It's the Yum Yum Dim Sum Fest happening at Stix, HRC's Sichuan restaurant. Our group of 4 who had been invited to review the promotion, had plenty to catch up with while cute little baskets filled with little dumplings made their appearance at the table at regular intervals.
Dim sums are bite size morsels of food wrapped in a thin dough wrapper and steamed. Or fried, pan-fried or even baked. Then again, they may not have a wrapper. The ones served at Stix are a modern interpretation of the popular snack made and served in fancy restaurants or even street stalls around China. The best thing to wash them down with is jasmine tea.
I love dim sums, especially those served in speciality dim sum restaurants abroad. Restaurants compete with each other to innovate shapes and fillings and thereby woo patrons. Getting those sort of ingredients is a huge challenge in Chennai but restaurants like Stix do make the effort to give the diner a different sort of experience. Stix has innovated by putting a modern twist to the fillings though the final appearance does look old school.
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| Seafood dumpling soup |
A bowl of delicious seafood put us right in the mood. Vegetables and a dumpling that enclosed a seafood filling floated in the almost clear broth. Yum!
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| Pan-fried veg bao |
We got to try some of the vegetarian versions as well, the pan-fried bao was stuffed with vegetables and it was quite nice too. The bao covering was soft and fluffy and the filling was moist.
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| Spinach and corn dumpling |
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| Spinach and golden garlic dumpling |
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| Asparagus, bean and pine nut open dumpling |
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| Edamame, wasabi and cheese dumpling |
Other vegetarian offerings included spinach and golden garlic, an open dumpling filled with beans, asparagus and pine nuts and the not-to-be-missed edamame, wasabi and cheese dumpling. Stuffed with mashed edamame, the wasabi lent a mild bite while the cheese added a touch of exotica.
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| Prawn and water chestnut |
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| Lamb kothey |
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| Shanghai chicken soupy dumpling, a take on xiao long bao |
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| Sea bass dumpling |
The chefs showed us how to shape a seafood dumpling. Nimble fingers shaped and pinched the edges closed into a standing triangle and then, magically, a frill appeared.
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| Sticky pork bao |
The best was definitely sticky pork bao. Hoisin sauce had been slathered inside the bun and on it lay slices of fatty roast pork, shredded carrots and coriander leaves. Pretty to look at and it tasted fabulous.
Two sauces were served with the dumplings - coriander-spring onion and crispy chilli paste. I would have preferred a nice, red, spicy chilli sauce. The fillings were tasty but some of the wrappers like those that enclosed the Shanghai soupy dumpling, prawn and water chestnut and the open dumpling wrappers were rather thick and dry.
Yum Yum Dim Sum Fest is on till September 17th and only for dinner, from 7 - 11.30 pm. Stix's regular menu has other Sichuan specialities. Vegetarian dim sums are priced at 588/++ a basket, non veg at 688/++.
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| The menu |
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