House of Ming @ Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi: The old favourite gets better

House of Ming has been the favourite Chinese restaurant of Delhi old timers. It was the first restaurant to introduce Schezuan Chinese cooking style to Delhi. House of Ming is known for its Ying-Yang concept that is applied to designing and serving meals. The concepts are based on the delicate balance of hot, sweet and sour flavors and the crunchy and soft flavors. Every single dish has its distinct flavors that are carefully married with other dishes. Items like Crispy Spinach, Chicken Aniseed, and Toffee Banana were debuted here and have become an essential menu item for every local Chinese restaurant since.

The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi has appointed Chef Zhou Jian as the Master Chef at House of Ming, and invited me to attend a blogger’s table to get to meet the Chef and taste some of the new dishes he plans to introduce at the restaurant. On reaching the restaurant, I am excited to see a long and interesting tasting menu.

We commence the tasting session with the starters. Fried Mala Chicken with Szechuan pepper corn and dry red

chilly tickles the palate and gets me in the zone. Then comes one of the highlights of the session – Lamb Cumin. Here is soft yet crisp pan fried sliced lamb flavored with roasted cumin powder and fresh coriander leaves, delivering a familiar and enjoyable starter.  Scallop with Glass Noodle is a well-made dish, but somehow the natural sweetness of the scallops does not go well with the mushy glass noodles and spicy garlic sauce. The vegetarian starters are equally exciting. Crystal Mixed Vegetable Dumpling and Pan Fried Mushroom Dumpling with colocasia sticks are both quite enjoyable.

Next are the soups. While Chicken Grain Soup lacks any specific direction, Vegetarian Spinach and Tofu Soup and a distinct garlic flavor reminds me of the palak paneer closer to home, albeit in a wonderfully light and flavourful way.

On to the mains, Sweet Corn Chilean Sea bass Guangdong Style is nice; though I am not sure corn goes too well with fish. White Chicken with Sichuan Mala Sauce and Kung Pao Chicken are both good dishes. Sliced Tenderloin with Oyster Sauce is cooked with diced peppers and spring onion and is well cooked. What follows are the best dishes of the afternoon. Twice Cooked Spicy Pork with White Leeks, fermented chilly and Shaoxing wine has perfectly complementing taste and texture. It is difficult not to finish off the entire plate. Equally enticing are Egg Plant in Yu Xian Sauce which is sweet and spicy and Home style Silken Tofu both of whom have amazing textures.

Among the carbohydrates, the perfectly cooked Glutinous Rice stands out. I end the meal with a refreshing plate of red bean cake, carved fruits and lotus paste stuffed golden fried litchis. I am sure we can expect a lot more deliciousness at Golden Dragon with Chef Zhou Jian at the helm.

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 4.0 | Ambience: 4.0 | Service: 4.0 | Overall: 4.0

Meal for two: Rs 4500 | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: Yes | Address: The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi, Number One, Mansingh Road, New Delhi | Tel: 011-66513242/ 3241

Disclaimer: This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant. Due judgment and care has been applied by the author to remain objective and unbiased in the review, but readers need to consider this review keeping this fact in mind.