chili, garlic, fish sauce and coriander. Sugarcane skewered Chicken were also done well but it wasn't a dish I tasted for the first time. Shredded Pork Beijing Style wasn't tasted but most of the people who had this did not find this an unusual dish.

For Main course, Raw Mango chili fish which had stir-fried fish with green mango sauce, I enjoyed these with steamed rice ut it was tasty enough that I forgot to click it. Assorted vegetables in chili oyster sauce is one veg dish I enjoyed which had white and black wood ear, bamboo shoot, asparagus, carrot, baby corn, black mushroom in chili oyster sauce.

Next was Lo Han Jai, again a veg dish which had tofu, chines cabbage, vermicelli noodles, mushroom, bamboo shoot, leek sauteed in a shaoxing wine sauce.

You also have 'Meal by itself' option too for single diners or for those who do not want to binge more. Chicken Peking Noodles was enjoyed and the second option was Chicken stew with black wood ear, a classic cantonese style stir-fry chicken with wood ear mushroom served with sticky rice. I loved both and may try the other meal by itself options when I dine again.

Desserts are a must try at Hunan, because Jagdish's mother makes them with all the love. 2 desserts were served, Red-velvet cake which is a must try at Hunan, any one who is not fan of red velvet cake should try it here for them to love it, I am one of the example for it. Second one was Tres Leches, a sponge cake soaked with three types of milk- evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. Both the desserts take you to a trip of heaven. I can never say no to desserts at this place.

While parting, some chocolates were served which we enjoyed like a kid. You can enjoy the new menu at Hunan which has won 'Times Food Awards' for Best Chinese Restaurant. I am waiting to go back and try some of their other dishes especially when winter is nearing :)

Address: Hunan
#123, 1st Floor, KHB Colony
Opp Black Pearl restaurant
Koramangala 5th Block, Bangalore
For reservations, contact 080-25520154

Fire Monkey - Flaming Fatty, The Chinese New Year Celebrations At The Fatty Bao

Starting February 8, 2016, is a Year of the Fiery Monkey on the Chinese calendar. To celebrate this, The Fatty Bao, Bangalore, welcomes the Chinese New Year with a flaming special menu and some truly fiery cocktails. I was invited for a preview of ‘Fire Monkey- Flaming Fatty’ their special Chinese New Year Festival from February 8-14, 2016 exclusively for lunch and dinner.

Started the meal with Dragon Sushi which is believed to be symbols of power, dignity, fertility, wisdom and auspiciousness, dragons are used in dance to bring luck too. The vegetarian version had Avocado, cucumber, pickled carrot and spicy mayo and non vegetarian version had Spicy salmon, avocado, tobiko, crab meat, spicy sauce and tenkasu. I am not a sushi fan but this was the best sushi I ever had and asked for another helping of the same. These were my favorite from the menu.

Next on the table were Jiaozi which are dumplings. binged on some chicken and asparagus jiaozi while the vegetarians were taken care with broccoli and almond jiaozi. As I don't eat pork, others on the table enjoyed Baozi, smoked BBQ Pork, which were very cute looking piggy faces and made it straight to everyone's tummy.

Next were golden fried crispy Spring Rolls served with a homemade dipping sauce. While I ate the veg version which had wild mushroom, vermicelli, spinach and tofu, others enjoyed spicy minced lamb, black bean and mint spring roll. The rolls were crispy and crunchy, cooked to perfection.

Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken was next which we had with steamed rice. Crispy fried chicken with pineapple and vegetables made the dish a little sweet.

Ramen Noodles was served in a fat round pot, the uncut Ramen noodle in an aromatic duck broth with fresh coriander, soft boiled egg, crispy garlic and poached duck meat was delish as I enjoy duck meat.

Lastly, Steamed Red Snapper, a whole fish steamed with Chinese black vinegar and chilli sauce and served with stir fried vegetables. I savored every bite with steamed rice. As this signifies increase in prosperity, one can enjoy this with full family.

No meal is complete without dessert and similarly no Traditional Chinese New Year is complete without the ‘Moon Cake’, they had their version of moon cake which is served with strawberry compote and black sesame ice cream.

We couldn't leave without having Fatty Hill which is from the regular menu, yes I had my own guilty pleasures.

Few refreshing mocktails which is not part of the festival menu.

Some refreshments after I end my meal.

So head to The Fatty Bao (3rd Floor # 610, 12th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore- 560 038), wish them Nian Hao between 8th Feb and 14th Feb for lunch and dinner and relish this festive menu before they take them off.

Shang palace, Chinese experience at Shangri-La Bengaluru

Shang Palace is Shangri-La's signature Chinese restaurant perched on level 3, offering authentic Chinese cuisine presented by a brigade of Chinese expatriate chefs. It has indoor and outdoor seating. For a more intimate dining experience, guests may dine in either of the two traditional private dining rooms, Bengaluru’s first of its kind, catering to 12 and 8 guests. I had a walk through the restaurant during the launch of the property but I was recently invited to enjoy a Shangri-La experience at Shang palace along with other few bloggers.

At level 3, as you enter Shang Palace, you will have to walk a long ramp to head to the dining area. Chef Lin Lin Yang and his team greeted us to a private dining area where we experienced some of the best dishes along with conversations. Started the evening with some refreshing Chinese tea while everyone warmed up for a gastronomical experience. I love authentic chinese food so I waited with waited breath for every dish to be unveiled.

We started the meal with some appetizers, Crispy lotus stems (lotus stems tossed with chilli and hoisin sauce), Chinese cucumber salad (cucumber with yellow bean sauce, banana chilli and coriander), Chongqing chilli chicken (Wok fried chicken with dry red chilli and schezwan pepper corns) and Roasted crispy pork belly. I did not try the pork belly. But I loved the cucumber salad which had a tangy twist to it, at times I am fond of veggies too ;) I'm not a fan of lotus stems but hoisin sauce twist to this dish made the difference and I liked it. Chilli chicken was very spicy, clearing my throat and the taste of chilli was left on my throat for a long time.

After some yummilicious appetizers, it was time for some dim sums. Pan fried mushroom bun (Fungus, shiitake and spring onions in a pan fried bun) and Prawn hargau (Traditional cantonese prawn dim sum) was served. I have always loved prawn hargau and this tasted good too. Though I am not not fond of mushroom, but pan fried buns have been my favorite but in lamb. Mushroom bun with the sauces available was delish. I am waiting to try Barbecued chicken puff when I visit next.

How can I miss having Crabmeat soup when its on the menu? With asparagus and egg drops I enjoyed every spoon of it. It is a must try here.

I sipped on a refreshing mocktail while I ate some finger-licking food.

For main course, Mapo tofu (Tofu tossed with bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms in chilli bean sauce) and Stir fried chinese greens (Seasonal green tossed with garlic) was served with Yangzhou fried rice with egg. I am not fond of both the dishes but gave tofu a try as it was praised for tofu being very soft.

For non-veg, Hunan style steamed fish (fish with pickled chillies and fragrant soy sauce) was served with Yangzhou fried rice. This tasted exceptionally well. Also, Gongbao prawns (prawns fried with dry chillies and peanuts) with the fried rice was relished. I could also eat the prawns by itself.

Roasted Beijing duck (duck meat carved and served with scallion, cucumber, sweet bean sauce and pancakes). They made rolls by adding all ingredients and served. This dish was a little sweet compared to all other dishes and this completed my entire meal, of course dessert was pending ;)

Almond milk jelly (almond milk jelly served with papaya) with Cinnamon ice-cream was the dessert for the night. Papaya over powered the milk jelly which anyway did not have much taste but cinnamon ice-cream was very good. I'm not very fond of asian desserts much too.

Overall the experience was brilliant where almost all dishes were loved which is a rare thing I face. When I had a look at the menu, there were many other dishes which I could like to try in my other visits. I couldn't help but admire all the chandeliers in the hotel. Yes I am visiting the place again for the brilliant service along with exceptionally tasting food. The prices of the dishes are also reasonable making it a must visit place. You can also enjoy this experience while having a hearty lunch (from noon to 3PM) or a healthy private dinner (from 6:30PM to 10:30PM).