Our food arrived on time, packed in the typical plastic boxes with the quirky ES logo on top - a torii (Japanese gate) and a man with a rice hat on a cycle with a momo steamer strapped on. We ordered a sampler menu, covering all the major protein groups and to be fair, three vegetarian options.
As it turned out, our favourite dish was the vegetarian open face bao, the Shanghai Tofu and Mushroom (R200). It was a combination of flavours and textures. The pillowy-soft steamed bao was packed with smokiness from stir-fried mushrooms, light-fried silken tofu, and crunchiness of crushed peanuts and scallions. It was good enough to eat on its own, without the addition of the accompanying sweet-sour aioli.
In terms of aroma, the Caramel Shrimps (Rs 350) scored high. The tiny prawns were coated in a light brown, garlicky caramel sauce and pork fat, giving it a wholesome salty-sweet flavour and a spicy aftertaste. The cooking of the pork in the Vietnamese Luc Lac (Rs 350) was spot on — it was tender and juicy. However, the lightly seasoned dish had a heavy dose of Chinese vinegar leaving us with a tangy aftertaste that overstayed its welcome.
The Indonesian street dish, Mie Goreng (Rs 220, veg) had a little too much soy sauce. The thin noodles, fried with garlic, spring onions, carrots, cabbage and peanuts, made for a filling and satisfying dish on its own. The Pad Kra Prow Kai (Rs 350), was underwhelming. The jasmine rice was soft but the bird’s eye chilli didn’t add enough heat to the otherwise bland dish.
ES have taken baby steps in the market and they score high on flavour and portion size. Now, if only they expanded their delivery radius.
