August Moon Festival @ Memories of China, Vivanta by Taj, MG Road
The Mid-Autumn or popularly known as the August Moon is a harvest festival celebrated in China and Vietnam extensively along with Taiwan and Hong Kong. The significance of this festival dates back to the Shang Dynasty in China and is held on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese Han Calendar. To commemorate this special season of festivity, Memories of China at the Vivanta by Taj, MG Road is serving a special menu signifying the tastes and aromas of Mainland China with the traditional Moon Cake as the supreme dessert of choice. I was invited to attend this special tasting along with a few other food aficionados, and it was an experience to say the least.
Our tasting began with Appetisers served from the special menu with Sautéed Prawns and Lotus Stem and Water Chestnut in Chef’s Special Sauce. I paired it with a very modest Pina Colada to go with my oriental voyage for the evening. The Shandong Style Steamed Chicken was an absolute delight and left me craving for more. The Cauliflower cooked with Creamy sauce and topped with preserved chilli and the Stir Fried Four Treasure Mushroom in Soya went well with the Schezwan Noodles. But it was undoubtedly the Steamed Egg Plant topped with Spicy Peanut Sauce that took the crown amongst the vegetarian assortment. In the Non Vegetarian genre, the Minced Pork Pattie cooked Shanghai Style tickled my taste buds. I had it with a generous serving of Fried Rice and a hint of Chilli Oil.
It has been a while since I have tasted a sizzler at a Chinese restaurant. The Silken Tofu in Black Bean Chilli served on a Sizzler Plate was succulent and simply melt in my mouth. The Stir Fried Butter Garlic Prawns on the Sizzler plate was delectable and I decided on a second serving. The Stir-Fried Shredded Lamb with preserved Veg Pickle was the penultimate course in the menu and it was definitely worth a mention. Being a fan of seafood, the Mix Seafood Schezwan Style served in Clay Pot was something to look forward to. I was able to pair it well with some Burnt Garlic Fried Rice.
Chef Lai Hing Ton saved the best for the last in the form of the traditional mooncake and the Deep-Fried Sesame Dumplings stuffed with Ferrero Rocher, something this venue is famous for. Chef dropped by our table for a bit of a photo session and it was an absolute pleasure to meet such a jovial personality. My heartfelt thanks to Priyadarshini Nandi for inviting me to this epitome of Asian Fine Dining at the heart of the Central Business District. This festival is on for Lunch and Dinner on an Ala Carte special menu till the 16th of September.
