Maggie Tang
THE mention of India conjures images of the Ganges, the Taj Mahal, yoga and Indian curry. If you haven't had the chance to visit India yet, you can still experience the Indian culture and cuisine at Seaview O City Hotel, where an Indian buffet dinner is being offered this month.
Peacock feathers, statues of elephants, vivid-colored tablecloths and wall ornaments, waitresses in elegant Indian sarees and Indian music lingering in the air: You will find yourself surrounded by an exotic ambience as soon as you step into the coffee shop> The buffet dinner has been prepared by Jayadev AS, Indian executive sous chef at the hotel.
" I wanted to offer a rich collection of Indian food to diners in Shenzhen to help them understand the diversity and richness of Indian cuisine, "said Jayadev, who has been working in China for five years.
The buffet spread includes 10 traditional Indian main courses, plus Indian soup, salads, pancakes and desserts.
Before any course, however, it is recommended that you sit down and drink a cup of chai, Indian tea with a mixture of spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger.
To start the dinner, you can select from a variety of Indian salad, including aloo chat (potato salad with mint), chicken chat (chicken salad), kuchumber salad (vegetable salad) and tandoori chicken salad. Amonf the soups, try the chicken rasam soup (chicken soup boiled with spices), mulagathuvani vegetable soup, or the lamb shorba (lamb soup).
Following the spirit of the Indian cuisine, the main courses demonstrate varied uses of spices, curries and herbs, which help enhance the flavor of the dishes and create unique flavors and aromas. Jayadev told the reporter that the curry used in cooking was in fact a combination of more than 20 Indian spices together with curry leaves.
Many dishes are mixures of meat or vegetables somewhat hidden in thick, vivid-colored curry; however, taste them and appreciate their rich flavors. Recommended are botti kabab (charcoal-grilled lamb), fish tikka ( baking fish that has been marinated in spices and yogurt.), lamb chettinad (spicy lamb cooked with fresh coconut), prawn pakora (spicy prawn), and kati kabab roll (chicken roll).
Do not forget the prawn biriyani (fried rice with prawn cooked in a collection of spices) and the famous Indian pancakes. Wash it all down with mango lassi, which is mango juice with mint and yoghourt.
Price: 138 yuan (US $ 20) per adult, 88 yuan per child under 1.2 meters, plus 15 percent service charge
Time: 6-10 pm May 1-31
Add: Coffee Shop, 2 / F, West View of Seaview O City, 3-5 Guangqiao Road, Overseas Chinese Town (Seaview奥斯廷hotel restaurant on the second floor)
Tel: 2660-2222 ext. 8339