Life is a Vacation

It is not so often that you get to visit a restaurant and the Chef is there to welcome you to your seat. Given the option of experiencing her choice, I gladly gave in to be in safe hands. Sometime last year I had come across an article about Dim Sum and More, a signature restaurant in Versova, Mumbai by Chef Tenzin Kalden and the fact that it was a lady, made it all the more interesting. I recently visited their newly opened outlet in Bangalore for a Dim Sum experience. The décor is simple yet cozy and the lighting warm and just right. Look around and beyond and through the glass window, you can see the smiling kitchen staff going about their work and framed pictures of Food Awards.

As we settled down over warm cups of of fragrant Jasmine tea, nibbling Kimchi Salad, hot Lemon Coriander Clear Soup was served. I am not a great fan of clear soup but this one was different, the lemony tang opened up my taste buds and the soft mushrooms and carrots left me yearning for more. Then came a series of Dim Sums ranging from the Spinach and Cheese filled, Prawn Sumai, Water Chestnut Corn Dumpling and the Chicken Kothe each with its signature taste and aroma. 

The Delicate Dumpling on my plate folded with utmost care melted in my mouth revealing the blend of spinach and cheese. The green hued (courtesy Spinach Juice) Water Chestnut Corn Dumpling ,  Prawn Sumai, Chicken Kothe were delicious but I would crown Spinach and Cheese Dumpling as the star of the evening in spite of being some one who often does not look beyond prawns.

Next we had the honor of watching Chef Kalden in action, dishing out the most delicious stir fried vegetables generously laced with shredded burnt garlic and a concoction of sea food dressed in oyster sauce. I watched in awe while she deftly managed the kitchen, swiftly using the tools, instructing and guiding her team and ensuring that the dishes are cooked and tempered just right. We were served the specially prepared Wok Fried Vegetables and the Sea Food with Oyster sauce along with pan fried noodles and portions of Tingmo

We hardly had room for desert but I could not resist Chocolate Bao, her signature innovation. It is like a choco filled bun, where chocolate is filled abundantly within the folds of the layered wheat Bao. One bite of the soft Bao and the gooey chocolate oozed out and filled my mouth. The taste was just right, not too bitter and not to sweet but enough to make you sit up. I enjoyed the 3 course meal over a heartwarming conversation with Kalden on life, karma, peace and patience and her journey from the hills of Himachal to busy Mumbai. Definitely, worthy of another visit, I am looking forward to taste some of the other delights (satays, soups, rice etc ).

They say you need deft hands to be a master of culinary art but I feel you also require dollops of love and oodles of patience, and Chef Kalden seems to have it all.