Chow Down in China Town!

Ho Sat! And to those less familiar with Chinese, Bon appétit!

“To open a shop is easy. To keep it open is an art” an old Chinese proverb and one that Nelson Wang, one of Mumbai’s most well known Indo-Chinese chefs has managed brilliantly.

China Garden has been around since 1983. Although they shut down their Kemps Corner operation for a few years in the middle, they substituted it by opening a restaurant in Crossroads Mall (now Sobo Central Mall), until they could  move back to Kemps Corner, which is where they are now located. It is one of the only good restaurants left between Worli and Malabar Hill in South Bombay. Infact, it’s probably the only fine dining restaurant in the area that I can think of.

It's been ages since I'd eaten at China Garden and so off I went, with my two best friends from school and oh, what an evening! As we entered it was like we had walked into the ‘Wang’ Dynasty. Lucky Chinese red and gold décor dressed the walls, tables and chairs, along with certificates and accolades of the Wang family for their excellence in food and service. I believe the restaurant business is now run by Wang’s sons, Eddie and Henry, so the family secrets have remained intact and through the years they've gained credibility by feeding many a mouths. Bollywood and Hollywood stars included.

After being comfortably seated, I took one look at the menu and it instantly took me back to school, when we used to scoff down plates of Golden Fried Prawns and Chicken Manchurian to our heart's content. But not this evening, Oh no! This was a far more sophisticated dinner with one of my friends Tara, who lives by the motto Live Light™ (That’s her trademark. She is a nutritionist and health psychologist by trade). 

So it was a vegetable loaded, no oil, no msg, no fried foods evening for us…although we did manage to sneak in an egg fried rice and a fried corn cream, which was delish!

Now although the service started off fairly shaky, Mark the Maitre D' really saved the evening. He was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and restaurant alike. He gave us some good recommendations and here’s the low down on the food we ordered.

We started the night with a portion of Gin Chicken; spongy, dry balls of shredded chicken flavoured with Chinese herbs and spices, accompanied by a hint of spring onion and coriander to give it a slight Indian taste.

That was followed by a plate of Corn Cream; delicious golden nuggets of a perfectly crisped outer, filled with a soft, buttery centre of creamed corn. 

We also had a side of Green Beans that were stir-fried in a soya based sauce and sprinkled with crunchy bits of garlic.

Then came the mains. Mixed Vegetables in a mild garlic sauce; lightly stir-fried broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, snowpeas and capsicum that came together to form a medley of colours. A dish that was wiped clean by the three of us.

We also finished a plate of Chinese Greens; bright green pieces of bok choy and pak choy in a light soy sauce. Brought a smile to our lips and hopefully not alot to the hips. :) 

The Chicken in black bean sauce was flavourful but not as appetising as it looked; Cuts of boneless chicken swimming in a thick sauce of black bean, garlic and soya. A bit over salted and heavy for our liking.

The Ginger Prawns on the other hand were delicious; Juicy prawns coated with a batter of earthy Chinese spices and a hint of fresh ginger.

Finally, all the dishes were accompanied with a generous portion of Egg fried rice that went down a real treat. Yum!

Mark the waiter was pleasantly surprised to see that apart from the Black Bean Chicken, that we did pack up to take away, we practically wiped out every other dish.

A fun-filled evening where we shared old stories, new updates and definitely good food. A must visit for anyone who enjoys good 'Bombay-Chinese' cuisine.

And with that I’d like to leave you with a little tune that comes to mind, especially for those Monty Python fans out there;

I like Chinese

I like Chinese

Their food is guaranteed to please

A fourteen, a seven, a nine and lychees :)

Address: 
201 Om Chambers,
Ground Floor,
123 August Kranti Marg,
Kemps Corner,
Mumbai - 400026.

Website:
China Garden