Celebrating Chinese cuisine

Saturday, 18 January 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Shanghai Terrace in Ethul Kotte offers an extensive menu of Chinese gastronomic delights

Text and pix by Cheranka Mendis Opening the extensive menu which easily listed over 250 dishes, diners at Shanghai Terrace are first greeted with a quote that perfectly sums up the very reason we are sitting on those plush chairs, enjoying the aromas that drift in with each dish that is brought out to serve other guests: “There is one inexhaustible aspect of everyday life that never dulls – the simple pleasure of eating and drinking.” Food has, for some time now, moved away from a necessity for survival to a form of art – mastered by men and women to whom a wok and a spoon are powerful tools for innovation and pleasure. With a swift move of their fists, they chop, their stir, they mix; they serve delicacies beyond our imagination. Shanghai Terrace, located in Ethul Kotte stands evidence to this. What we looked forward for was a typical Chinese meal that is now served in most of the restaurants in Sri Lanka. But what we were presented with were exquisite dishes that beautifully brought out the varying flavours of the cuisine, with a hint of localised spice in the otherwise sweet dishes. The restaurant Covering over three floors, the restaurant can handle a capacity that exceeds 200 seats, with private dining facilities available from six to 60 people. Manager Operations Shantha Abeyratne noted that the ground floor, especially set as function area and can hold over 50 persons is soon to be extended. “The demand is high and we are happy to cater to this,” he said. Five dining rooms with one VIP room are also available. The main restaurant area holds close to 60 seats while upstairs, the perfect setting to enjoy dinner amidst the evening breeze under the starry skies can accommodate over 50 persons. Simply decorated with browns and maroons, the restaurant creates a cosy environment for diners, and is ideal for family gatherings, romantic dates or even big, noisy gossip sessions upstairs. “We want to provide a space that is ideal for every one – be it family or friends. And from our customer reviews, it seems like we have achieved our goal.” New mocktail menu Abeyratne expressed that the main menu, which is revamped every three months or so added a special mocktail menu in December. Currently seven beverages are listed in this which includes tropical cyclone and Shanghai mojito – our picks for the day. The former was a concoction of grenadine, mango, pineapple and banana, a four layered drink starting from dark red at the bottom to happy yellow on top. It was fruity and quite filling. The latter, Shanghai mojito was made of mine, lime and tea – at first offering a refreshing feel but later, the acidy tastes of the lime tend to overpower the rest of the drink. However, after a hot day of work, this could be the perfect refresher before the meal. Starters Shanghai Terrace offers a large appetizer and soup menu which includes both clear and thick soup for choice. Having been served with crispy fried crab claw and fresh clams with ginger and spring onions from the ‘specials,’ we were but ready to dig in. The crispy fried crab claw is a must try for anyone opting the restaurant for the first time. Full of crab meat, it is crispy on the outside and soft and creamy in the inside. We loved it! Few minutes in, we managed to whack all five off clean. It isn’t too filling either, leaving space for more goodies but creating the perfect mood for good food and happy tummies. The clams were delicious as well. Not over cooked yet soft enough that a gentle tugging of the fork would let the meat loose, it was delectable. Mains This could pose a problem thanks to the sheer amount of dishes listed, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Specialising in seafood, there are so many dishes in prawns (medium and large prawn dishes come separately), cuttlefish, fish filler, garupa, pomfret, lobster and crab to choose from. In addition, there are also boneless chicken, duck, beef, lamb and pork dishes as well as large list of vegetable dishes to choose from. Abeyratne added that due to the large number of Muslim customers coming in and due to the extensive demand for pork dishes by others, such dishes are cooked in a separate kitchen with separate utensils. The specials in the menu are a must look-at and a must-try as well. Along with the clams we previously tried, this section includes sea cucumber, shark fin and abalone. There is a variety of rice and noodle dishes to pick from to accompany the meats or vegetables. A fast moving and a very popular dish, the Singaporean chilli crab, was our pick along with pineapple rice. The highlight of course was the crab. Covered in red sauce, it both looked and smelled delicious, tantalising our taste buds. Unlike in many restaurants where the hassle of breaking through the shell is not made it worth the effort by what you actually eat, we loved getting our hands dirty for this baby. The sauce was perfect, and the meat soft and succulent. It was so good; we almost forgot the rice! Dessert By this point, trying out desserts seemed like a tedious task, but we were sure glad we didn’t pass on the opportunity. While the selection offered the usual, from three scoops of ice-cream to cream caramel, caramel biscuit pudding and blueberry cheesecake among others, we went for the chocoholic picks – chocolate brownie with ice cream and tiramisu. And we loved it. The brownie was perfect, warm, and in just the right form with milky vanilla ice cream. The tiramisu too was the perfect blend of flavours. So do we recommend this for hungry diners? Oh yes. It is an experience that should not be missed by anyone. Check out their website http://www.shanghai-terrace.com/ for a full list of the menu.