Apr 14, 2002 12:29 PM
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(Updated Apr 14, 2002 02:37 PM)
The Chinese prepare their food in the most admirable manner , the vegetables and the meat just about cooked , retaining their freshness and along with that increasing the nutritive value of the food also. The subtly different sauces , hunan sauce with its slight sourness, schezwan with its distinctive color and spice into it and many more. Rice is the primary crop of china and its used in abundance in their food. Flour mixed with eggs !!! does that sound appetizing well it sure will when converted to the globally famous Noodles , Noodles are available in different styles, hakka , chow and the Flat variety. The distinctive taste of Chinese food however is derived from Soy sauce, made from Soya Beans. Tofu which is soya bean curd is also used in various preparations. Tofu by itself has many varieties. Chinese food by itself is bland , but adapting itself to Indian conditions, it has changed itself to such an extent , I personally believe a Chinese would have difficulty in adjusting to the spicy Chinese food available in India !!!
In Mumbai 's suburb Santacruz, tucked away from the station on S V Road is this restaurant ''Dynasty'' . Having a Greenish tinge to it, the place has an impressive numbers of chairs within its court just around the main restaurant, which is a healthy sign indicating that there would be many waiting in the wings to get in to the restaurant . Entering the restaurant one cant help but notice the multilayer seating arrangement. The space is quite limited and is used to the maximum giving it a crowded look. The tables are all covered with green tablecloth giving it a very ''Fresh'' look. Seating is just about comfortable, keep the space in mind. Well looking at the Menu Card , its impressive !!! with a map of China indicating the various provinces. The Fare is predominantly Chinese with a bright idea of having a small icon of a red chilli next to all the spicy dishes almost giving the danger sign !!!.
One mustn't miss out on the Lime flavored Iced Tea, it's a great beginning to the meal , with its tall glass with golden colored iced tea with a generous helping of ice and a wedge of lime and a fresh sprig of mint leaf staring at you. I now give the standard warning that I will be reviewing only vegetarian Dishes. For the starters , I have had the cracking spinach with potato , which was a delightful combination of fried spinach with a sweetish tinge and spicy potatoes. Another starter which I suggest is Tsing Hai Potaoes which is potato wedges well done in a spicy schezwan style. The Crispy Vegetables I heard was also a treat over here.
Well coming to the main course, there one dish which you cannot afford to miss and that is the innocent looking Vegetable Fried Rice, sound like a basic item well try tasting this dish here, its made so well making you think '' I wish I had the capacity to eat more ''. Having had this item it would be only fair for me to say that any Rice item would be prepared brilliantly. Then now for the noodles, I chose the Malaysian Noodles also know as Koi thiao , though this name is not used in the menu . This is Flat noodles with a light sweetish edge to it with mushrooms. The accompaniments served apart from the standard, soy , chilli sauce and Chilli vinegar, is schezwan sauce and another two sauces, I really don't know what these there but they are strikingly different with an exotic edge to it. I could identify with one what seemed like parsley in sweet vinegar.
For the Side dishes there were many , we have had Mushroom and babycorn in Hunan sauce and the Sweet and Sour Chinese Cabbage and I must say that what impressed me with these dishes was the subtleness in tastes and the perfect amount of gravy, just about coating the vegetables ohhh perfect !!!
Now comes dessert time and my friend helped himself another Iced tea, the adventure in me made me check out the Flat noodles in honey with Ice Cream. What greeted me was a huge bowl full of fried noodles with honey and sesame seeds thrown in for good measure and a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream. Needless to say I enjoyed this, however I must say it is a dish for two.
When I got my Bill , i.e the check I was in for a pleasant surprise. This treat cost me only a modest Rs 450 in which me and my friend had grossly overeaten. The service here is fast and at times you feel you are being hurried up to tackle the crowd, Coming outside I saw a huge group waiting for their turn to have a go at the food.
Well that ends my Chinese Adventure at Dynasty and it surely makes me crave for more, and I am now finding excuses and company just to go to this place.
