Bonding over food

While dining at Ginseng, it's the tempura and the sushi that will keep you totally engaged

Ginseng at The Royal Orchid brings to mind exotic oriental flavours. The restaurant has never really managed to create the waves it aspires to and one step into its pleasantly themed interiors leaves me wondering why.

The mellow lighting is perfect for a meal at any time of the day. The reds are not overdone and the Chinese/Japanese elaborate motif du00e9cor, not in the least bit distasteful.

I was actually surprised to find a very interesting blue-clay urn in a corner. The music was appropriate and as the strings of the shamisen vibrated across the dining area, we moved in and sat at our table.

What unfolded was nothing but the most delicious assault to my senses. Oriental food will always be a cuisine that caters to my every sense. The flavours go beyond taste and often enter the realm of smell, touch and sight.



I was, of course, dying to figure out what the chef had on offer as a part of this Oriental Trail experience and my hopes were up.

Tempura treat

The meal was interesting to say the least. Disappointing in parts, purely due to over-expectation, yet as a whole, a job well done. The Veg Tempura was pure genius. Who would have ever thought a combination of such diverse vegetable strips in a coating of potato starch, would make such a brilliant starter! The secret ingredient I later discovered was the mere sweet potato, an often-ignored delicacy.

What followed was a meal of Sushi, some more Tempura and few more popular dishes like the over done noodle and rice combination. The Crab Sushi was interesting and the Smoked Salmon incredibly authentic. The servings were perfectly sized and the flavours simply exploded in the mouth.

The showstopper was the Shitake Mushroom skewered with a sweet soy-based sauce. It melted in my mouth and yet had a meaty texture as I chewed.u00a0



Missing marinade

The food was therefore laudable, ignoring of course the disastrous Peking Duck. It's all about the marinade, as my father always said, and now I know I have to agree. The skin was roasted well, but the flesh was painfully tasteless.

I thus rounded off my meal with a fried ice cream, not because it went well with my meal, but because the adventurous eater in me came alive. There is, however, an assortment of cheesecake and mousse to choose from. You might just see a few green tea flavoured desserts soon, and that would surely be something to look forward to.

Verdict: If you're in the mood for some family fun, then this food fest is the perfect choice. With food that will tantalise anyone's palate and enough distractions to keep the young and the young-at-heart busy u2013 this might just be that weekend family bonding meal, you were looking forward to.

Where: Ginseng, Royal Orchid Park Plaza
Wallet Factor: A meal for two costs Rs 2,500