Hunan, New BEL Road, Bangalore

Restaurant Name: Hunan, New BEL Road, Bangalore
Phone: +918023413338, +919739120000
Address: Hunan Restaurant Samruddi, No.10, 1st Floor, 1st Main, ISRO Rd, New BEL Rd, R.M.V. 2nd Stage, Bangalore, Karnataka 560094 India
Time: 12:00 Noon – 11:00 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,500
Cuisines: Chinese, Thai, Asian, Indonesian, Japanese, Singaporean
Facilities: Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Valet Parking Available, Table booking recommended, Vegan Options, Buffet, Indoor Seating

Hunan, New BEL Road, Bangalore:

Hunan is in a bustling part of New BEL Road, located on a stretch of road with several restaurants. The first floor space is vibrant with Chinese motifs and lettering used to highlight walls and panels. I went here for early dinner with a friend. Two very loud kids at an adjacent table were the only noise at an otherwise quiet restaurant. We decided to build our meal, starting with mild, subtle flavours. The Edamame Truffle (₹295) and Thai Spicy Basil (₹275) that we ordered from the Dim Sum selection were both beautifully crafted with thin, silken wrapper and fill-ings that had both a pleasing texture and flavour. These were served with delicious dipping sauces which the restaurant now also sells, alongside a line-up of stir-fry sauces.

The Spicy Tuna Maki Roll (₹430) was very good, too. We pondered over the Nigiri selection and settled for the Shitake Mushroom on (₹320). It turned out to be one of the high points of the meal. The mushroom was sliced thick, grilled and glazed to a sweet, meaty, caramel earthiness. Vegetarians are bound to love this.

The Hunan Shredded Pork (₹460) came highly recommended and rightly so. The meat was tender, the sauce intense without being overwhelming and slivers of fresh vegetables broke the monotony of eating a plateful of meat. We dithered between the Golden Fried Prawn and the Ebi Tempura (₹495) and the staff suggested the latter. In a marked difference from the quality of the dishes we’d eaten before this, this one had a heavy batter-fried crust with none of the airiness of original tempura. I thought the batter also had panko crumbs mixed into it. In any case, it was a disappointment.

We chose to end with what we thought might be a light vegetarian main course and asked for the Tofu, Mushroom, Spinach Hunan Style (₹360). I anticipated a dish with fresh flavours and the goodness of spinach. To be fair, we hadn’t read carefully enough the description that said ‘in a spicy garlic Hunan Sauce’. This sauce seemed to have an overload of condiments and ended up too salty. The spinach was overcooked and the tofu wasn’t great either. The Mixed Fried Rice (₹255) we ordered alongside helped to salvage this last course.

We turned down dessert. It was all Sizzling Brownie, Tres Leches and Chocolate Dim Sum. I’d like to see Asian restaurants serve sweets and puddings that go beyond chocolate and are infused with more exciting, unusual flavours. So, Hunan is a mixed bag, some very good dishes and some that disappoint. I guess, it will depend greatly on what you order.