Yerawada Gets A Taste Of Asian Cuisine, Courtesy This Beautiful Restaurant

What was missing amidst the array of bars and eateries at Pubtown in Creaticity (previously known as Ishanya Mall) was an authentic Asian restaurant for some soul-satisfying comfort food that could bring the whole table together. But that just got fixed thanks to the team behind The Sassy Spoon and Baraza, Bar & Bites who after much contemplation conceived Wicked China, the newest Asian restaurant to hit the city.

If you have been to Hong Kong, Wicked China will remind you of a quaint eatery straight out of the vibrant streets of Mong Kok. With its Stranger-Things-inspired neon signage, outrageously quirky Chinese kitsch, ceiling lights that look like conical hats and peppy red-and-orange decor, Wicked China is whimsical and wonderful at the same time.

While the ambience was an outright winner, at first sight, our four-course meal at Wicked China took it infinite levels higher. In fewer words, Chef Gautam surely knows how to whip up a storm in the kitchen and plate it in the most exquisite way possible. The spicy crab meat, for instance, was a light, flavoursome broth with a hint of spice that gets better with every slurp (sans the sucking noise). The crab, on the other hand, was tender and easy – almost like a melting delight inside the mouth. As for appetizers, the dish that had a lasting impression was the truffle and edamame dumpling with a creamy mousse-like filling made of truffle oil and butter, and well-seasoned with salt and pepper. If you don’t like mushrooms in general, go for the golden prawns in pandan leaves and wheat flakes. While the tempura prawns had a beautiful golden hue with a nice crunch on the outside, the wheat flakes gave the dish a contrasting sweetness, which was rather a nice change of flavours on the palate.

For the main course, we tried the XO seafood noodles with a side of green Thai curry and Singapore chilli prawns. What made the noodles better was the spicy dried-fish sauce with chilli peppers. And here’s the awesome part: the sauce is, in fact, made in-house by Chef Gautam.

We ended our meal with lemongrass creme brulee and jasmine tea and dragon fruit mousse. The creme brulee had a gorgeous creamy base with a rich layer of hard custard on top, served with a thin crispy slice of biscotti topped with dry fruits. The jasmine tea and dragon fruit mousse, on the other hand, was perhaps one of the best-looking desserts we have seen in a very long time. The vanilla mousse was silky smooth, not very sweet, not very overpowering. The dragon fruit and mango slices in the dessert gave a sort of much-needed tang to the dessert, and we aren’t complaining one bit!

Wicked China is our kind of Asian restaurant – all about good vibes and traditional food that will make you come back over and over again.