Enter the dragon’s kitchen

If you can't get enough of spicy chinese fare, check out the Sichuan Festival at Pan Asian

If you can't get enough of spicy chinese fare, check out the Sichuan Festival at Pan Asian

You can't escape from China's clutches. Be it cheap electronics, or sasta plastic toys, stuff for your home and even shoes and trinkets -- the mighty Chinese are everywhere. While they may be loathed by the world for it,u00a0 there is one thing for which we Indians love them -- the food.

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Pan Asian's ambience makes it just perfect for a romantic dinner

It can be safely said that Chinese has become our national dish. So much so, chowmein and chilli chicken can beat butter chicken hands down in popularity. Small eateries that have sprouted even in towns and mofussils sell a highly debatable version of Chinese dishes. You will find a crowd thronging stalls selling Chinese food even in village melas.u00a0

karara aur masaledar
It's true we Indians love our spicy food. Therefore, the cuisine from Sichuan (or Szechuan as some call it) is usually just perfect for us. It is spicy, with bold flavours. Chilli, peppers, Sichuan peppercorn, peanuts, sesame paste and ginger are prominent ingredients in Szechuan cooking. The
cuisine is a combination of different styles of cooking -- Chongqing style, Chengdu style, Zigong style and Buddhist vegetarian style.u00a0
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San-sunny
Pan Asian has always been my favourite when it comes to authenticity. And I liked the Pan Asian in Delhi because of its ambience. The 116-seater restaurant, on the first floor is nicely sunny with a glass wall on one side and immediately puts you in the mood for a lazy lunch. At dinner, it is romantic. I was at the restaurant recently for Sichuan -- a food fest that is promoting 'flavours of east Asia'.

tales from the table
I tried some Crumb-fried prawns, Chengdu style. It was spicy, with lots of dry red chillies tossed with celery and spring onions. It was good and I went for a double helping. The next item was Deep-fried golden cakes stuffed with vegetables. Reminded me of a cross between Delhi's favourite bread pakora and deep fried sandwich. Perhaps could have been better with chicken stuffed inside.

I really liked the soup that followed -- Hot pot soup with more than generous helpings of chicken and seafood. With just the right amount of spices, it set the mood for the main course that followed and actually enhanced my appetite.

I tried Buddhist tofu ginger onion flavour and Stir-fried sliced chicken with water chestnut Sichuan style. The tofu was made by the chef in the hotel itself and was very very soft. Though I am not too fond of vegetarian dishes, I quite enjoyed the tofu. Typical of Chinese Buddhist cuisine, it had a strong vegetarian flavour. The chicken was, like the other dishes, spicy and good.

These were paired with Stir-fried flat noodles (not quite a favourite) and plain rice. Ideally, try the chicken with plain rice because that brings out all the flavours and you actually feel them. But if you would rather go for fried rice (there's Pixian chilli fried rice on the menu), go for something milder. I wrapped up with chocolate mousse, but try Chinese desserts.

At: Pan Asian, Welcomhotel Sheraton, Saket
On till:u00a0 February 12
Timings: 7 pm to 11.45 pm
Ring: 46090900
Meal for two: Rs 3,000 plus taxes