Tuesday, 10 June 2014

The Contemporary Tea House Affair – Yauatcha!



You know what I hate most about rumours? The fact that it spreads like a wild fire and it isn’t true most of the time. Although, once you hear a rumour you can’t help scrutinizing it.

One such rumour which was spread amongst the foodies in the city was about the newly launched restaurant in Bangalore, Yauatcha. The rumour was that it is a Michelin starred restaurant. The mention of it can get you all ears from foodies. After all it’s a highly prestigious award given to restaurants across the world.
Michelin guide is one of the oldest and most popular reference guide for eateries in the world and awards ‘Michelin stars’ to the finest restaurants.

Yauatcha is a Michelin starred restaurant, but in London. This star is not transferable; hence the establishments of this restaurant in India cannot be called a Michelin starred one. It is indeed really sad that there isn’t a single restaurant in the country which has had a privilege of being acknowledged as a Michelin starred restaurant.


Ambience

Yauatcha, as the management would describe it is a ‘contemporary dim sum tea house’. With minimalistic décor, the restaurant is apt for business dining. A spacious rectangular hall is what grabs your eye first and then it turns towards the yellow lighting falling over each table.

Elegance lies in simplicity; this perfectly describes the ambience of Yauatcha. The open bar leaves you dazzled and gives the décor of the restaurant the much required touch of classiness along with the yellow lights.


Grub

Going through 4 set of menus can be tiresome. Selecting the dish from the very limited Vegetarian menu is worse. Anyone could have easily mistaken Anmol and I to be mugging the menu up with the amount of time we were taking to decide on what to eat. Well, we really can’t be blamed. It was an extensive menu and I personally wanted to look into the variety they have to offer.

One simply does not dine at Yauatcha without having dimsums! This Chinese dish is a specialty her. They have an extensive list of dimsums which can make it really hard for one to decide as to which one to order! We settled for a vegetarian affair since Anmol is a pure vegetarian and nothing really appealed to me in the non-veg section as I could hardly find any fish items. Vegetable crystal dumpling is what we ordered. 




Vegetable Crystal Dumplings

Served in a basket, these steamed dim sums are in fact quite a delicacy! It had a glossy rubbery feel to it which doesn’t come out as appetizing at first but as you continue having it; gradually you begin to relish the taste.

I was craving for a steaming hot soup! Suffering from a terrible cold, I knew soup would give me some relief. The Sweet corn soup was like drinking dal. No kidding there. It even looks like dal. *Strike one* I hate it when people are stingy when it comes to food and Yauatcha was stingy with corn. *Strike two*
Two strikes for one dish, now that is bad!



Sweet Corn Soup, it seems!

The hot and sour soup had a very tangy taste to it which again didn’t really please our taste buds, but I can say with affirmation that it was better than drinking dal.



Hot and Sour Soup

The main course was inaugurated with Spicy vegetable fried rice and Szechwan vegetable tofu claypot. Now here comes the funny part. Throughout the meal Anmol kept saying how he is so confused about the food here. Added to that, table manners is highly essential in places like this one. One should know how to eat their food and this time I must confess even I was clueless on how I should go about my eating. What made this dining experience more startling is that we ate our main course in a cup. Yes, not a plate or a bowl but a cup!

We were eagerly waiting for the plates but then when we were served with rice and the curry in a cup, our eyes widened. Oh and we laughed, we laughed so hard in disbelief!
The rice which was supposed to be spicy wasn’t, and the curry excelled when it came to being spicy but it was nothing more than that.


Szechwan Vegetable Tofu Claypot



Spicy Vegetable Rice



Main course in a cup!


Even though I was having a bad cold I wanted to have ice-cream, just to cheer myself up from the disastrous main course and soup I just had. As a result I ordered for a Raspberry Delice.
This gorgeous dessert is the epitome of food porn. You just can’ take your eyes off it. A dessert like this can make it really difficult for one to cut their spoon across this raspberry flavoured rose. A dessert like this fascinates you with its beauty.




Food Porn, much?

The chocolate swirls on the ice-cream have Yauatcha written on it and tastes ‘oh so good’. The ice cream and the raspberry flavoured rose with chocolate at the bottom balance each other. The texture of the rose is what will excite you the most and the feel of it on your tongue is ought to take you to la la land. I don’t say this often but this Raspberry Delice forces me to say this – ‘Now that’s what I call a dessert’.


Service

The staff is warm and friendly, they take their time to explain the concept of Yauatcha and help one in going through the menu. This is something I really appreciate as it makes things a lot easier for the customer.

The experience at Yauatcha was average. There is nothing very alluring about this place, nothing striking as such, except for the Raspberry Delice of course, which was the only item worth its price.
The meal was an expensive one even though we didn’t have alcohol. I never hesitate in paying a bomb when it comes to food as long as it satisfies my appetite and keeps my tummy happy. Unfortunately Yauatcha failed to do so.


Quick Takes –

Rating – 2.5/5

Cost for two – 2500/- exclusive of alcohol and taxes. 

Why you should go here – For dim sums and Raspberry Delice. Also, if you are looking for a place for cooperate lunch, Yauatcha can be one of your options.

Location – 5th Floor, 1 M.G Mall, Trinity circle, Bangalore

Landmark – Opposite the Park hotel.

Note - *This review is based purely on a vegetarian meal. The rating is only for the vegetarian dishes.*


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