Islamabad - The food has to be worth its salt if one has to drive 20 to 25 km from Islamabad to savor Chinese cuisine. Tai-Pan at PC-Rawalpindi was worth every kilometer. Nestled in one corner of the majestic hotel, Tai-pan is one of the most authentic Chinese cuisines in town to offer both Cantonese as well as Szechuan style Chinese food. With more than 20 years of experience under his belt and countless hours spent behind burners in kitchens at Pearl Continental, Taipan’s head chef, Naeem Khan says that localized Chinese cuisine in Pakistan has a huge following among the food-lovers.

This was not an understatement because when a party of eight arrived at the venue, the place was half full despite the fact that it was late night. The dark wooden flooring of the room complementing the wooden pillars made for an atmospheric ambiance. The room had a capacity 80 guests at a time. Our hungry appetites did not allow us to waste time going through the menu and we immediately ordered our favorites to the servers.

Our order included Pearl special soup, Chicken Dumplings, Prawn Tempura and Fried Wontons for starters, Cantonese Chop soy, Sizzling garlic chicken, and Kung Poa chicken from the gravy with special fried rice. We also ordered Beef chili dry, Juha fish and Prawns in Mayonnaise and sesame to complement the gravy. Rightly known for its fast-paced service, the servers didn’t disappoint when they were back to our table in a mere 15 minutes, putting down the white platters and pouring soup into the bowls.

Pearl Special soup is a trademark of Hashoo Group as well as PSL. The saying ‘Too many cooks, spoil the broth is proven wrong in case of this delicacy as the recipe for this soup was conceived by top tier chefs of Pearl Continental and Marriott hotels of 30 years ago. Pearl Special soup is served in all PC hotels by the same name whereas at Marriott hotels it is called Dynasty Special. The soup was an amalgamation of Prawn, chicken and black mushrooms thus giving it a thick and chewy texture. The chef was generous with a number of meat morsels in the soup. Prawn Tempura was crisp and crunchy and marinated for just the right amount of time before it was pushed into the hot wok. Fried wontons were pregnant with minced chicken but warped in a very thin samosa patty rather than homemade flour sheet. They were slightly over cooked because of which their color changed from golden brown to ebony. The Cantonese specialty; chicken dumpling was served in a dimsum basket made of jute. As soon as the lid was off the container, the aroma made its way through the steam. The eight pieces were wiped off in a jiffy and took just as less time to melt down our mouths.

Juha fish, named after a Chinese flower, had a presentation that stayed true to its name. A chunk of bekti fish cut in the shape of a flower then marinated in corn flour, vinegar, sugar and other homemade sauces before being deep fried tasted delicious. Once the fish is out of the wok, it seems work of an artisan rather than a chef. With crust on the scalp, this fish is a must order. Cantonese Chop Soy is quite the opposite of its American version. The gravy made of tomato ketchup, carrots, onions, cabbage along with different seasonings is mixed with undercut beef, chicken and prawns lie on top of homemade noodles. In American Chop Soy the noodles are on the top. A few eateries even bring the crispy noodles on a separate plate and sprinkle as per customer’s choice. American or Chinese, both are equally mouth watering. The combo of thick gravy, mixed with finest meat varieties is an absolute treat for the taste buds.

Finally, Szechuan chili prawns also attracted our attention the moment they were laid on the table. King size prawns, resting in thick gravy sauce tasted heavenly. Crushed pepper, imported Szechuan roasted chili pepper, homemade sauces marinade, deep fried and stir fried, it was one of the most tempting meals. The prawns were so well marinated that they could be sliced even with a butter knife. The Sesame seeds garnishing increased the flavors of the dish. Chef Naeem surely did justice to the dish.

Taipan has surely come a long way and has contributed greatly to in culinary scene of the twin cities. It is, without doubt, a waterhole for the denizens of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

–The writer is a freelancer.