Despite being in the ‘right’ place – close to our regular haunts – we’ve always ignored Zheng, and I still haven’t figured out why. It’s been around for a couple of years at least, and is part of the BluPetal Hotel, (map) which also has Sultans of Spice on the first floor. I often recommend the latter because we’ve been there quite a few times and have never been disappointed. But Zheng, despite its promise of Mongolian, was always classified in my mind as a Chinese alternative and with options like China Pearl around, it always lost out. Until…
I checked in on Foursquare and the tip shown to me was that I shouldn’t be disheartened at finding the restaurant empty. That’s exactly how it turned out to be and the situation only changed towards the end of our meal when another group walked in. I wonder if it’s because people don’t know about the place or they know something I don’t! There is something tranquil about the ambiance, and is reinforced by the music played. Red dominates, as it does in China and in restaurants which offer its cuisine.
The menu is fairly elaborate and when it’s only two of us, choices are difficult to make. The Chicken Ginger Coconut Broth lost out to momos -the Chicken Pepper Suimai – and the Mongolian Lamb. The flower shaped momos were quite different in terms of flavour and fragrance from the ones we usually have and is definitely worth a shot. But the Mongolian Lamb easily won the battle of the starters – succulent shredded lamb in a spicy sauce. Highly recommended.
The only time we’ve tried a Mongolian Barbecue was at HongKong Hustle, and that was a long time back. So we didn’t think twice before ignoring the Chinese dishes, though it was ironic that we had to ask the person who took our order to get us the Barbecue menu, since he only bought us the liquor and the main food menus. Maybe no one asks for it? I had a nagging feeling while we ordered a Thai Chilli pot and a Dragon’s Breath Bowl. As we watched the chef prepare it, I understood why! We usually only order one rice/noodles, and this time we had ordered two. And they were massive portions!
The Dragon’s Breath Bowl, which I had ordered, with chicken and hakka noodles, came first. Mildly spicy dragon sauce with shiitake mushrooms, pak choi, peppers and green onions. By the time we had a few spoons each, the Thai Chilli pot arrived. D had asked for Udon noodles and chicken with the pak choi, green onions, pad thai sauce, bird’s eye chili etc. This was more subtle than the Dragon’s Breath, but we immensely enjoyed both. So much, that it also became the next day’s lunch. (thanks to the quantity!)
We had no space for desserts, and neither the Juice Junction mango juice nor the Gelato ice creams could tempt us as we walked to pick up the Activa. The service was friendly and prompt, though they could’ve warned us about the quantity. All of the above, including service charges and taxes cost us just over Rs.1650. For the quantity and the quality, I thought it was just fine, and will definitely drop in again.
Zheng, Jyoti Nivas College Rd, Koramangala Industrial Layout, Koramangala. Ph: 4343 1888