The most common mistake at a Chinese table is ordering four versions of the same thing: four saucy dishes, or four fried dishes, or everything with chicken. Chinese menus are built on contrast, and a well-composed order is more satisfying than an expensive one.
Here is how to build it, by table size.
Two people — around Rs. 2,000
Three dishes and rice is plenty. Pick one meat, one vegetable, one starch, and let them differ. For example: Chicken with Peanuts at Rs. 840, Braised Eggplant at Rs. 530, and Vegetable Fried Rice at Rs. 315. That is dry, soft and neutral in one order.
Four people — around Rs. 4,000
Five dishes plus rice. Add a soup and something from the water. Try Twice Cooked Pork at Rs. 860, Chicken with Cashew Nuts at Rs. 1,060, Broccoli in Oyster Sauce at Rs. 499, a small Hot and Sour Chicken Soup at Rs. 315, and rice. A whole steamed fish at Rs. 1,230 turns it into an occasion.
Six or more — consider hot pot
Above six people, plated dishes get logistically awkward: the table is too wide to reach across and the food cools. Hot pot solves both. A Chicken Hotpot at Rs. 1,400 plus eight or ten add-ins feeds a large table and takes as long as you want it to. Beer Duck Hotpot at Rs. 2,250 is the richer choice.
A working lunch — under Rs. 500 a head
Single-plate dishes from the rice and noodle section. Chicken Fried Rice or Chicken Fried Noodles are Rs. 315, Mixed Fried Noodles Rs. 335, steamed or fried momo Rs. 225. Add a small soup from Rs. 210 and you are still well under budget.
Vegetarian tables
There are 48 vegetarian dishes, so this is not a compromise. Mapo Tofu at Rs. 480, Braised Eggplant at Rs. 530, Dry-Fried Green Beans at Rs. 400, a cold starter such as Garlic Cucumber at Rs. 380, and rice makes a full and varied table.
Two rules worth keeping
First, order one dish per person plus one — more than that and food goes back to the kitchen. Second, make sure at least one dish is plain: rice, a clear soup or a simple green. Strong flavours need something neutral beside them to stay enjoyable through a whole meal.
All prices include 13% VAT. The full menu is online.
