Mainland China - Restaurant review

Hey steemians! Happy New year! I am back with another one of my favorite restaurants that I am going to review. I have honestly lost count of the number of visits I have made to this place, and the number of times I had started, yet not finished the review.

In short, Mainland China was one of the first restaurants to introduce authentic Chinese food to the Kolkata circuit, and it still dominates, in spite of a number of newer restaurants propping up every day. The Speciality Restaurants Group leaves no stone unturned to make their diners feel at ease with the elegant decor, the calm ambiance and of course delectable food. And Mainland China, being one of their first, is no exception.

Occupying a grand area on the topmost floor of the South City Mall, Mainland China has been our go-to place at almost all special events and I have nearly memorized the Menu by heart and the waiters would give a smile everytime we went to dine. The only thing that hasn't changed through time is the delicious food they serve.

After a long gap, I decided to visit the place with my Mother few days back. And Lord bless the good soul, a senior of mine was extremely generous to give me a treat here. The review is primarily based on these two experiences. I had ordered the following :

Soup:

1. Crabmeat Soup: This has been my all-time favourite soup at this place, because of how light and absolutely delicious it is.

Starters:

1. Dimsum Platter: This consisted of Chicken Sui Mai, Pan Grilled Crab Cakes, and Prawn Hargao.
   The first is a thick chunk of chicken stuffed in the form of a dimsum. The Pan Grilled Crab Cake is a flattened piece with crab meat fried and grilled. The Prawn Hargao looks like a momo, with a juicy filling of prawn inside. All three are delectable.

Main Course:

1. Singapore Rice Noodles: I love their Rice Noodles. The aroma that strikes you as soon as they open the lid of the earthen pot can give you an idea of the food inside. Filled with veggies and meat, this too always features on my order list at this place.

1. King Prawns in Chili Oyster Sauce: You can either take 4 or 6 pieces, depending on how big a hole you want to burn in your pockets. The Oyster sauce is good and went well with the noodles.

For the Buffet, the following were available:
Starters:

1. Fish in Hunan Sauce : This was too delicious!
2. A preparation of chicken I can't recollect at all!
3. Dimsum

Main course:
(Non-vegetarian section):

1. Chicken Fried Rice
2. Chicken Hakka Noodles
3. Hang's Chili Chicken
4. Mandarin Chili Shrimps
5. Crab Chili Butter Garlic

I loved the shrimps! The best thing I find about the Mainland China buffet is the variety of fish and meats they provide, keeping the price pretty decent for the quality of food it offers. The A La Carte is generally much higher, if you order the same dishes. I have seen them even offering duck or lamb in the buffet, which is quite a rare phenomenon in other places. However, the crab this time wasn't well cooked, and it was difficult to take out the fleshy portion from the coverings.

Desserts:
Best - Hot Crispy Chocolate Rolls: These are small rolls of chocolate, sprinkled with coconut that fills your mouth with chocolate after taking a crunch. They serve this with Vanilla Ice Cream, and the hot-cold combination is a big thumbs up.
This section marks a beautiful end to the journey. On offer were:

1. Caramel Custard
2. Fruit Cake
3. Plum Pudding
4. Coffee Mousse
5. Honey tossed Noodles
6. Four varieties of ice cream, along with Choco chips and hot chocolate sauce
7. Fresh Fruits
   Among these, the Coffee Mousse stood out for its rich taste and the silky feeling it had.

Overall, this place offers comfort food, with a rich taste that makes you want to go back to it again and again. It is a fine dining restaurant, and naturally the price is on the higher side. But if you're looking for good Chinese and a lovely evening, then look no further.

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