Luxury fine dining is making your dreams a reality. You step out of your everyday life and having a quality time away from daily routines. It’s a way of experiencing the wildest form of your imagination. In short, it’s like being pampered like a King or a Queen. It just doesn’t end on some amazing service, but goes notches ahead when it comes to the authenticity of the cuisine being served. The perfect blend is mind-blowing when there is an experiential trip to taste, savour and explore the dancing, sizzling flavours – all matched to the pitch-perfection of a Michelin extravaganza.

WHAT’S HOT IN MUMBAI STRONGLY RECOMMENDS A TRIP TO THE ‘PAN ASIAN’ RESTAURANT AT ITC MARATHA (A Luxury Collection Hotel), Mumbai – for the prime reason that it’s a perfect treat for a gastronomic trail with a multitude of variations to the Pan Asian cuisine. ITC Maratha is not just a 5-Star boutique hotel that boasts of stunning architecture and thoughtful design reflective of the artisanal spirit of Mumbai. The sprawling property offers you a diversified choice of premium cuisine-based restaurants which vouch for unmatched, seductive and titillating flavours.

WHAT’S HOT IN MUMBAI was invited for a delectable afternoon at the ‘Pan Asian’ at ITC Maratha, Mumbai. A Chef’s Special menu was curated for us to savour. We were honoured by some amazing fine-dining experiences and delectable menu curated by MasterChef Liang. A celebrated Chef from China, Chef Liang has been with the property for the last two decades. The Special menu showcased his innovative style of conjuring culinary delights without tampering with the original flavours of the Pan Asian cuisine. A moment of joy filled his eyes since he has been recently awarded the 'Global Outstanding Chef' award by U.S.- China Restaurant Alliance for his culinary masterpieces.

PAN ASIAN surely took us to the ultimate horizon with unique, exotic flavours – a perfectly premium looking ambiance (minus the garish red overtones we normally get to see). The interiors are subtly done yet leave a mesmerizing, dreamy look into your eyes. The sprawling spaces offer you ample of privacy, not to mention the classy party corners which are tastefully done. An open kitchen, a well-equipped bar and a sensational view to the green garden give out strong, feel-good vibes.

The service:

The service is flawless, unfailingly friendly but unobtrusive, superfluous and par excellence. The staff is discreet and respectful of the guest’s privacy while we enjoyed our meal.

Our review:

MasterChef Liang and the team at ITC Maratha Mumbai lined up an elaborate chef tasting menu for us. Since our partner was a vegetarian, we were treated to almost twenty dishes – each having unique flavours and holding a strong resonance on the diversified undertones of the Pan Asian cuisine.

Chef Liang and his team demonstrated some of their unique dishes which had some startling twists to them. What is truly commendable is the fact that all the dishes retained their original and authentic flavours without any touches of the Indianization of cuisines which is rampant in some of the fine dining restaurants.

Here’s a list of our Chef Special tasting menu:

Salad

Raw Papaya Salad - is everything you could possibly want from a salad - crunchy, sweet, sour, spicy and tangy. Also known as Som Tam, this yummy, healthy salad surely adds the pep to your meal.

Hot Appetizer

Crystal vegetable Dumpling & Chilly Prawn Dumpling - Simplicity can make the best dish and the Crystal Vegetable Dumplings were deliciously simple. A light wrapper holds a medley of vegetables and spices. Blend the dumplings with the miraculous in-house dips and sauces. A perfect treat!

Chongqing Style Diced Chicken - Chongqing styled chicken is popular nationwide in China. This dish is vibrant in colour and sharp in taste, it’s a classic delicacy not to be missed. What we loved was the crispy, tasty chicken pieces stir-fried with a generous amount of dried chillies and Sichuan pepper. A perfect blend.

Black pepper Bean Curd – This is an extremely delicious dish that's quite straightforward with the flavours. The subtle fiery tinge perfectly balances the spice quotient. A perfect job from the Chef team.

Soup

Mixed Seafood Egg drop Soup - The most critical component of the egg drop soup recipe is to start with good soup stock. This soup surely packed all the perfect ingredients and made it a loaded seafood treat. Best slurpy soup we have tried in recent times.

Mains

Prawns in Gong Bao Sauce & Sliced Chicken in Thai Red Curry – Varied sauce flavours, each dramatically different yet lending the sizzling tones to our taste buds.

Double Fried Pork – Loved the thin slices of chewy pork with a slurpy tangy sauce, a must try for pork lovers.

Bloomed flower, Sweet and Sour Fish - Sweet and Sour Fish is a classic Chinese dish made out of crispy deep-fried (this one retained the white colour and was perfectly crispy) battered fish served in a sweet and sour sauce which lend a tangy, slurpy taste to the dish. Hats of to the Chef for romanticizing this dish to a Michelin level.

The normal fish chunks have been perfectly curated into a piece of art. What you see is a full bloomed flower fish, which has been skilfully cut to emerge as flower petals. A generous splurge of the sweet and sour gravy dramatizes and infuses the sizzle into this revolutionary dish. On the flavour front, the fish portion is simultaneously slightly crispy yet soft within. A perfect temperature-controlled finesse to retain the fish flavours. This dish is not just a visual treat but also a gastronomic delight for every connoisseur.

Stir fried Bok Choy with Mushrooms & Mixed Vegetables in Gong Bao Sauce – two separate dishes which lend some dynamite flavours. The exotic combination of fresh button mushrooms and long lustrous Chinese cabbage bok choy added to the delicious taste. Both dishes offer refreshing robust flavors to the palate.

Vegetables in Thai Green Curry – An all-time favourite, this one is at its slurpiest best.

Water Chestnuts in Thai Chilly Sauce – A show-stopper specialty for sure. The dish has the perfect balance of sweetness, sourness and savouriness, not to mention that the water chestnuts were slightly crispy and still juicy on the inside. A winner all the way and must-order dish for the vegetarians.

Exotic Vegetables in Thai Green Curry & Steamed Jasmine Rice – Another divine, slurpy sensation.

Chongqing Style Noodles – Although we have never been a noodle fan, this holistic creation surely charmed us with the dynamic flavours.

Do read these reviews also:

10 must haves’ at KOISHII, The St. Regis, Mumbai.

Why Novotel Juhu’s Iconic Indo-Chinese restaurant ‘SAMPAN’ is a must visit?

Hilton Mumbai launches its ‘Lebanese Food Festival’.

THE ORCHID, MUMBAI - Mumbai’s Perfect Wedding Destination!!

The Park Hotel, Navi Mumbai – The Perfect getaway from Mumbai!!

10 Must Have's at The Park Hotel, Navi Mumbai

TSUBAKI – Mumbai’s perfect Japanese-Korean treat for SoBo food connoisseurs!

Dessert

Wok Fried Ice Cream with Berry Compote – a stunning, spellbinding and satisfying delight. While the rolled ice cream in the frozen dessert range is catching eye-balls on Instagram, this wok-friend ice cream is a trendsetter of sorts.

This fried ice cream is crunchy outside and smooth and creamy inside. Served with a berry compote, minus any other toppings, you will be amazed at the light crispy, crunch cake coating which unfurls to a creamy, texture loaded ice cream. The ball-shaped ice cream creation is an art of perfection with accurate temperature-controlled timing which could mar the oozing pleasures which come with every bite. Hats off to the Chef for this superfluous and sensational creation.

WHAT’S HOT IN MUMBAI will always have endearing memories of the delectable delicacies and priceless moments spent at PAN ASIAN. The team of ITC Maratha surely go the extra mile of not just pampering you to the hilt but ensuring that perfection is always the hallmark.