I’d heard a lot about the food in Mainland China and finally with a couple of friends, paid a visit on Christmas
Eve. Being fond of good Chinese food, I can go to great lengths in search of it : But for some reason, I’d never stepped into Mainland. When I got the opportunity, I grabbed it.

There was a waiting time of 20 minutes. It seems that everywhere you go in Bangalore (and this is regardless of the day of the week) there is a waiting period! Maybe in a few years, we will have to book a week before we go to a restaurant...

The ambience is quite pleasant, but what was quite disturbing was the noise levels! Packed to capacity, this is not the place you want to go for a cosy dinner. And since the demand is obviously high, they’ve packed the place choc-a-bloc. As a result, it seems like you’re actually eating in a crowded Darshini.

For those who’ve been to Mainland China, there’s no real need to read further. After all, anyone who’s been to the restaurant, which completes its third year in its reworked avatar on Church Street last August, almost
always comes back for more. And, say both customers and the restaurant’s management, it’s easy to imagine why. Few other eateries provide the kind of unique and varied flavour that Mainland China does. As repeat customers assert, fewer still manage the kind of consistency that the restaurant asserts.

Indeed, the sheer range ofdishes on offer is mind-boggling. Start off at the dimsum menu, and there is enough of a variety here to keep you hooked for years to come. With chicken, prawn and lamb offerings in different spices for the non-vegetarians and different vegetable and even tofu dimsums for vegetarians, the
dimsum menu ensures you are spoilt for choice.

We take the safe route first, crunching down the simplest vegetable spring rolls and chicken dimsums. With our tongues adequately prepped up, we go to the other end of the spectrum, trying out the fascinating bean curd delight. Here, soft cubes of tofu are topped off with a powerful bean sauce to provide an experience
you can’t forget — the wonderful feeling of creamy bean curd flowing off your tongue even as the first hit
of the bean sauce settles.

Or you could try out the sliced fish with roasted chilli and sansho pepper or the stir fried prawns with garlic
and brandy. The Keong’s chilli chicken, like the crispy fish, is disarmingly different. One always expects a chilli chicken to be a full-on assault on the senses, which is why its subtlety is so fascinating.

At this point, our overloaded palates need reprieve, and on cue the soups are brought out. Refreshing,
mild, palate cleansers, they only carry a hint of spice in them.

The generous portions ensured that our stomachs were bulging even before the main course. So we
had to go easy, trying out the stir fried Hakka noodles and ginger and capsicum fried rice with the seasonal vegetables with broccoli in Chinese parsley sauce and the tsing hoi chicken. The fried rice is excellent, with a crisp and light taste that ably supports the gravies. While the tsing hoi chicken follows in the same vein as the various starters, the more exotic vegetable gravy leaves us wondering why American children hate broccoli so much. If you’re looking for a finer, but slightly costlier experience, the range of crabmeat dishes can well be considered.

The desserts are a more placid affair, with daarsaans, date wontons, date pancakes and the like on offer, but you couldn’t really manage much anything more at the end of the meal. However keep your credit cards ready as you may loose the cash in hand.