Shang Palace: Shangri-La’s – Eros Hotel, Parliament Street, New Delhi

Restaurant Name: Shang Palace: Shangri-La’s – Eros Hotel, Parliament Street, New Delhi
Phone: +919599787833, +911141191040, +911141191042
Address: 19, Lobby Level, Ashoka Road, Parliament Street, New Delhi 110001 India
Time: 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM and 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM (Fridays and Saturdays till 1:00 AM)
Meals for two: Rs. 3,500
Cuisines: Asian, Seafood, Beverages
Facilities: Home Delivery, Wheelchair Accessible, Full Bar Available, Brunch, Valet Parking Available, Table booking recommended, Smoking Area, Buffet, Indoor Seating

Shang Palace: Shangri-La’s – Eros Hotel, Parliament Street, New Delhi:

This is one of the most gracious eateries that serves Chinese food from all over the Peoples’ Republic. The remarkable aspect about this particular Palace is that the menu is uncompromisingly full of complicated banquet-style dishes,which were put together in the days when three chefs from China manned the kitchen. Post-COVID, however, the local staff has been holding the fort so admirably that it is difficult to tell that there is no Chinese staff in the kitchen. There are a few simple preparations on the menu, which were devised to showcase the genius of the Chinese banquet, so the feat is all the more remarkable. Also, kudos to the management for not catering to the lowest common denominator by adding noodles in hot garlic sauce and other local favorites!

Shang Palace: Shangri-La’s – Eros Hotel, New Delhi: Food

Prawn Cheung fun with light soy sauce (₹ 988) is devilishly difficult to make and far more difficult to eat, especially if you are using chopsticks. The rice flour, wheat starch, and tapioca flour batter is steamed in sheets,which are floppy, slippery and filled with either mushroom, barbecued pork or prawns. The present dim sum chef gets it perfectly: chewy, supple and without a tear which is no mean feat. There are also baked dim sums on the menu:seldom encountered in our city. I did want to order one generic standby dish, so I opted for sweet corn soup with crab and egg (₹ 888), assuming it would be child’s play for the kitchen, but it was the one disappointment of the meal. Thin, watery, lacking in flavour and not enough crab for the price. Cold chicken marinated in chilli sauce, Sichuan style (₹ 788) turned out to be packed with umami, and the sauce had more going for it than just chilli. Cold starters are an important part of a restaurant meal in the Chinese-speaking world, and this is one of the rare ones in our city. Don’t miss the succulent deliciousness! My main course was stir fried chicken with dried chilli and peanuts (₹ 1,788). Perfectly cooked, but why not call this Chinese classic by its real name: Kung pao chicken?

Plus & Minus:

What exactly is a Xinjiang specialty: barbecued skewers, mentioned as being from Yunnan? I’d love to know the answer to that one!