An Oriental Culinary Journey | Ging | Royal Orchid Central | Bangalore

Royal Orchid Central is a 4 star property located in the heart of Bangalore at MG Road. Though it is not entirely visible as it is located inside Manipal Centre, the hotel still exudes the energy and charm of a business and leisure hotel with breathtaking views of Ulsoor lake and surrounding parks. The hotel offers business, leisure and wellness services and has 2 dining options of which Ging, their Oriental Kitchen restaurant is a new entrant to Bangalore’s food scene. 

GING is a fine dine restaurant located on the 10th floor of the Hotel serving authentic Chinese cuisine with Asian influences not only for food lovers across the city but also business delegates and stay in guests. Thanks to a good friend, I had the most wonderful Saturday when I was invited to savour a few dishes from their menu. 

The walkway to the restaurant holds a promise of things to come.The over all decor is subtle and minimalistic yet with its own charm. The restaurant may seem unassuming yet elegant at a glance but the view is mesmerizing and one cannot help walk outside to enjoy the view of Bangalore at its beautiful best. The weather on this particular day was soothing and the calm I felt when I spent sometime there can only be experienced. There are very few restaurants which provide this view of Bangalore and this set the mood for our lunch. 

The outside space also houses a bar at one end and would be quite a happening place during the evenings. They have an small open kitchen within the restaurant which is an interesting addition to the decor. The restaurant has a vast area of seating with track lighting which I assume would enhance the beauty of this restaurant at night. 

We decided to begin with a few mocktails suggested by our attendant. My choice among was the Mona Lisa Tears, the combination of Mango, Pineapple and Watermelon being spot on along with notes of Banana syrup. Other mocktails tried were Bar Basher, Deep Blue Sea and Grand Cayman most of which seem to have Mango as their base ingredient.  

Though they have an Ala Carte menu, this particular day we were served a curated special menu by the Chef showcasing the best and most popular dishes in their menu. Our meal began with one of my favourites Dimsums – Chicken and Coriander and Spicy Prawn Har Gau. The Hargau dimsums are known to be one of the best kind of dimsums if made with the right ingredients and the ones here matched my expectations. 

The veg dimsums to try are the Crispy Pak Choi and Vegetable Crystal. 

Our starters were the highlight of the meal, with an array of different dishes served each attempting to suprass the other in expectations. For the vegetarian, the Vegetable Lettuce Wrap and Sriracha Tofu were quite appealing not only in presentation but had the right flavours to please the palate. The Turnip Cake was probably the best version of turnip I have ever tasted.

The non vegetarian appetizers were delightful with the Golden Pumpkin Prawns being my undisputed choice and none like I ever tasted and the memories still linger. The Crispy Fish would be my next recommendation here. Another interesting addition to their appetizer menu was The Fatman’s Chicken which are minced chicken in sticks served with some amazing dips. 

For our Main course, we tried another set of must haves – Massaman Chicken, Hot Pot Sea Bass and Mongolian Lamb along with Veg Hakka noodles and Mushroom Hibachi Rice. The Hot Pot Sea Bass with its succulent slices of fish along with the Hibachi rice was my choice for main course.

I did not give much thought to trying the Hakka noodles but the simple dish amazed me with its subtle yet wonderful flavours. The Mongolian lamb was a showstopper as it was served as a sizzler. 

We were also treated to some veg courses – Seasonal Greens and Tofu Claypot wherein the latter was the better of the two. 

I have never given much thought to ordering desserts at an Asian restaurant especially after a heavy meal but the demonstration of the dessert being prepared made me take a few bites and there was no turning back. The desserts served were the Vanilla Creme Brulee, an interesting pick in an Asian restaurant though it turned out to be quite delightful. The Assorted Seasonal Mochi were truly eye opening as I have heard about Mochi but never tasted it before this meal. What looked to be ice cream balls cut and served where actually a special sticky mix filled with different flavours of ice cream. 

Over the last few months I have been dining at many such Asian restaurants and I would definitely recommend giving Ging a visit if you love Asian cuisine. 

GING – ROYAL ORCHID CENTRAL  

For Reservations : +91 80 2558 4242

OVERALL :

Ambiance – 4.5/5 

Service/Hospitality – 4.5/5

Food Taste – 4.5/5

Beverages– 3.5/5 

Quantity/Quality – 4.5/5

Value for Money – 4.0/5