KIMLING at CHINATOWN
It is a cosy place that welcomes you with outstretched arms the moment you set your foot at its doorway.
My wife and I had been there for dinner last week and we were ushered in to the family room at the rear. It is quite spacious and there are about twelve tables, each to seat four. The lighting was adequate, neither candle-lit nor glaring, and the ambience was otherworldly. The waiters were smartly dressed in beige shirts and dark trousers and black neck ties and, wait a minute, none of them were ethnic Chinese. As most of the tables were vacant at that earlyish hour, it was 8.30 p.m, we chose our own table.
A waiter brought us the menu and my wife chose Chillie Prawn to start with. I ordered a HAYWARD’S 5000 beer. They don’t serve mocktails and wife wasn’t keen on Coca-Cola. In less than a quarter hour they served the prawns and beer. The tigerprawns, all five of them, were surprisingly large and beautifully fried with chillies and onions. They were tender and succulent, melting divinely in our mouths.
For the main course we had Mandarin Fish with Black Bean Sauce to go with Kimling Fried Rice. It was getting crowded now and the aromas of different Chinese sauces wafted in the air. I didn’t see anyone using chopsticks. The Mandarin fish is a story by itself; it is served in a cavernous dish with an over-generous helping of prime bhetki fillets immersed in darkish Bean sauce. We spread the fish on the fried rice and the experience was unforgettable.
We were very much appreciative of the food we just had and my wife asked the steward to send for the chef; she wanted to know the intricacies of the dish. The chef was long in the coming and the steward explained the procedure much to my better-half’s pleasure. My wife is a keen student of Chinese cuisine and tries to pick up a few dishes wherever she goes.
We felt we had enough and there was no room for more. The steward Rohan Das whom we had been meeting since long was very courteous and helpful.
The proprietress Monica Liu wasn’t there that evening. The loss was ours.
Thank you, Monica.