Lunch at Empress of China

Chinese food and I have a love-hate relationship! I love the cuisine, but I find most chinese restaurants around town lacking in authenticity. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of Indian-Chinese. Suffice it to say that the Chinjabi stuff doesn't really settle well in my stomach! On the few occassions that I do step into a Chinese restaurant, I either totally love the food, or deeply dislike it. There is rarely an in-between for me. 

Empress of China, the chinese restaurant at the Intercontinental Eros, Nehru Place, was a pleasantly authentic and delightful experience, right down to the ambience and music.  The latter is something that hardly any eateries pay any attention to, but I believe the right music (i.e. music from the country that the food is from, not the latest hits) goes a long way in giving a place an authentic feel. The menu has a wide variety of vegetarian dishes. Good vegetarian chinese is hard to come by, let alone such a lavish spread.   

The array of starters included Pan fried green veg dumplings, Corn n mushroom bao, Vegetable jiao ji, Rice paper rolls, Deep fried mushrooms with black pepper, Tossed seaweed with spinach. 

My favorite were the deep fried mushrooms. Tossed in a black pepper sauce, they were  juicy and full of flavour. I went for a second helping even though I say I am not a mushroom person.....that's how good they were! The spinach and seaweed was also perfect, light and crispy, and delicately salted. The dumplings, on the other hand, failed to leave a mark. I found them a bit too "doughy".   

The Spicy lemon garlic soup with tomato and seaweed left me asking for more. I love all things lemony and garlicky, and this soup fit right in. The seaweed gave it a lovely texture.

Noodles and fried rice were accompanied by Sichuan eggplant, Clay pot veggies with ma po sauce, Steamed silken tofu in spicy garlic sauce, Broccoli with black mushroom, Kung Pao crispy cauliflower, and Stir fried chinese greens.

The Kung pao cauliflower was perfectly done, crisp and spicy. The sichuan eggplant was a  delightful surprise to me. It was fluffy and light, hardly like eggplant at all. I didn't like the fried rice much, but the noodles were great.  

The dessert was perfect for the season. An alphonso sorbet with oriental fruits. Looked almost too pretty to eat. Almost! Being the king of mangoes, it makes sense that the alphonso is the mango of choice for a sorbet. And with a perfectly smooth texture, this sorbet was yummy!

Overall, I would say I had a great experience. It was a delicious lunch in a great setting. With a focus on Schezwan and Cantonese cuisine, the menu offers a wide range of dishes, so there's something for everyone. And they have an impressive wine list to go with it as well. Do visit! 

Empress of China,

Intercontinental Eros Hotel,

Nehru Place,

Delhi.

Pictures Courtesy: Sid Khullar of Chef at Large

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