Modern Pan Asian Cuisine | Chin Chin | Bangalore

0 Comments 153bierestreet, chinchin, Cocktails, featured, panasian, panasiancocktails, panasianinbangalore, Whitefield

Visits to different countries in Asia made me realize that I cannot have enough of their cuisine. Any new restaurant in Bangalore which offers Pan Asian cuisine is a must try in my books especially if its in an area I love – Whitefield. The perceptions and tastes of Indians have been evolving hence establishments are opening up offering original Pan Asian flavours rather than a concoction of Indian and Chinese which is passe now.

Pan Asian cuisine has come a long way from the traditional Thai red / green curry, Indonesian Nasi Goreng to some wonderfully innovative dishes which I got a chance to taste at CHIN CHIN thanks to the presence of Chef Shaun Kentworthy and Chef Julius Jack on a particularly lovely Sunday afternoon.

The restaurant is located inside the laidback and quaintly serene premises of the well known 153 Biere Street being handled by the same management. Parking is not a concern thanks to the services of a valet as well as large parking area which is easy to navigate by oneself.

The restaurant decor is simplistic yet providing an insight into the cuisine offered via the handful of pictures propped on the walls. The open kitchen in the centre is the highlight of the restaurant and that particular day I got a chance to watch Chef Shaun and Chef Julius in action.

They have an interesting selection of cocktails using ingredients such as thai curry red sauce, lemon grass, galangal, kaffir lemon leaves which blended well with the food served here. My pick among the cocktails were the Dragon Margarita and Asian Sensation.

Our meal began with one of my favourites Dimsum – Hargaw Shrimp and a veg option Green Pea Dumplings. The Hargaw dumplings are known to be one of the best kind of dimsums if made with the right ingredients and the ones here matched my expectations and more.

The dumplings were followed by Baos which are basically Chinese steamed buns. The Char Sui Pork buns are quite popular and it vanished within seconds of being served. I particularly relished the Japanese steamed and grilled dumplings called Gyoza as the stuffing tasted quite heavenly and that light grilled taste on the outer area thrilled my tastebuds.

Though I was quite pleased with the food I had tasted till now, the starters which followed blew my mind. The Roasted Pork Spare Ribs with sticky honey BBQ sauce and Chicken Satay were none like I ever tasted and the memories still linger. If you love Pork, then the spare ribs definitely not to be missed.

The veg starters – Thai Grilled Mushrooms and Glass Noodle & Vegetable Spring Rolls were quite interesting though I had eyes only for the non veg starters.

I decided to stretch my legs with a walk around the table and indulge in some chit chat with a few friends when the very innovatively presented Som Tam Papaya Salad and the Spicy Wood Ear Mushroom with Tofu Salad was brought to our table. Though the emphasis was more on the food, it was pleasing to see a very unique presentation by way of a using a Mortar. Both salads were a delight though I must say the Wood Ear mushrooms salad was one of the best I have tasted in a long while.

For the mains, we had a lot of choices from the usual Thai Red Curry with rice to the usual Kung Pao Chicken and of course a simple yet wonderfully flavoured Cantonese Chicken Noodles. The Thai Red Chicken Curry was as expected a crowd favourite but I loved the different flavour I tasted in this dish. Kung Pao Chicken also never disappoints and this was the case here too.

The showstopper was the Indonesian Mixed Meat and Seafood Fried Rice a combination quite unheard of where mixing of meat and seafood is generally frowned upon. One spoonful of this fried rice and I was hooked to this dish.

The Shredded Beef with Capsicum in Black Bean Sauce though looked very unassuming was in my opinion the undisputed choice among the beef lovers in particular.

I have never given much thought to ordering desserts at a Pan Asian restaurant especially after a heavy meal but being a food lovers get together I got a chance to try a few desserts here some of which I talk about even to this day. The Classic Chinese Mango Pudding was as the name suggest a classic dish. I am not much of a lemon grass lover hence I just took a teeny tiny taste of the Lemon Grass Panacota which seemed to be very well prepared.

Keeping the best for the last is an understatement as the Water Chestnut Rubies in Coconut Milk was the unanimous dessert of the day and had my undivided attention ! Trust me, you will not be happy with just one serving.