This Chinese eatery is perfect for a quick dinner or a take away after work
This Chinese eatery is perfect for a quick dinner or a take away after workIf you are looking at grabbing some quick, affordable and tasty Chinese food after a hard day's work then just hop over to Xian, a new address opposite the Ulsoor Lake.
Though Xian looks small from outside it is anything about tiny.
The restaurant occupies a huge space with red and white walls and simple wrought iron seating. A giant Yin and Yan symbol in black and white covers the ceiling as well as the floor.
Amongst the usual Chinese fare listed on the menu, we spotted some interesting additions.
We settled for the Shrimp Rice Wine Soup (Rs 110) also available in chicken and vegetable versions as the beginning of our meal.
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The soup was clear, delicately flavoured with rice wine and came with shrimps and green onions.
This bland yet comforting soup was good enough to perk us up and made us hungry for more.
As starter we ordered a Double Roast Pork Chilli (Rs 250). The pork was savoury yet sweet with slivers of hot green chillies. The meat was roasted but tender with bits of melting fat for our pleasure.
The menu at Xian is divided into Chinese and Thai sections with soups, starters, main courses in vegetarian, poultry, lamb, pork and seafood along with rice and noodles.
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For our mains we settled for a dry version of the Chicken in Black Pepper Sauce (Rs 200) along with a mixed Dan Mein noodles (Rs 135).
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The noodles were a bit like a toned down version of Szechuan noodles but only as far as the orange colour was concerned.
Even though it came with a mix of chicken, shrimp and pork, these additions could not salvage the sweet flavour of the noodles. We missed some spice and heat in this dish.
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The Chicken in pepper sauce was spicy with little hint of sweet and came with loads of freshly ground black pepper and was really delectable.
Unfortunately, it didn't compliment the Dan Mein noodles at all. We wished we had ordered some steamed rice to go with it.
One of the biggest problems with most Chinese eateries is the fact that they don't go experimental with desserts and the list is limited. Xian too has a small list with ice creams and some Chinese specialities like Date Wontons and Farsan.
We settled for Vanilla Ice Cream served with chocolate sauce (Rs 65). As usual this tried and tested combination never really fails and didn't this time either.
Though Xian was empty when we walked in, it filled up quite quickly with mostly families and couples meeting up for dinner after work. However the service at Xian is a bit too attentive.
We wish they would leave us alone instead of rushing every time to our table to serve us as soon as our plates were empty. We understand that's good hospitality but we would like it in smaller doses.
At Xian Chinese Restaurant, 132, Ground Floor, Gangadhar Chetty Road, Ulsoor
Call 4151 5163
Meal for two Rs 800
Xian didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.u00a0
