8 Treasures from Provinces of China at Five Senses, The Westin, Chennai

What: 8 Treasures at Five Senses

Where: The Westin, Velachery, Chennai

When: 17^th June - 30^th June, 2016 (only dinner, 7 - 11.30 PM)

Indo-Chinese is not just a hit but a favourite cuisine that tickles your senses with the mix of Indian and Chinese flavours. Whereas the traditional Chinese cooking amazes you with culinary classics from 8 provinces of China. The 8 great regional cuisines include Szechuan, Cantonese, Zhejiang, Hunan, Jiangsu, Fujian, Shandong and Anhui.

And the Chefs at The Westin have brought together the aromas of each region and have crafted 8 dishes that stays true to the flavours of China. The menu holds upper hand for non-vegetarians but they offer four vegetarian selection. As the dishes started lining up on the huge table, it definitely felt hard to hold back breathing in the fragrance from the food.

Keeping aside the speculation, I grabbed a bite of the flat bread which I had stuffed with the shreds of soft and crispy duck, leeks and sauce; first bite into Crispy Aromatic Duck (Zhejiang) and it wasn't bad, indeed the flavour from the sauce and the cook on the meat was spectacular.

Duck

The Red cooked Chicken (Anhui) didn't just look good but taste-wise is a winner for the evening. The essence of Chinese (Xiao Xing) wine and the juicy chicken made the dish remarkable; along with the Jasmine Veg Fried Rice it was perfecto.

Red Cooked Chicken

The sticky and flavourful sauce lifts the taste of minced prawn balls, the Tai Chi Prawns (Fujian) cooked in dark soya and rice vinegar is a well-balanced dish. Dezhou Stewed Chicken (Shandong) is loaded with aromas from star anise and dark soya creating yet another delicious bowl of food.

Stewed Chicken

Prawn

For the other regions they serve the following dishes (I didn't taste them so just mentioning the names): Lamb with Snow Peas and Baby Corn (Cantonese), Braised Spare Ribs (Jiangsu), Mapo Tofu (tender loin - Szechuan) and Sweet & Sour Mandarin Fish (Hunan).

As I mentioned earlier you can see the dominance of non-vegetarian dishes but there were selective vegetarian dishes which were mind-blowingly delicious. My favourite vegetable, Eggplant in hot garlic sauce was cooked to perfection and deliciousness at its best.

Eggplant

Cabbage

The tangy strips of potatoes with chillies were another brilliant addition to the meal, Sichuan Shredded Potatoes. Nevertheless was the Stir Fried Cabbage with Minced Garlic, which went so well with the fried rice and steamed rice.

Potato

Though desserts weren't part of the 8 Treasures festival, it is a must to end a meal with sweet and the Pumpkin Pudding was yum, yum and yum. It's an A La Carte menu from which you can select and enjoy the delicacies from 8 provinces of China.

Pumpkin Pudding

Breaking Down Points

Location & Parking: Just opposite Guru Nanak college with valet parking.

Ambience: Positive. Beautiful and serene

Food Variety: Positive. Staying true to the cuisine, non-vegetarian dishes play a major part but the few vegetarian dishes are phenomenal.

Taste: Positive. An extravagant journey to the land of China.

Quality & Quantity: Positive. The portion is good for sharing as well the finesse in ingredients usage and taste marks for a great food quality.

Service: Positive. Ofcourse flawless.

Price: Expensive. Meal for two will cost Rs. 3000 INR (plus taxes) approx. A royal dining indeed with spectacular dishes that will tingle you taste buds.

So my Verdict!

Five Senses at The Westin is taking the diners on a journey to China's 8 provinces through their food. You can experience and indulge into the Chinese culinary journey through the '8  Treasures' festival that is till 30th June 2016.

For Reservations call 044 66333777

P.S. On-the-house bloggers meet for tasting session at Five Senses, The Westin for their 8 Treasures festival. Remember, no two person's palate can be same.