Spice Route

The Silk Route at The Bristol has opened shutters after a gap of six months. Walk into the new set up and only the name, it seems, is reminiscent of its previous existence.

The Bristol hotel reopens its Chinese specialty diner and tours pan-Asia with its kitchen

The Silk Route at The Bristol has opened shutters after a gap of six months. Walk into the new set up and only the name, it seems, is reminiscent of its previous existence. The diner, now completely revamped, boasts a kitchen that brings popular picks from Chinese, Japanese and Thai to your table. We checked out the restaurant on a Friday evening and most tables were occupied by residents living around the hotel. The menu includes a handful of sushi rolls but if you crave for something specific, Master Chef Sam-Wong can roll out a fresh batch of sticky rice and vinegered fillings on request.

Must try
The menu lists interesting options for appetisers and chef Wong makes a special effort in creating delicious starters. We begin with Larg gai Rs 375, a speciality from the Esarn region, according to the menu. It turned out to be a bowlful of minced chicken with lime fish sauce garnished with chilli flakes. Yum wunsen pak Rs 275, a colourful salad with glass noodles and fresh vegetables in a chilli dressing was equally well done. We also tried Yasai tempura Rs 310, a crispy platter of veggies in paper thin wrapping. Among entreacute;es the menu boasts of Chilean sea bass Rs 1525 in two interesting flavours. We opted for the Chinese version with steamed fish fillet in a soya ginger sauce. There is also a Thai version of this fish with spicy green curry. Among the various options for noodles and rice, including Japanese sticky rice, we picked stir fry Udon noodles Rs 300. The kitchen also rolls out a delicious crispy duck recipe. Our order of crispy duck Rs 950 for eight pieces had the chef carve the morsels at our table that were rolled with pancakes and duck sauce. In the dessert section try the Tub-tim garob Rs 275 that is chilled water chestnut in sweet coconut milk. Adventurous and quite lip-smacking.

Give a miss
We did not particularly enjoy Chicken teriyaki Rs 450 as the squares of chicken were a tad chewy in the centre. Likewise, the vegetarian Miso soup Rs 150 was quite bland and average.

Meal for two: Rs 1,800
Contact: 95124-4351111
Location: 4th floor, The Bristol hotel, Gurgaon