We had a brief stint with authentic Chinese food when we visited Hong Kong a couple of years ago. Being huge fans of the culinary kings of the world (agree or not?), the food had definitely left us surprised to say the least. So, every time we are told there’s a new Chinese place in town that we should try, it invariably makes us go like, “Indian Chinese or authentic Chinese”? Anyhow, we are totally cool with both, just so you know.
The latest addition is Haochi, which claims to serve contemporary Chinese cuisine at the suburban hotel, Sun-N-Sand. After we found ourselves comfortably seated at the brand new restaurant replete with modern decor and an open kitchen, we were joined by Chef Gautam Mehrishi. We took this chance to ask him the most obvious question and that was whether Haochi really catered to authentic Chinese or not. Well, the chef told us that he’d rather leave it to us to decide. Fair enough, we said.
Before we could lay our hands on the starters, our friend Irfan walked in with a plate of Crispy Seaweed. Not really a fresh concept (a similar version is served at another plush Chinese restaurant in the city), but is definitely worth a try we admit. However, the after taste might ruin the experience. Next up was a spread of dumplings – Broccoli & Waterchestnuts and Crystal Chicken Dumplings. After gobbling up the silky, smooth chicken dumplings, we wouldn’t suggest you to even order the vegetarian option. The Prawn Cake with Chives was strictly okay, but what shone like a star was the Haochi Crispy Lotus Roots. Slightly on the spicier (read: hot) side, this was one dish that was very different from what we get to taste at regular Chinese restaurants. Once we savoured it to our satisfaction, we were introduced to wafer-thin pancakes which had to be eaten with duck meat and Hoisin sauce. The winner was the rich plum sauce which paired perfectly with the saltiness of the meat and the bland pancake.
Almond Yoghurt at Haochi
Just when we were about to call it a day, Irfan walked in with a tea pot and served us some Jasmine Pearls; let us admit that it helped us almost instantly. The main course had to be ordered, and without even looking up the menu we went for our all-time favourite Burnt Garlic Butter Rice, and also hinted that we tried some fish. So, in came Pomfret in Black Bean Sauce, accompanied by two other dishes – Beef Tenderloin and Pork Chowmein. We could have never imagined eating pomfret as part of this combination, but were pleasantly surprised. The beef was well cooked, and the chowmein was just okay.
Like everyone, we chose to end the meal with some saccharine delights. We again went with the chef’s recommendation which was Creme Brulee, and their signature dessert Almond Yoghurt. Although the former was good, we couldn’t get enough of the yoghurt that was adequately sweet and inexplicably unique.
All in all, Haochi is a good experience if you have a love for Chinese cuisine. To decide whether it is truly authentic or not, we’d need to make a trip to China for sure! 🙂
