'I hear frogs...hundreds of them'

Everything about 'The Chinese' in connaught place is a little unorthodox

The specific that brought me back to The Chinese (catchy, isn't it) within 20 minutes of my first visit wasn't the quality of their victuals, nor was it the esoteric ambience. It was because I had forgotten to reclaim my debit card, and was fervently hoping they hadn't accepted it as the tip. My fears were unfounded as the missing object was bestowed upon me quite promptly; I am grateful to them since such acts of heightened generosity have cost me a pretty penny in the past. About an hour earlier, a friend and I had picked out the establishment in Connaught Place's middle circle more as a refuge than a lunchroom. The slight but steady drizzle was threatening to let itself go, so we decided it was time to grab a bite. This was our first visit to The Chinese, though the restaurant was moored in CP's F-block in 2004.

Spadework
Albeit it's barely 100 metres from Barakhamba Road, the approach to the place has been rendered rather precarious by a lot of digging activity. My guess is it's the CBI, trying to locate all the money unaccounted for from the CWG projects. My friend however said it's the NDMC, spending some more. The diner is divided into a waiting lounge, an interactive multipurpose bar and the main dining area. The walls with scroll-like surfaces have an infill of live images from China, creating a star-lit horizon effect. The ceiling depicts hovering clouds fashioned out of meaningful Chinese calligraphy. The restaurant is renowned for its authentic Hunanese fare - its clientele mainly comprises Chinese expats. They also have a separate Schezwan (read Punjabi-Chinese) menu for the less adventurous. I'm not one of those who assume that authentic Chinese (or authentic anything) automatically means appetising food. So, we decided to mix and match. Hunan (or Xiang) cuisine is well known for its hot spicy flavour, fresh aroma, deep colour and liberal use of chilli peppers, shallots and garlic. Common cooking techniques include stewing, frying, pot-roasting, braising, and smoking. Most Chinese cuisines belong to one of the Four Schools: Lu, Yang, Chuan and Yue. Hunan cuisine is a part of the Chuan branch.

'Toad' you so
If all that gyaan has left you dry, try the fruit beer. Being teetotallers, we did. It also gave us time to construe whether the hundreds of frogs we could hear were part of the ambient music or if they were anticipating a trial by fire in the kitchen. A look at the menu suggested it was the former. Relieved, we ordered their General Suns Chicken, Lamb Spare Ribs Salt 'N' Pepper and Mian Tiao (noodles, in this case veg). The lamb was a trifle rare for my taste, rarer still was the salt. But it was crispy and, all things considered, quite enjoyable. The noodles were satisfactory. The chicken was delish; taste and texture reminded me of aamshottor chaatnee (chutney made from dried mango pulp). However, the pineapple - one of the ingredients - was well past its expiry date. In India, chicken and lamb are the most common meats; in China, it's pork and duck. So, rating them solely on the basis of this meal might be a tad unfair. I intend to try their Beijing Duck, when the weather is more agreeable. I hope by then the NDMC (or is it the CBI) finds whatever it's looking for.

The Chinese
Food: mixed bag
Service: fair
Ambience: quirky
At:u00a0 F 14/15, Connaught Place, Middle Circle
Meal for two: Rs 1,500 plus taxes
Ring: 23708888
Timings: 12.30pm to 11.30pm