Restaurant Review - Shanghai Club

During the time, when I first started teaching Special Children, I used to travel from Bandra to Byculla by 4ltd bus everyday, I passed through the mill areas of Parel that had mainly small community homes and chawls, there were some traditional small food joints that served delicious authentic food to the cotton mill workers. It used to be buzzing center of activity and prior to that, during my grand parents times, it used to be a posh colonial residential settlement where governor of Bombay-Sir William Hornby lived.

A lot has changed in Parel over the years and it has a different skyline now, the beautiful ITC Grand Central Hotel with its majestic Indian touch adds an ethnic charm of this place.

This week I had an opportunity to visit Shanghai Club that is located inside this hotel in the celebration zone, the wing separated from the peace zone by a long corridor, lined with designer stores and an open lounge with water fountain in the center..

I was invited for Sagria and Seafood dinner by FBAI. There were four types of Sangria, fruity and sweet, (my favorite being the Berry flavor although the other three, the cherry and plum, watermelon were equally good) they were very refreshing after a long walk from peace zone to celebration zone.

In between my sips, I took in the beautiful ambience of this place, the charming parasol lanterns against the polished Burma teak rafters, the porcelain pots and other art work all around the room.

There was a set of 5course meal prepared specially for us. We had fan-shaped menu card,, which in a way was a good idea, that we could ration our serving to be able to enjoy all that restaurant had to offer.

The appetizers arrived as soon we were settled. Master chef Yuanzhing Jia had crafted a new Seafood Menu and was eager for us to start the party. We took a little time to click pictures before we began to eat (food bloggers are weird that way, before the aroma touches the senses, the cameras captures its visual impact) the lighting was low, hence I was not able to get very good shots, I decided to concentrate on food instead.

Main course was to die for. The Singapore chili crabs in egg white were perfectly cooked, tender meat under shells so brittle and juicy that there was no need for nutcrackers. I got my hands dirty, just relishing its flavors of marinated meat infused with sauces. I was happy when they gave me wet towel to wipe off my hands before I went on to continue with my next dish. But this is one dish I enjoyed thoroughly and will be the good reason for me to return once again.

This was followed by Wok fried Lobster with chili black bean sauce cooked from freshly made lobster stock. This tasted delicious when mixed in the bowl of brown garlic fried rice dish.

The attractive dessert plate of jasmine flavored Tiramisu, star anise torte and vanilla ice cream and mixed fruit bowl marked the end of the meal. It was very satisfying meal.

The service was very good and the staff was quick to refilled glasses with sangria as soon as possible, they made sure that food was satisfying, and even offered to custom cook for us to suit our palate.

I would highly recommend Crabs and lobsters in this restaurant. They are truly amazing, waiting for my next guest to visit me, this is on my to-do-list for sure……

American Chop Suey

I had learnt the technique of Chinese cooking many years ago, when there used to be column on ‘Chinese cooking’ in ‘MID DAY’ , the afternoon paper. There used to be a small chat and there would be two recipes per week, every Wednesday. Since I was interested in cooking, I tried two recipes every week dutifully and shared the food with my family. They loved it and encouraged me. The column went on for one year, and I had learnt all the basics of Chinese cooking.

Over the years, I have improved my skill and have even shared the tips with whom-so-ever-who-is-willing-to-learn.

Friendship means cooking specials meals for your favorite ones. This week I invited some of my friends for lunch. My friends also bring dishes whenever we meet over lunch at home  so that there is less pressure on hostess. I had made Thai curry and rice. But then I decided to make a snack that was simple, easy to make and cooked in just 5 minutes. I had fried noodles saved in the fridge, plus some exotic vegetables like red and green vegetables, Bakchoi and mushrooms so all I needed to do was stir fry veggies and pour sauce on it. ...

The romance started as soon as my friends saw the sweet n sour sauce simmering on the stove. I poured that sauce over the bed of fried noodles n crunchy veggies and as soon as the dish touched the dinning table, it disappeared, all I heard was the lip smacking sighs in the room full of food loving friends... such happiness in churning out a perfect meal

My friend liked it so much that she sent back her feedback the next day. She says: “It was a delicious meal. The crunchy veggies & crispy noodles with a delectable sauce with a subtle flavour of kaffir Leaves and the right amount of sweet & sour flavour, the " bang on " consistency of the sauce was simply a gastronomical delight! ! ! ! Thank you. YEH DIL, DIMAAG AUR TONGUE MAANGE MORE.”

I am not sure if I will be able to reproduce the same taste, but my friends want it again…..

Method

Arrange the deep-fried noodles in the plate * Stir fry exotic vegetables like broccoli  red and yellow capsicum, mushrooms, carrots, bakchoi, etc * cover the noodles with stir fried noodles

For sauce

Take 2cups water, add 1tbsp vinegar, 1tbsp tomato sauce, 1tbsp tomato ketchup, soya sauce, kafir leaves, basil leaves, vegetarian cube and 1tbsp corn flour. Mix and heat till it becomes thick

Pour over vegetables.

Vegetarian Noodle Soup

Nothing is more satisfying than the bowl of soup especially on a day when I am too confused to cook anything else

For me, soup is not just ripping off the packet of Maggi, (or any other soup packets like Wai-Wai or Mama), and cooking as instructed on the wrapper.

 Nah! I make it into a full meal, more appetizing and more nutritious.

 On one flame I have water boiling with the ingredients like oil, red chillie powder and dehydrated vegetables, that were included in the noodles packet.

 I have another pan on a high flame where I stir fry garlic, dried red chillies, green/red/yellow pepper, carrots, mushrooms, baby corn, onions, etc

 Just for a minute I stir fry all the fresh vegetables on a high flame till the aroma sizzles me and then off they go, dumped into the clear soup.

 I squeeze out the lime juice, add chilly sauce and mushroom sauce and taste a spoonful to check if it's okay.

 When I am ready to eat, I take a clean bowl, empty the noodles from the packet, pour the hot soup over it and garnish it will basil leaves.

 So while contestants are busy producing innovative dishes on Master Chef, here I am savoring my noodle soup, and not drooling a wee bit while watching that colorful and fancy cuisine.

 Other foodies are also making innovative dishes and sharing their recipes with Master Chef India, should be interesting I am sure!

Cooking for a Cause

During this Joy Giving week, Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal decided to celebrate the festival of giving in a different way and I was the benefactor (I chose to be), receiving the tips of her culinary skills through her cooking demonstration at Courtyard Marrriott’s Chinese restaurant ‘Red Sun’  that included some of the dishes which she has created herself by trial and error method and had been successful.

 This was the charity demonstration, proceeds of which would actually benefit the people affected by leprosy living in Baratapuram colony at Chennai.

We were a small group of about 20 members watching closely as she created four dishes in just two hours.

She started her session with cooking demonstration on ‘Tamarind Prawn’, A very simple dish and yet so tasty.

In a bowl she made the combination of sweet/sour/salty sauce by mixing lemongrass, fish sauce, brown sugar and tamarind till dissolved.

In a wok, she fried garlic till golden brown and added lemon grass, Thai chilies, till crisp, then in went the sweet/sour mixture solution to simmer till it was slightly reduced. The sweet aroma of lemon grass was stronger in the room but our attention was fixed on the aromatic fumes emerging from the pans. She added kaffir lime leaves and finally the prawns, stir-fried just for a minute on each side in the sauce and the dish was ready to eat. I shared this recipe with my cousin, who promptly cooked for her hubby earning a brownie point.

The other dishes that she cooked were Asian coleslaw, White sesame curry and Anise and Orange Chicken Puloa.

The cooking demonstration was followed by delicious lunch and the hotel had designed an edible miniature Marriott Home donation box where we could dare to care by helping those who needed our assistance.

Tummy was protesting and we all headed towards the dining room for yummicious lunch

Lovely afternoon where we ate, thought and talked about food.

Rushina is a food blogger who is passionate about her cooking. I met her the first time at Nature Basket, where I am a frequent shopper. And later I attended her workshop at Kala Ghoda Festival, and then there have been many other events where I do bump into her but she is a warm person and is always willing to share her culinary tips.

I have met her several times now and I hope to become good friends in future since we share a common interest and that is:
To cook for the people we love.