Of Legacy and More

Set in the heart of the city, Taj Mahal hotel and its legacy has always been cherished by patrons. Whether their promise of &lsquoTajness&rsquo or their exquisite restaurants, they&rsquove never failed in always putting the best forward. And trailing this culinary excellence we landed up at the iconic House of Ming one evening to cherish the cooking styles of Canton and Sichuan, adopted by the chefs here. The hotel is currently undergoing renovations (in a phased manner) and before the restaurant&rsquos temporary relocation we had the opportunity to grab one last meal at the iconic House of Ming at its original location. We opted for an early dinner in order to avoid the rush hour and cherish our meal in peace. The interiors were done in subtle tones with minimal decor and a warm and cosy setting, and we can&rsquot wait to see what the new avatar brings in. 

Tasting Notes
As soon as we settled in and were comfortable we were served with an amuse bush &mdash pickled cabbage. Next in line were a personal favourite &mdash dumplings. While one can find various places to gorge on dumplings in the city, there is none who does them as best as the House of Ming. We got our hands on the spinach and golden garlic, chicken, prawn and pan seared vegetable dumplings. Each of them steamed to perfection, generous on the filling and exquisite in taste. 

We moved on to a variety of small plates next &mdash including eggplant chengdu style, stir-fried haricot beans char choy, chicken tai-chin kai, crispy broccoli in butter chilli sauce, and their signature butterfly prawns. Each of the dishes were rich in flavour, texture, portion size as well as their presentation. Not only did it leave us quite full, but also gave us a fair idea of why anyone would keep coming back &mdash simply because they serve the best Chinese in the city. 

Moving on, next in line was the classic Ming&rsquos lemon soup with vegetables. On an unusually cold evening the soup felt like a warm embrace. And as winter fully sets in the capital, we can only imagine how heavenly the soup would taste now. 

As for the mains, my non vegetarian dine-in companion chose diced chicken in spicy black bean sauce and I opted for the bean curd soya chunk smoked chili, both prepared and served in delectable in-house sauces. As for the sides we went for the udon noodles with mixed greens, golden garlic fried rice and seafood jasmine fried rice (topped with prawns). While all dishes captured our hearts, the mains were what stole the show, simply because of their soulful preparation. Striking the right chord with the spice levels, flavours and the portion sizes, they make for a great culinary experience. We topped it all off with a traditional Chinese dessert, date pancakes.

The best part about the meal you ask All the delicacies that we had are being served since the early 1980s and we knew exactly what year did each dish come into being, all thanks to Mr. Hem's expertise and memory in terms of dates.  

What we&rsquod go back for 
We totally go back for the culinary excellence, Mr Hem Prakash&rsquos warm hospitality and suggestions for first timers and the of course the heavenly dumplings.   

Did you know
The hotel has been serving patrons for over four decades, since its inception in 1978. 

Details
House of Ming, Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Road
Phone 911166513241/3242