Royal China, Bandra, Mumbai

Royal China prides itself on serving authentic cantonese cuisine in a fine dining setting. The outlet is also one of the best places for celebrity spotting in Mumbai and one hears that the restaurant is also one of Sachin Tendulkar's favourite restaurants.

The decor at Royal China is spacious and exudes a certain class. The colours are dark and sober and one gets the feeling of dining in a comfortable high end establishment. The service as expected is prompt and polite. The waiters are well spoken and at ease with the dishes on the menu. They are more than willing to add their suggestions and recommend specials for the customer to taste.

The menu at Royal China has a dim sum and a regular section for patrons to choose from. We ordered three dumplings the last time we were there, the prawn and chives dumpling, the seafood dumpling with ginger and chilli and the chicken sui mai. The dumplings were all tasty and with a lot of flavour but my favorite would have to be the seafood dumpling, which was a touch spicy but left ones taste buds yearning for more. The dumplings at Royal China are served in small quantities of 2 to 4 dumplings a serving allowing the customer to sample different varieties. We had heard that Royal China also has a dimsum lunch option, but were informed that the same is only for customers who dine there atleast four times a month. A slightly tough criteria given the food options available in Mumbai!

For main course we ordered egg fried rice, roast duck cantonese and flaming chicken in superior sauce. Mainland China is my usual benchmark when it comes to fried rice quality and Royal China meets the benchmark in texture and flavour of the rice. Tasty, but not too overpowering so as to not detract from the flavour of the side dishes. Royal China prides itself on roast duck, but I found it a bit too bland for my liking, this, in spite of being a fan of Singapore chicken rice and being usually appreciative of blandish food. The part i really liked about the duck was the crackling on the skin, but i thought that it could do with a bit more flavour.

The flaming chicken in superior sauce was fantastic and greatly elevated by the way it was presented. It is served in a mini counter which is set alight in front of you. The visual appeal definitely added to the mildly spicy and very tasty chicken preparation.

We capped off our meal at Royal China with an order of lychee with ice cream and a helping of apple toffee with ice cream. Here I wish to remind you that we were surprised by the quantities and could not get through the servings. The lychee with ice cream were nice, but we were not really impressed with the apple toffee. To my mind, the apple toffee did not work. Overall though Royal China is definitely a visit for people who like Chinese food and specially for those with a soft corner for dim sums. Do go there and freak out!

A meal for two at Royal China, without drinks, will cost you approximately Rs 2500/-

How to get there: Royal China is on Turner Road, Bandra West. It does not have a great facade and there are chances that you may miss it if not looking out. It will fall to your right, If you are driving from Moti Mahal towards Carter Road.

Haka, Mani Square, Eastern Bypass, Kolkata

Haka is one of Kolkata’s newer buffet outlets. It is a new restaurant and is a part of new modern Kolkata and has a lot going for it. The location is great. The look and feel of the restaurant is young, bright and appealing. The décor is chic and uses the typically Chinese red and black colours rather well. The seating is smart and very comfortable and the waiters are smartly dressed and very attentive. They also do a pretty decent job of customer service as apparently they strike up a good rapport with customers and their families. A great job on the get up, seating comfort and customer service.

The food? OK I guess but not of the standard that Kolkata Chinese occupies in my mind space. The food is buffet, a – la – carte options are not available at the restaurant. The spread is decent. Two soups, three starters, a rice, a noodle and an option of four main dishes split down the middle in terms of vegetarian and non-vegetarian, plus a dessert of vanilla ice cream and an interesting milk dumpling. The food was not bad at all but not a single one of the dishes caught the imagination in the way it should. Overall the restaurant seemed like a decent option for a young family to go and have a meal after watching a movie or spending time at the mall. I would definitely not recommend it as an option if you are just looking for a good Chinese meal. Kolkata definitely has far better options!

A meal for two at Haka without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 500/-

How to get there: Haka is on the top floor of Mani Square Mall situated on the Eastern Bypass.

Mainland China, Powai

Mainland China has been a revered fine dining option for Chinese food for quite some time now. The chain opened its first restaurant in Mumbai in 1995 and has since opened stores in all of the major Indian cities. Mainland China is famous for its buffet; but I particularly love the a-la-carte menu. The last time we visited the relatively recent Powai outlet of the chain, we were treated to a delicious Chinese lunch.

Mainland China, Powai is very well done up, the decor is distinctly Chinese - lots of red, lots of dark wood - very Mainland China in fact. The Powai branch decor scores over the other branches of the chain I have visited on two counts, firstly it has some very nice Chinese statues and artifacts which add to the Chinese feel, secondly the restaurant has its seating together without smallish rooms and divisions and gives the impression of an open, friendly dining space.

The food as is the trademark of the chain was of the highest quality, the last time I was there we ordered for the Lemon Coriander Chicken soup, Jiangs Chicken, Burnt Garlic Fried Rice and Prawns in Oyster sauce.

Of the dishes mentioned, prawns in oyster sauce is an old favorite and I absolutely love the preparation created by the Mainland China chefs. The flavour seeps through the prawns delectably and the taste is replicated every time I order the preparation. The lemon coriander chicken soup was ordered due to a slightly sore throat and proved to be the perfect antidote. Spicy and with a strong kick of lemon and coriander flavour, the soup completely got rid of the soreness of the throat and set the rest of the meal up perfectly. The burnt Garlic fried rice was also very nice, but so are most of the a-la-carte rice preparations in Mainland China. The highlight of the lunch however was the Jiang's chicken. The chicken cooked with chilli and ginger as the lead spice; it was seriously delicious and seriously spicy!. The dish is a definite must have if you are visiting the chain anytime in the future. Mainland China seems to have a thing with these dishes named after Chinese chefs/ leaders, General Tao's chicken is also an old favorite though I did not see the dish in the menu the last time I was there. The only downer in the meal that we had was the noodles, which was just about okay, maybe it was the wrong order, but unless any of you can recommend a seriously good preparation of noodles, my advice if you are planning to dine at Mainland China would be "Stick to the Rice!".

A meal for two at Mainland China without drinks would cost you approximately Rs 2000/-

How to get there: Mainland China is located at Hiranandani Gardens, Powai. The chain is on the second floor of the building also housing Yellow Chilli. There is a large signage on the road indicating the location. If you are driving from Haiko towards DMart, you have to cross the DMart circle and continue to drive straight. Mainland China will be at the left on the next crossing just before the market.

Tao, Tunga Regale, Andheri East

Tao is the fine dining Chinese outlet of Tunga Regale hotel. The decor is classy and of fine dining standards as is most of the food. Unfortunately as is the fate of most such restaurants in office infested areas in Mumbai, the positioning of the outlet as a fine dining experience is obscured by the great value for money buffet that is served at the restaurant and is devoured in plenty by ravenous Chinese food seeking office goers in the SEEPZ/ MIDC areas of Andheri East.

Tao gives you an upmarket fine dining feel with its decor, the only area of improvement would be the spacing which is slightly cramped due to reasons of economy. The staff is well dressed, polite and attentive. They are willing to go out of the way to get a few dishes to the table also.

The buffet spread is fantastic, ranging from a choice of soup, to a large array of starters and main course. Tao also has a fair choice of 4 to 5 types of dessert to choose from which nicely rounds off the selection. You get all this for the great price of Rs 249 for Vegetarians (the spicy baby corn is really nice) and Rs 299 for Non Vegetarians (no sea food but the price in unbelievable given the quality).

The food itself is well made and very tasty, the spread offers 3 to 4 types of Chinese preparations of Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian dishes. The preparations are good, I particularly like the Hong Kong Chicken which was there both the times I went, its slightly dry and spicy - exactly the kind of chicken preparation I love in Chinese food. The last time I was there, I also loved the shredded chicken preparation which was prepared in a mild white gravy - the combination with the fried rice was perfect. What I do not like at Tao is the flattish noodle they serve similar looking to Phad Thai. I am sure it tastes great but according to me it does not go with the rest of the buffet. Tao also serves a variety of other preparations of Tofu, Baby Corn, Mixed Vegetable and Lamb - all good but not as brilliant as the two chicken dishes I mentioned.

The dessert had Vanilla ice cream, honey noodles and a few pastries. The best part is that you get all of these for just Rs 299/- inclusive of taxes in the year 2010! Unbelievable and deliciously so!!

A meal for two at Tao without drinks will cost you Approximately Rs 500 - Rs 600 depending on your Vegetarian/ Non Vegetarian preferences.

How to get there: Tao, Tunga Regale is on the MIDC road connecting Mahakali caves road to JVLR. If you are driving towards JVLR the restaurant falls on your left. Take care not to confuse the two Tungas, The Tunga Regale falls to your left. The other Tunga hotel where Something Fishy is situated is far earlier on the right.

NH1, Andheri East

NH 1 or National Highway is an institution in the Andheri East Area for Non Vegetarian lover. It also has very decent Vegetarian dishes. The location might be an issue - it is next to the Chakala Market which is not the place where you would like to take your wife/ kids for a leisurely afternoon walk. The ambiance might be an issue - definitely not the place I would recommend for your first date. The place looks dark. The decor is slightly awkward with far too large tables strewn to get the maximum seating capacity in with large glass table tops. But the food rocks and it is great value for money! Also, I think the milestone on the door way is a nice touch!

Last time we went to NH 1 or National Highway we sampled the Paneer Butter Masala, Kaali Daal, Chicken Bhuna Highway and Garlic and Butter Naan. As always the food was very tasty and great Value for Money. NH has been a favorite for the office going fraternity in and around Andheri East. A lot of people swear by the Chicken Biriyani and my vegetarian friends swear by the Paratha Meals which they offer - they include two full Parathas of different varieties, curd, a soup and some Chana. I somehow, have found their Chinese Meals to be really great for an office lunch. They serve Chicken Rice or Noodles with gravy choices ranging from Manchurian to Chilli to Hunan, they also serve alongside the meal three pieces of spring rolls as starters. The food is not authentic but it tastes good and the meal costs you Rs 97 inclusive of Tax. It is easily the most Value For Money good tasting Non Vegetarian food you will get in Andheri East. Luckily, they deliver as well - Only thing you need to take care is the way you order. Ideally say - Chinese Meal! Non Veg! Rice/ Noodles with Manchurian Gravy. Try not to be descriptive as otherwise you might land with separate servings of Chinese Fried Rice or Chinese Noodles with a separate gravy and a rather large bill!

A meal for two at NH 1 without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 300/-

How to Get there: NH 1 is situated at the corner of the Chakala Market and the 2nd highway east ward from the Western Express under the Andheri Fly over. It is on Cardinal Gracious Road. If you are driving from Bandra to Kandivali. You need to go under the Andheri flyover and take the 2nd right. Go straight and take the right at the crossing which has a really large Skoda showroom. The restaurant will fall to your right once you take the right at the crossing.

China Garden, Kemps Corner

China Garden or CG-83 - the name that it goes by is a restaurant by Nelson Wang, probably the father of Chinese cuisine in India and is known to be one of the best restaurants serving Chinese food in South East Asia. The restaurant obviously came with a reputation and we were not disappointed.
The restaurant obviously is fully aware of the quality of the cuisine and has attitude and an unusual rule preventing kids from being allowed in during dinner time. This I suppose is done so that guests can have dinner without any disturbance. However on the day that we had gone the objective was destroyed by a huge gang of overgrown kids having a birthday party and causing most of the guests a noisy distraction. The decor of the restaurant is very red and very Chinese. There are Chinese dolls and statues all around the restaurant. Another innovation is the bar near the waiting area where you can wait till you get seated. I forgot to mention that reservations are a must if you want to go to the restaurant. One has to usually wait in spite of having a reservation already.
The food was of the highest quality that I have seen in a Chinese restaurant. By quality I mean there is no riff-raff, the pieces of chicken even in the soup were proper pieces. Quality is something that the restaurant prides itself on and the same was clearly apparent. Two dishes were particularly fantastic among what we sampled.
1. The Coriander Soup - The soup was spicy without being hot. It could be the ultimate offering if anyone has a slightly dodgy throat and is very tasty.
2. The Stir Fry Chicken starter - One of the tastiest dishes that I have ever had. Brilliant ! The same is not on the menu so you have to ask the Captain. We ordered the same on the Captains recommendation.
A meal for two at China Garden without drinks will cost you Rs 2000/-.
How to get there: China Garden is at Kemps Corner. If you coming from the suburbs. Do not take the fly over at Kemps Corner and take a right at the crossing. On crossing the signal you have to take the first left which you see is quite a steep uphill road. China Garden is on the left on the uphill road.

Lings Pavillion, Colaba

Lings Pavillion in Colaba will stay in my mind for its Chimney Soup. The Chimney Soup which is essentially a large bowl of soup having almost everything you can think of, from chicken to sea food to sea weed!... They will avoid beef if you instruct them. They will also tether on refusing to serve you anything more before just yielding. It may be a marketing strategy but it does work!This post is however not about the Chimney soup. The first para was an outcome of the association with Ling's and the uniqueness of the Chimney soup. Last time I was at Ling's I was not my usual regimental Chinese self but ventured out to try the set meals that Ling's has on the last page. After a round of regular wanton soups which were slightly on the salty side, we sampled the assorted meat stew - which was a real revelation. The assorted meat stew is a mild white gravy with lots of meat and vegetable pieces served over a bed of white rice. There is a pretty large ginger influence and the gravy tastes really nice. The highlight though is the perfection on the rice which is somehow soaked just right with the sauce. The dish was certainly a highlight and I will be definitely turning back to the set meals section, the next time I go to Lings pavillion.

The other aspect of my visit which I will always remember was the mode of communication between the manager and the waiters during our visit. When we asked the manager if there was seating available, he did not speak to the waiters, neither did he use hand signals. He "clucked" and that is not a misprint. He got a cluck right back and the waiters led us to our table on the mezzanine floor. Overall Ling's definitely is a must-go if you are in Colaba side for Chinese food. The joint is comfortable and reasonably classy. They have a ground and mezzanine floor. You will also notice the slightly odd ceiling decor. There is an attempt to recreate the heavens with a moon and lots of stars. I don't think it works but I guess nothing is perfect.

How to get there: Lings Pavillion is in Colaba. Take a left from Cafe Mondegar towards the gateway. Lings Pavillion will fall on your right just as you take the left towards gateway.

A meal for two without drinks at Ling's Pavillion will cost you approximately Rs 500/-