Just Oriental does excellent Chinese

The Olympics may have just got over, but I’m already missing the daily medal tallies, the Phelps’ physiology-analyses and breathless wait for an Indian to do good. So much so, I reluctantly agreed to meet my pals at Just Oriental for lunch.

Why reluctantly, you ask? It’s because I’m up to here with coriander-garnished fried rice, tomato pureed sweet-and-sour dishes, and meats drowned in soy sauce. So used am I to ‘Indian-Chinese’, I halted mid-sentence, tore my eyes away from my best friend’s Gerard Darel 24 Hours Barcelona bag and happily let my Hermes’ fragrance be overpowered when the waiters began serving us.

The wok magicians, imported from Taiwan and Hong Kong, have been paying homage to mild Cantonese, spicy Schezwan and even Chinese experimental without a single glance at kothmir or ketchup for a few months now.

By common consent, we suspended our red-hot chatter and, instead, toasted our tastebuds with Crispy Honey Chilli Garlic Chicken, succulent, sweet and hot. The Aromatic Steamed Rice — made with grains transported from Thailand — was full of flavour, steamed as it had been in a bamboo trunk with a hint of jasmine. The Clay-Pot Chicken was subtle, while the Cambodian Mixed Vegetables came with a tang reminiscent of fresh tamarind leaves and the sweetness of sugarcane. We ended with a warm melt-in-the-mouth Toffee Banana, coated in a crispy crunchy sweet batter.

Just as we were wondering if the oriental meal experience could get any better, the maitre d’ let us into a secret: Always ask for the chef’s special for the day, dependent on whatever’s the freshest in the markets on a daily basis.

We felt like we’d bagged the gold.

Just Oriental, 28 Mota Arcade, 158 Brigade Road, Bangalore 560001. Tel: 30582727, 41611989. Meal for two: Rs 1400.