In a food environment choked to the gill slits with Chinese food places ranging from the humble station side regdi and momo stalls to the uber China House and Hakkasan, there are few places that can lay claim to authenticity and peerless dim sum satisfaction.
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| Roast pork puffs. Absolutely amazing! |
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| Duck spring rolls |
Royal China is well-neigh the Indigo of the dim sum houses in apro des.
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| Crispy prawn cheung fun |
Their claim to fame is their surreal dim sum skin and they peddle out consistently bomb Hargao, prawn and chive dumplings, crystal dumplings, and the insanely good roast pork puffs and duck spring rolls.
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| Crystal dumplings |
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| Prawn and chive dumplings |
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veg puffs
Across two of the finest meals in the last year, some of these babies have had me bleating like a goat that's being tickled pink.
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And if this is not enough, guarantee a great meal by adding in the unctuous joy aka the turnip cakes.
With dim sum like that, who needs main courses and dessert?!
A bit of a misfit in the genre of food places listed thus far, Bipin Snacks proves that good marathi snack food can shock me and make me swoon when it is done well. To note, Bipin Snacks is not a charity case mention. It just turns out high quality food and wins a spot on merit.
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| Batata wada pohe. Never seen that as a single dish |
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| Sabudana khichadi + khamang kakdi |
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| Upma |
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| Wada paav |
Also, think of an overcast morning in Pune and my Dad, for once, agreeing to go to a food place with me. So the trio (Ma, too, you know) set off on foot across the Ferguson Coll campus, across Canal rd. and to this small hole-in-the-wall outside a city hospital. The sabudana khichadi + khamang kakdi, batata wada and the pohe are some of the best I've had in the city, and the prices are almost stuck in the 90s.
You see something very pretty and assume that the Good Lord could not have been unkind to rest of humanity by layering solid substance on top of good looks. That assumption leads to an assumption of lack of substance. As it goes with Zoe, I have been unkind and more than somewhat uncharitable in making exactly that assumption.
Endowed with space, and designed by a team with actual good taste and an ability to execute, Zoe is just so easy on the eye, whether we talk bout the space and decor or the many PYTs that flit in and out the doors.
I'm no lamb lover, but their long braised lamb with fresh made pappardelle is an incredible melange of all the right flavors and textures.
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| 8 hr braised lamb and fresh made pappardelle |
They do fish well too for their rawas in a citrus based sauce, the pan fried perch and their specials red snapper are cooked to perfection and paired with some of the most delicious balanced sauces you'd be unfortunate enough to eat.
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| Red snapper with mash, citrus sauce, wilted spinach and rosemary |
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| Rawas in a citrus base cream sauce and wilted spinach |
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| Pan fried perch with mustard sauce |
'Why unfortunate' you ask? Because, then, most other places' Conti style fish + mash + sauce routine wouldn't cut it for you.
And, ya, they scream out some of the best fries in town. They're that bloody good.
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| Bloody addictive home fries |
It's a great place. GO!
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