The oriental express

The traditional Asian atmosphere with its beautiful colours and industrial look, the Chi Asian Cookhouse is a re-invention of one of Delhi’s favourite places at Janpath — Chi Bar & Kitchen. Owner Anubhav Gupta says, “It is a step forward in the evolution of the brand. Chi Asian Cookhouse has been inspired by the canteens of the industrial units of old times, with a focus on community dining. The new Chi, blends together the essence of the brand, with a modern interpretation of Asia’s culinary and cultural landscape.”

When you enter the place, the aroma of kaffir (makrut) lime and rice greet you. Not just that, the interiors are quite as quirky as the food that is served here.  The entrance with doorknobs shaped not unlike the ones found on gas stoves lead to a corridor lined with gas pipes with graphics of steam painted on it. ‘Chi’ means ‘natural energy’ and the etymological explanation of the Chi logogram, is ‘steam rising from rice  as it cooks’. It is this very  imagery that pervades across the restaurant spreading an aura of natural energy. The influence of colours is from the vibrant swirls of energy of Asia itself, from the green of paddy fields, the dark yellow of an Asian sunset, the deep teal of the oceans, reflecting darkened skies, or the slate grey of an industrialised area. Basically the concept is when you enter the place, the surrounding,s paintings and the fragrance are supposed to incite hunger in you.

The place is way ahead of its time in introducing several new flavours and dishes. Created using a mix of traditional and modern Asian cooking techniques, the varied menu caters to those who love their customary dishes, as well as for the adventurous diner who likes to push the envelope. Drawing from the best of Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean, Korean, Thai, Japanese and Burmese cuisine, the menu features exciting offerings such as oriental roasts, pancakes and rolls, skewers and new age dimsums. A Thai master chef has worked extensively to curate a new range of mouth watering small bite delicacies.

We started our gastronomical adventure with Kimchi spiced vegetables, a traditional Korean dish made of seasoned vegetables and salt. Chef Mohan Singh Chauhan says, “It can be fresh, like a salad, or it can be fermented. Here we use fresh veggies. While the most popular variety is spicy kimchi made of cabbage, there are hundreds of different combination of kimchi that can be made with different vegetables. In the traditional preparation, kimchi is often allowed to ferment underground, in jars, for months.”

Massaman curry is, without any doubt, one of the outstanding dishes we tasted here. This dish is a simple preparation of mixed vegetables sauteed in massaman curry sauce with potatoes and topped with cashew nuts. “One of the awesome things about a massaman curry is that it can be as spicy or as mild as you’d like it to be. With a lot of other Thai curries it can be fairly tough to judge the level of spice, but because traditionally the massaman isn’t very spicy, it’ll cater to all those in your household who aren’t too fond of chilli,” chef Chauhan told us. It is best if you have the massaman with  the crispy Kimchi fried rice.

The lemper ayam, which consisted of banana leaf packets of coconut sticky rice stuffed with intensely flavoured chicken, served here seemed really interesting. The chef said, “Among my favorites, this dish is a fine example of an Indonesian cook’s ability to create food that is lusty, earthy, and chock-full of complexity. lemper ayam is a popular snack and can be simply steamed or grilled. During cooking, the banana leaf imparts a deep tea-like flavor to the rice.” He explained to us that for the optimum, most robust flavor, he grinds the seeds for the necessary spices and uses the galangal and kaffir lime leaf. The latter ingredients are available at markets, as are the candlenuts and banana leaf. “At the end of its preparation you can use toothpicks to close up the ends of the banana leaf, whereas many modern cooks staple them shut,” he added.

At the end of any meal, most of us like to indulge our sweet tooth with a dessert. And to obtain a child-like glee at consuming a sweet dish we recommend the coconut pancake here.