Wang's Kitchen is one of the best known names for high-quality Chinese food in Chennai. For Chinese food lovers, dining at this seven-year-old restaurant is as much a habit as it is a pleasure. The regular patrons, both young and old, come here not merely to relax and have a meal, or to try some Chinese food for a change. No, eating here is serious business! The victuals are meant to be properly savoured and appreciated, and even when selecting dishes from the extensive menu or sampling the variety at the buffet, diners pay close attention to the food.

The restaurant's interior is simply but tastefully decorated, without excessive use of Chinese motifs, just the odd hand-fan and Chinese lantern hanging at the entrance and above the buffet table. The lighting is soft and relaxing, and, to create a feeling of intimacy, each table has at its centre a candle burning in a lamp-shaped candlestick complete with glass chimney. Visitors, upon entering, are immediately taken charge of and guided through their meal by excellent serving staff.

The menu contains a wide and interesting variety of dishes. In soups (Rs.32-45): Minced Chicken Cucumber, Sour and Pepper Crabmeat and Vegetable Dumpling. In chicken dishes (Rs.85-95): Winglets, Chicken'n'Almonds and Honey Chicken. In Lamb and Steak dishes (Rs.72-100): Schezwan Beef Steak Minced Lamb with Bamboo Shoot and Mushroom and Hunnan-style Meat Balls. In sea foods (Rs.85-140): Fish Claypot and Volcano Prawns. In vegetable dishes (Rs.60-90): Egg Plant Chilli Sauce, Mushrooms Dragon Sauce, Wang's Broccoli and Mixed Vegetables with Cashewnuts. There are the usual range of preparations of rice and noodles (Rs.65-80), most notably in the Schezwan, Hong Kong and Singapore styles. In order to do full justice to the meat dishes - and thereby making selection easier - each day has its speciality: prawn on Monday, crab on Tuesday, chicken on Wednesday, fish on Thursday, and lamb on Friday.

The house specialities include exotic preparations not found at most multi-cuisine restaurants; Vegetable'n'Almonds (Rs.65), Beancurd (Rs.80), a wonderful Peking Roast Chicken (Rs.175), Buttered Tiger Prawns (Rs.300), exotic Spiced Crab Claws (Rs.250) and Wang's Lobster (Rs.450-650). The 'All You Can Eat' buffet, at Rs.137 per head, is again very popular on every day of the week, for both lunch and dinner. It offers salads, soup and starter, a rice and a noodle, four vegetable and five meat dishes and ice cream. For large groups intending to visit here it would be advisable to reserve a table half an hour in advance.

Wang's Kitchen in Egmore is at Prince Plaza, 2nd Floor, 46 Pantheon Road. Phone 855-4928.

Arun Masilamoni

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