GITA HARI visits Sampan that still continues to treat food lovers to its special flavours and distinctly tweaked dishes.
Now that the city is invaded with umpteen Chinese restaurants, it does feel like going back in time when we enter the first and most popular oriental restaurant – Sampan, the fine dine at the then Holiday Inn, presently Novotel, Juhu.
The same décor of a Chinese boat (sampan) filled with spices and flanked by designer candles stand testimony to the restaurant preserving its old charm as we are informed that the cuisine and its nuances have also been retained to avoid its loyal patrons from missing the restaurant’s true flavours. The dishes were always tweaked to suit Indian palate. Especially since in those days people were not used to Chinese food at all.
The kitchen is headed by the young and talented Executive Chef Ranveer Braar who started his culinary career at age of 17 under the tutelage of a traditional kebab vendor. With over 15 years of diverse experience having led the culinary teams of various hotel brands like Taj, Oberois, Radisson and Claridges in India and the USA, we learn Ranveer is an ardent “food artist” and had run many workshops on food art and food styling and a book on the subject is also on its way.
He is also a “seasoned practitioner” for molecular cuisine (food chemistry) using the techniques very frequently in his creations. Ranveer believes in the purity of ingredients and the fact that food is an integral part of culture and that any cuisine cannot be understood without a deep understanding of the culture it represents
With such a knowledgeable Chef at hand, it made sense to go with Chef’s suggestions. Sampan has its signature dishes which cannot be surpassed, for instance, the famous Cha- Chu Prawns/Paneer in burnt garlic, black pepper and cilantro; Sampan Chicken/Paneer in chef’s secret gravy in the main course. Chilli Mustard Chicken was packed with succulent pieces of poultry golden fried in mustard sauce with fresh red chilli. Crispy Honey Chilli Lotus Root is highly recommended for it unique taste and rare availability.
The seafood offerings are quite impressive with Chef’s speciality of Lobster Dragon Tail exuding a gentle aroma of leek, ginger, garlic and rice wine in black vinegar trailing with shiitake, bamboo shoot and celery. Wok fried Crab in black pepper sauce is also an interesting alternative. Sampan Chicken comes with chef’s signature sauce.
On the veg front, we tried Budhha’s Sp. Vegetables which is a good option as assorted veggies with your choice of sauce are served on a hotplate and Silken Tofu played on the palate with its spicy pickled chilli sauce and went well with your choice of Steamed rice in Claypot.
Not to miss out anything sweet in the New Year, we ended the meal with Honey Noodles and Sizzling Brownie that had soft, fudgy brownie with a crisp outside served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. With Chef Ranveer at the helm, quick and courteous service and mouth-watering food, Sampan that introduced Mumbaiites to this wonderful cuisine still continues to treat food lovers to its special flavours and distinctly tweaked dishes!
Cha Chu Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
• 2 large potatoes
• 6-8 pods garlic
• 2 tbsp red chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp oil for sautéing
• Salt to taste
Method
Slice potatoes into long strips. Heat oil in a pan and add saute potato strips. Add salt to taste. Mix in garlic and chilli sauce. Stir well and let it cook in the sauce for 5 mins. Remove from heat and serve hot with salad on the side.
Chocolate Brownie
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup unsweetened chocolate
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar granules
• ½ cup + 2 tbsp, divided maida
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Salt as per taste
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a baking dish. Melt together butter, chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler. Let it cool a little. Stir together eggs, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the chocolate chips with flour to coat and introduce it to the chocolate batter. Pour into greased dish. Bake for half an hour, or until tester just comes out clean. Do not overbake. Cool thoroughly, refrigerate and cut into squares. Serve with ice-cream.
