Hop into Ping, the newest entrant to restaurants with an Oriental twist, as we demystify the fabulous morselfood of all times dim sums
Hop into Ping, the newest entrant to restaurants with an Oriental twist, as we demystify the fabulous morselfood of all times dim sums
The city is gearing up to be any foodies delight and how. Earlier you just had to head to a sleek five-star hotel, if you were in a mood to fork out this fabulous, flexible and forgiving morselfood of all times dim sum. Not anymore. Newly opened Ping, will tell how a dim sum meal can be fun and with so much variety on offer, you can dish out new variants every time, urging you to return.
And no, if you're thinking the restaurants' named after that computer network tool used to test whether a particular host is reachable across an IP network, you're wrong. Though Ping churns out of the efforts of three techie-turned-entrepreneurs, it derives its name from the Chinese character 'Ping', which means the best, of the highest standard and applies to food, clothing, attitude, a person's bearing or stature. Set in an old single storey bungalow skirted by verdant green lawns, the restaurant is spread over 4000 sq feet and can seat a little over 80, with contemporary yet simple hues of white and lilac walls, with green and blue furnishings thrown in. The open show kitchen at the entrance allows the guest to watch the magic of the Dim sum come alive.u00a0
It was an arduous task to choose from over 35 varieties of Dim sum upfront. Fried, pan-fried, baked, steamed or grilled? To quell appetites, that had suddenly loomed large and our warbling stomachs wanting to just dig in, we decided to play safe and opted for the Non Vegetarian Platter, which has their best dim sums on one platter. We loved the Shanghai Chicken Dim Sum and the Prawn Har Gau. The Fish & Shitake dumplings are green piquant triangles, and are quite a mouthful treat. Don't like these combos? No fret. You can always move to Chicken in Bamboo Skewers, Threaded Crab Dumpling or Chicken & Chive Dim Sum. Since you're only eating bite-sized portions, there's no stopping yet. After all, which other meal will avow you to gobble up veggies, prawn, lobster, chicken, fish, shrimp and tofu at one go?
Though the steamed ones were a tad too bland for our desi palate, the Ginger Soya Sauce, Coriander and Spring Onion Sauce and Chilly Garlic Sauce helped as great dips. Worth wavering over too are the Lotus Lead Parcels with Shitake and Corn and the Lamb and Ginger Wotip. If you're not counting calories, stick to the fried section - Golden Money Bags, Spicy Grilled Button Mushrooms, Barbequed Spicy Tofu Bun and Spicy Soya and Scallion Rolls for the vegetarians and Barbequed Chicken Bun and Napa Cabbage Pot Stickers or the Pickled Spicy Fish Cakes with vegetables, for the non vegetarians. Stay put from the Wontons; you might find them too crisp.
After a round up of dim sums, you will know that this restaurant takes its dim sums very seriously, even if they pass their sporadic chortle on you. Another interesting highlight on the menu is the selection of Bubble Teas in a variety of flavours, popular in far-east restaurants. The bubble teas are flavoured ice-tea with Tapioca Pearls, which pop up straight in from the wide straw and feels like the bursting of a bubbly candy. All marks to their kids menu too, who would otherwise run a million miles away from the name dim-sum. Some of the kids' favourites here include Chicken Lolly pop, Laurel and Hardy Noodles, Chicken in Sweet and Sour sauce and the unscathed of all, French fries and fish fingers.
The main course surpassed our expectations to the hilt, this being a dim sum place. The Nasi Goreng Chicken went well with the steamed rice and the Tamarind Fish with a thick sweet-sour sauce was the best bet for a perfect afternoon lunch. Do stop over at the Dessert Bay for ice cream sundaes, pastry or mousse or order them at your table. I ordered a Knock Out, a rum-based ice-cream, which was quite a treat. Their betel quoted with white chocolate will leave a great aftertaste.
Where to go
Ping, 130 1st Cross, KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala. Open all days of the week for lunch from 12 noon to 3pm and for dinner from 7 pm to 11.30 pm. An average full course meal for two costs Rs 800 (without alcohol).
Call: 4152 1773/ 9845076716.u00a0
Dim sum de-mystifiedu00a0
Dim sum literally means 'touch the heart'. By origin, Dim Sum is Cantonese.u00a0 Traditionally served with Chinese tea, these are small dishes, served alongside fried noodles and rice. They can be steamed, fried or grilled, with their boiled variants being the healthiest of all. They are eaten with a vinegar-based dipping sauce, or served in soup, with or without noodles. Fried ones are of two kinds u2013 pan-fried dumplings (prepared by frying boiled or steamed dumplings) or wontons (if fried uncooked, i.e. without boiling or steaming them first, they are called wotip. Wontons are typically filled with minced meat and wrapped in thinner, silkier square skins made from wheat flour). The steamed variety of Dim sum is steamed in bamboo baskets and tends to be wrapped in thinner translucent rice flour or wheat starch skins. They are not as commonly prepared at home as the boiled and pan-fried versions, because they take longer to prepare.
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