21 December,2014 04:02 AM IST | | Kareena N Gianani
Mahim’s new pan Asian restaurant, And Chillies, attempts a unique take on the nuanced flavours of the cuisine. Kareena N Gianani finds out whether it hits the mark
It seems the entire neighbourhood is at the new pan-Asian cuisine restaurant, And Chillies, when we enter. Its interiors are a clean brown-and-white. We hope the food, which includes Japanese, Indonesian and Burmese signature delicacies, is more experimental.
Tempura Prawns at And Chillies
For appetisers, we choose the Tempura Prawns (R345) and Crispy Honey Chilli Vegetables (R215). Tempura Prawns make for a soft crunchy bite with golden fried batter and succulent prawns. However, on closer inspection, we find that the prawns are devoid of salt, making us reach for generous sprinkles of it. Also, perhaps it has something to do with the delay-cum-hurrying of the order that the batter isn't consistent on all the poor crustaceans and one of the
coverings is actually moist. The Crispy Honey Chilli Vegetables fare better - the vegetables are deep-fried to
that tempting golden-brown shade and have the smooth glaze of honey.
Our drinks arrive, too - the much-recommended Berry Iced Tea (R180) and the Strawberry Lemonade (R180). The former is a treacly drink that tastes on the sweeter side initially, yet after a point the sourness is prominent in our slurps. The lemonade, on the other hand, isn't too bad and comes with copious ice shavings on top. Our Chicken Khow Suey (R265) arrives with all the frills. Though not big fans of the canteen plates (the compartmentalised rectangular ones), we drool to tuck into the coconut milk delicacy. As Thai food joints are the new wave in the city, expectations for this classic are very much high. Hot and tempting, our Khow Suey is soupy, making us dash for the
slippery noodles. Also, in terms of flavour, the joy of Khow Suey lies in its perfect balance of sweet and sour.
Our bowl, on the other hand, has oodles of flavour but lacks the tang.
And Chillies has a brownandwhite, clean colour scheme
The Spicy Indonesian Curry With Vegetables (R265) and the Burnt Garlic Rice (R195) arrive. The rice is aromatic,
but the curry seems to be compensating for our saltless prawn dish. The vegetables in it are wellcooked, the coconut-peanut taste could have been the star of the dish - but the extra salt mars it. Meanwhile, we sense the server hovering and tell him about the problem.
Soon, a Chocolate Mousse (R180) arrives, and we are told it is on the house. The sensual, unadulterated taste of
chocolate saves the meal, to an extent. And Chillies isn't a we figure, wouldn't be a bad option once they fix these
teething issues. If you're in the neighbourhood, step in and try your luck.
