Red Hot...

My sincere apologies to my faithful readers for the long silence. A family emergency had to be taken care of and I headed once more to the Northeast of India. Once the crisis was under control, my first agenda was to check out my brother's new restaurant Red Hot Chili Pepper. The last time I was here only a few short months ago it was literally a hole in the ground (a foundation was being laid) Now magically it is transformed into a world class restaurant boasting chefs who have worked overseas as well as at the Taj, Calcutta. The menu is primarily Szechuan; redolent in red hot peppers as it's name indicates but there are surprising elements of Cantonese style cooking throughout the menu. My aim was to remain objective in my assessment and was pleasantly surprised by every dish, each with it's own distinct flavor and identity. Wok cooked stir fries, kongees, steamed seafood and barbecued duck on the table is money well spent in my opinion. Fresh ingredients, varied flavors, delightful ambiance and

attentive service made for a wonderful meal.

I tried the sliced Basa fish in black bean chili oyster sauce on the insistence of my nephew Raman. A well executed dish, I enjoyed it just as he had predicted. Basa, a more easily available alternative to Becti is a salt water fish indigenous to Asia. It's subtle flavor makes it versatile for making the flavors of the sauce more pronounced. The coriander soup, honey sesame chicken, chili crab balls and fragrant fried rices were equally flavorsome, but my personal favorite was the pan fried noodles, a mixture of soft noodles topped with crunchy noodles and vegetables.
Chefs Kanaiya and Francis are enthusiastic for feedback and beam with pleasure at each compliment as satisfied customers stagger out the door.

All this talk about food is making me hungry and it's probably a good thing that I'm a healthy distance away from RHCP. I miss it already....