Hot & Steamy

Call them Dumplings, Momos’, Dim sims or just simply Wantons, this dish made of ground meat or vegetables wrapped up in delicate rice or flour skins and then steamed to create a smooth as silk, melt in the mouth savoury, is a treat to all the senses. They are beautifully wrapped like the Australian Dim Sims and Chinese Sui Mui, once served the  steamy smell they let makes your mouth water and what can I say about the taste. Surreal!

Culinary Muse definitely has a penchant for these juicy appetisers and she brings to you her guide to where you will find the best of these in Mumbai

Culinary Muse’ Top 5 picks of Steaming Brilliance (Dimsims et more)

5.      Steamed Chicken Wanton’s, Mr. Chow – At no. 5 we have Mr. Chow, a Chinese home delivery chain. They have yummy steamed chicken wantons – dumplings of soft chicken, spices, sprinkled with sautéed golden garlic flakes and spring onions. Priced at Rs 100 for 6 pieces, this the most affordable option and mind you not coprimising on quality. Mr. Chow has outlets in Colaba ( # 22160076), Bandra (#26489951) & Prabhadevi (#24334551)

4. Korean Momo’s, All Stir Fry – These are succulent bags of hmmmmm (thats what happen when you put it in your mouth). You need to eat it to feel it. Approx priced at Rs. 200. C/O The Gordon House Hotel, 5 Battery Street, Apollo Bunder, Colaba , Mumbai. # 22894400, 22894451, 22894452

Wanton Soup at Oriental Blossom

3. Dim Sim Set Menu, Oriental Blossom – A while ago Oriental Blossom the Pan- Asian restaurant at Marine Plaza introduced an ode to the dumplings with a Dim Sim Set Menu. From Dumpling Noodle Soup – a clear broth with silky wantons in it to the prawn rolls and sui mui’s, everything here is brilliant. Come here to savour a an amazing array of steamed dishes! The set menu is priced at Rs 500 for Veg and  Rs 600  for Non-Veg and is only available on the weekends. Hotel Marine Plaza, 29, Dinshaw Wachha Road, Marine Drive, Nariman Point, Mumbai

Busaba Momo's

2. Tibetan Momo’s, Busaba – No one can beat the momo’s at Busaba! Gorgeously wrapped  in an extra thin layer of phyllo, it goes really well with the green and red chilly sauces they serve. The divine experience of eating this will always keep you craving for more!

Cheung Fun at Royal China

1.  Cheung Fun, Royal China – Numero Uno position goes to beautiful dish from Royal China. These actually look like steamed spring rolls, translucent enough to reveal the meat rested in a pool of mild and balmy soy sauce. From the moment this enters your mouth you know that Paradise is made of things like these!

Quicktip: Get yourself to learn how to use the chopsticks and instead of snacking on some unhealthy burgers, pastas and pizzas, treat yourself to this tasty & nutricious steamy fare. Accompany it with some Jasmine or White Tea and Ooh Heaven is a place on Earth!

Stir it up!

Review – All Stir Fry

The moment you think All Stir Fry, you think the wok. Infact, it is actually the first restaurant in Mumbai to introduce wok fried cuisine. Honestly for me the wok is passé, hibachi or Japanese live cooking is the newest addition to what you may call ‘the interactive dining’ scene and is something that we should be looking forward to. It is available at Indiana Jones albeit at exorbitant prices. However Culinary Muse foresees ‘the lack of affordable places that serve the Japanese Hibachi’ situation change soon!

So coming back to All Stir Fry, as I said the Wok is very mundane so we decided to sample the a la carte menu. Friday evening, and as usual Gordon House, Colaba is buzzing, not the usual Polyesther crowd, well it was too early for even the early birds of the partying scene. It was the patrons of All Stir Fry! With it’s contemporary décor, dim lighting and table and bench seating (that can cause quite a backache), All Stir Fry makes for a very relaxed and casual ambience. The noise levels could go high with the crowd and the wok. Red, black and white seem to be theme with a brightly lit green wall that has what looks like lights in the shape of white woks.

The menu is pretty exhaustive with a variety of Pan Asian Cuisine. Actually reading it could get a bit confusing so practice reading the newspaper or more appropriately the ‘Orbituary Section’ before you try out this cramped menu.

For soups we order for a Veg Dumpling Noodle Soup – which was tastless, the noodles and the dumpling were also very doughy not the silky smooth you would expect. The Chicken Hot Sour on the the hand was good, peppery and sour to the right amount.

For appetizers we order the Chicken Dimsums (they have a separate menu for the steamed and satay fare) which was beautiful, silky and light. Just the natural mince chicken and vegetables filling making it out favourite dish for the evening.

In the main course we ordered for Burnt Garlic Fried Rice – the fried rice came with specs of garlic flakes which didn’t quite any sing to usual mundane dish. It was just the usual fried and nothing worth writing home about. The Pan Fried Noodles in Oyster Sauce was yum, with fresh crunchy vegetables and the aromatic flavor of the oyster sauce. The Stir Fried Chicken was also good with a pleasant garlicky taste.

On the whole the food was good with a few tiny glitches here and there. One noteworthy thing is the variety that this place serves up and the quantity of each dish which is very good. Making it apt for families and large groups unlike places where quantities are poor or individual oriented.

A meal for two would cost between Rs 350 – 550 per head, a pretty reasonable amount in today’s times

            Verdict

Food: Good

Ambience: Pleasant but could get noisy

Service: Friendly

Quicktip: If your alone or going with a colleague, the wok is advisable but if your going with a group or your family opt for a la carte. Menu starring Sumptious Quantities and Great Variety!

The Co-ordinates

All Stir Fry, he Gordon House Hotel, 5, Battery Street, Apollo Bunder, Colaba , Mumbai

Phone: 22894400, 22864451, 22894452

Timings: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 7:00 PM to Midnight

Food Type: Chinese, Mongolian

Payment Methods: Credit cards accepted