China House: Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences

Restaurant Name: China House: Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences
Phone: +912266761086, +912266761673, +917045950140
Address: Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel and Residences Bandra Kurla Complex Vicinity, Off, Western Express Hwy, Santacruz East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400055 India
Time: 11:00 AM – 11:30 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 4,500
Cuisines: Chinese, Asian, Seafood
Facilities: Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Full Bar Available, Luxury Dining, Celebrity Frequented, Indoor Seating, Table booking recommended, Wifi, Valet Parking Available

Yahoo… this whoop of joy is for the award-winning Chinese restaurant being reviewed today as it is for my accomplished gourmet guests, too. The Times award-winning China House has been consistently on top of our list for its Beijing and Sichuan dishes. It’s also been the personal favourite of Anissa and Armaan Jain. They dined here even during the pandemic (as did we in China House’s outdoor space). I had the food home delivered to the gorgeous Jain couple (after paying my bill, of course). Our review follows.

First Family Of Film & Food:

Armaan Jain, fourth generation Kapoor, the first family of film and food, sure has gourmet genes. Actor, producer turned food entrepreneur, Armaan and his marketing whiz wife Anissa are dyed in the drool foodies.

The Kapoor family’s passion for film and food is legendary. Armaan not only loves food, but cooks brilliantly, too. Over the years, dining with his gourmet Kapoor family has been a continuing treat for me. Be it his uncle Karan Kapoor in London, grand uncle Shashi Kapoor in Goa, Shammi (‘yahoo’) Kapoor in whose studio I edited my TV show and, of course, my gourmet friend over 30 years — Rishi Kapoor, who I miss intensely.

Armaan is brilliantly elevating this legendary family’s gourmet genes to another level. He is cooking (to his family’s recipes passed down five generations) for a profession. His Junglee Kitchen is inspired by his grandma, Krishna Raj Kapoor, who loved to feed everybody and now, he has Mumbai eating out of his hands. The couple love their meal times together and were delighted with the China House delivery, too. “Wherein a lot of places dropped in their consistency through COVID, we feel the food at China House keeps getting better and better!” say Armaan & Anissa.

China In Our Plate:

A long winding menu that serves it all from radish cake, dumplings to Peking duck. The star of the show? The crisp yet yielding Traditional Peking Duck; elaborately served in courses, caramely crispy skin, pancakes, soups, et al. Do try the inappropriately named, but tender and moist Beggar’s Chicken, lovingly baked in a hard clay shell.

Dimsum and then some. Gently steamed plump with water chestnut dumpling, Crystal prawn dumpling come up tops. As does the Shanghai Soup Dumpling.

In dish after dish, China House demonstrates as sure a hand with vegetables as it does with meats and seafood. All vibrant, none overcooked. Plenty of delectable vegetarian choices. The Veg Clay-pot, and the really spicy Schezwan Chilli Veg crunchy with cashew nuts are worth a try.

Dine In:

We love the stunningly done up handsome restaurant. Its profusion of lacquered screens, trellises, shimmering, glassed-off island kitchens and dramatically-lit cabins. As of now, it is closed for dine in. Its food is served in Celini and they hope to reopen in July as per government guidelines.