In his curiosity to know what Muslims eat in the Far-East, Arun Chanda discovered the Uyghur cuisine originally from the Xinjiang region of China.
His discovery led to the opening of a restaurant in the heart of South Delhi and his excitement is reflected in the exclamation that his restaurant’s name has - Ahoy! Asia.
Making a place for itself in the ‘food-rich’ M-Block market of Greater Kailash II, Ahoy! Asia has vibrant interiors symbolising the colourful culture of Asia.
Metrolife orders for a Japanese Miso Soup with Saba Noodles and sips it till the end. The strong flavour of buckweat noodles boiled in red soyabean broth develops with time. Filling for two, the soup has an assortment of dim sums, sushi and other appetisers.
Order for a Mix-Veg Dim Sum with Lemon Grass and the taste will make you finish all the six pieces in the basket! The exotic Asian vegetables including baby corn and spring onion are steamed to perfection making it scrumptious.
Floored by the taste of the dim sum, the tongue gets a little sweet with steamed sticky rice which wraps the prawn and cucumber in the Prawn Tempura Roll. The prawn in this dish isn’t as impressive as in its grilled version.
Served as a steak, the Grilled Prawns with Walnut Pesto is moist and cooked to the optimum before topping with pesto. “It is a fusion dish since pesto is usually used in Italian cuisine but here the Walnut Pesto is prepared with coriander and basil leaves cooked with walnut and garlic. A little amount of olive oil is added to this to increase its shelf-life,” informs Arun.
The flavour of grilled prawns lingers on and beats the Fried Crab Wontons with Plum Sauce, simply because the wonton is crisp but crab tastes a little sourish.
The pleasant flavour returns to the mouth as one bites into the bland yet crisp, Baked Mandupi Chips which are wonton sheets cut into triangles and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Served with a Vietnamese hot dip, the chips are in extreme contrast to the Vietnamese Bánh Mì Sandwich. In its vegetarian version, the finely minced mushroom and soya filling is mixed with Vietnamese pickles to be spread inside baguette – showcasing the French influence in Vietnamese cuisine!
In the curries section, some names sound familiar but the taste of a few others is extraordinary.
Try the Grilled Red Chilli Salmon which has flavours of pesto, crème and ginger with loads of red chilli. The Roast Duck with Honey Orange Glaze is equally delicious due to the fruity touch given to the bird.
The Chinese sizzlers peculiar to this place - Sizzling Szechuan Vegetables and Sizzling Tenderloin are both served on a bed of noodles which tastes like American Chop suey and are not so impressive but the Burmese Khao Suey gets a thumbs up!
And finally, the not-so-Asian desserts, Banana Spring Rolls with Ice Cream and The Great Wall of Chocolate bring a final touch to the Uyghur cuisine.