FOOD

A Lunch Date at Mainland China/Satva, Sector-26

May 3, 2018

So some time ago, I had the opportunity to sample the food at Mainland China/Satva in Sector-26, Chandigarh. Now I mention these two places together because they operate out of the same kitchen.

First impressions: A super friendly staff greets us and leads us to the table. They ask me if I want to try the buffet or go A la carte, so I ask them for their suggestion. A la carte, obviously.

What I ordered: For starters, I ordered Truffle Flavored Zucchini Spring Rolls and Crispy Cottage Cheese with Smoked Chilli. The Truffle Flavored Zucchini Spring Rolls were amongst the best I have ever tried. This is a nice refreshing change from the regular spring rolls we eat. They had the nice amount of crunch and filling and left us wanting for more. The Cottage Cheese with Smoked Chilli also had a great preparation so it is a great safe bet if you aren’t really keen on experimenting.

For our drinks, I ordered a Pina Colada while my company stuck with the usual crushed ice Mojito. The Pina Colada had a wonderful fruity flavor wherein the pineapple really came through on all counts while the Mojito had a really punchy, fresh flavor.

Moving on to soups, we ordered the Eight Treasure Soup on the recommendation of our waitstaff. Safe to say, we weren’t disappointed. The Eight Treasure soup is easily the best soup I have ever tried. Carrots, celery, beans, mushrooms and other veggies topped with almond slivers? Yes, please! This soup has the perfect balance to it and it can really be summed up as pure comfort food. But with a very modern spin to it.

Impressed by the soup, we left the decision for our mains too on our waitstaff. So we ended up trying Japanese Noodles with Exotic Vegetables in Black Pepper Sauce. Obviously, Mainland China/Satva is a fine dine restaurant so I wasn’t expecting any greasy Chinese from them. But what we had surpassed all our expectations. The Japanese Noodles made from buckwheat were cooked to perfection while the Sauce tasted wonderful. Paired together they surely made for a hearty main course.

Finally, for our dessert, we had their chocolate dome with caramalised popcorn, brownie, wafers and of course, vanilla ice cream that emerges from the middle when hot chocolate is poured on to the dome. Trust me, this is Masterchef level stuff. The meal could not have ended any better. You can check out the whole video of the melting dome here.

Verdict: This is easily one of the best meals or even the best meal I have had in Chandigarh and there is no debating about it. So I would totally give a thumbs up to the kitchen of Mainland China/Satva.