Chinese, Chinese, Chinese!

So, this Saturday, we discovered a tiny little Indo-Chinese restaruant, tucked away in the recesses of Kalina. Newly opened last October, this place, called 'King Chilli', is run by two Manipuri families. It has about 6 tables indoors and around 4 outside. With a bold red wall, wrought-iron furniture and beautiful Naga paintings on its walls, the tiny restaurant presents a pretty picture. I had read somewhere that the colour red is used profusely by the advertising fraternity to generate hunger - and I'm sure this red wall was one of the primary things that beckoned us to the restaurant. On the whole, the restaurant looks clean, pleasant and inviting.

Initially, the menu got me very excited since its cover said 'Chinindian and North-east Indian food'. Unfortunately though, I couldn't find any dish inside that would not be available in another similar kind of restaurant, basically nothing from the North-east. The restaurant was full of teenagers; it seems to be a popular place amongst youngsters. The service at 'King Chilli' was friendly, helpful and efficient. As is usually the case, the wait staff here too comprises mainly of the owners' family itself.

We ordered three dishes - Vegetable Schezwan Noodles, Stir-fried Mushrooms and Baby Corn, and Vegetable Peking Rice. The noodles were excellent, spicy but not overly so. They were done just perfectly, al dente. I feel that many times, tiny, hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants overcook the noodles and go a little overboard with the schezwan sauce. But this was different. The only thing lacking, in my opinion, was the quantity of vegetables used. I thought they had added too little and the dish could've done with a little bit more. 

Vegetable Schezwan Noodles

The Stir-fried Mushrooms and Baby Corn was very well prepared. Stir fries normally don't have gravies, but this one does; it still tastes awesome. I think the baby corn was batter-fried and then stir fried with mushrooms and a brown sauce of some kind. The sauce was not spicy; it was flavourful and did everything to enhance the taste of mushrooms and the baby corn.

Stir-fried Mushrooms and Baby Corn

 I had never had Peking Rice before this, so I asked our waiter what it was. He told me that it was a bit like stewed rice with some gravy on top. I had ordered Vegetable Peking Rice, so mine had vegetable fried rice, topped with long sliced carrots, capsicums and onions, with some fried and boiled noodles. The gravy was mildly sweet and the fried noodles, crunchy carrots and fresh capsicum added immense texture to the dish. A word of caution though - this dish tastes the best when you eat it fresh. Reheating will kill the different textures in it and then it is just some overcooked rice with sweet gravy and mushy vegetables.  

Vegetable Peking Rice

The bill was for 450/- bucks, for the three dishes and 2 soft drinks. On the whole, the meal was good value for money. Except for the out-of-the-way location of the restaurant, we would definitely go there again.