ITC launching a new F&B brand is always exciting. Considering Avartana and Royal Vega, the last two brands that were launched and their success, I was looking forward to this one. Yi Jing launched in the brand new ITC Kohenur, Hyderabad is a new age Chinese restaurant trying to find a balance between the demands of the modern customer with Instagram worthy plating and keeping up the sanity of not using inedible garnishes on food. While only time will spell out the success, Yi Jing largely manages this thin line with ease.
How do they do this? The starters give you the Instagram excitement and the main courses, the sanity. Both play true to their flavours and this seems to be a good way to not tip the balance either way.
I was invited for a degustation menu and I went straight from the airport, a good 45 minute drive to a beautiful and modern lobby, similar to the other ITC luxury collection properties. The restaurant itself has been tastefully done with mix of familiar Red and Black Chinese colours with hues of brown coming from woods taken from actual Chinese boats!
Now the food itself. The dim sum were all in modern avatars. Swan shaped crunchy dim sum with chicken inside, a beautiful edamame dim sum shaped like the bean pods, crab with roe on top and a mushroom stuffed dim sum shaped like a mushroom. Each of them left a mark on the palate without overpowering the other, so the degustation menu itself was beautifully thought out. If I had to pick one, it would be the Edamame, since both the flavour and the presentation was a stand out.
The crunchy prawns were the highlight of the starters. With its unmistakeable burnt garlic soaring through, the prawn lover in me was doing a tap dance, and with similar flavours as the crispy lotus stem, the prawn over powered its vegetarian counterpart.
Peking Duck. For a restaurant of this standard, I would have expected the duck to be carved on table, but ITC decided not to scare away their more conservative diners and so it arrives pre plated to the table. A single piece of skin and sugar also arrives, more to give you a peek of the actual Peking Duck. This makes it one of the few places in India to serve the Peking Duck with the skin, though the real way to eat it would be to have a full plate of skin for yourself.
Chilly Hand Pulled Noodles. The soft hand pulled noodles drenched in Chilly Oil are a treat because the chef doesn't tone it down. Being in Hyderabad, a city where spicy food is no stranger, the chilly noodles I'm sure will be loved by the locals. Made fresh every day, the noodles are hand pulled and it shows in the consistency.
With so much food dunked in, all I could manage with the main course was a slurp of each. The Chinese greens were a delight, but I couldn't taste much more, including dessert, so I'll have to go back sometime to check them out. Actually, the next time I go, it will be to Dum Pukht Begums, another new fusion brand bringing one of India's best restaurant and tweaking it with the Nizam's cuisine. That is something I'm totally looking forward to, some day!
Dim Sums are priced around Rs. 350, starters between 350 and 700, so a meal for two will set you back by about Rs. 2500.
How do they do this? The starters give you the Instagram excitement and the main courses, the sanity. Both play true to their flavours and this seems to be a good way to not tip the balance either way.
I was invited for a degustation menu and I went straight from the airport, a good 45 minute drive to a beautiful and modern lobby, similar to the other ITC luxury collection properties. The restaurant itself has been tastefully done with mix of familiar Red and Black Chinese colours with hues of brown coming from woods taken from actual Chinese boats!
Now the food itself. The dim sum were all in modern avatars. Swan shaped crunchy dim sum with chicken inside, a beautiful edamame dim sum shaped like the bean pods, crab with roe on top and a mushroom stuffed dim sum shaped like a mushroom. Each of them left a mark on the palate without overpowering the other, so the degustation menu itself was beautifully thought out. If I had to pick one, it would be the Edamame, since both the flavour and the presentation was a stand out.
The crunchy prawns were the highlight of the starters. With its unmistakeable burnt garlic soaring through, the prawn lover in me was doing a tap dance, and with similar flavours as the crispy lotus stem, the prawn over powered its vegetarian counterpart.
Peking Duck. For a restaurant of this standard, I would have expected the duck to be carved on table, but ITC decided not to scare away their more conservative diners and so it arrives pre plated to the table. A single piece of skin and sugar also arrives, more to give you a peek of the actual Peking Duck. This makes it one of the few places in India to serve the Peking Duck with the skin, though the real way to eat it would be to have a full plate of skin for yourself.
Chilly Hand Pulled Noodles. The soft hand pulled noodles drenched in Chilly Oil are a treat because the chef doesn't tone it down. Being in Hyderabad, a city where spicy food is no stranger, the chilly noodles I'm sure will be loved by the locals. Made fresh every day, the noodles are hand pulled and it shows in the consistency.
With so much food dunked in, all I could manage with the main course was a slurp of each. The Chinese greens were a delight, but I couldn't taste much more, including dessert, so I'll have to go back sometime to check them out. Actually, the next time I go, it will be to Dum Pukht Begums, another new fusion brand bringing one of India's best restaurant and tweaking it with the Nizam's cuisine. That is something I'm totally looking forward to, some day!
Dim Sums are priced around Rs. 350, starters between 350 and 700, so a meal for two will set you back by about Rs. 2500.
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