Dim Sum galore at Shiro !

Mumbai, India

Yum cha is a Chinese morning or rather all day tea wherein tea is served with Dim Sums and other hot small bites. The Mumbai Monsoon has arrived, not certainly in its explosive avatar but enough for one to crave for a hearty Yum Cha. Shiro the popular pan-Asian eatery in Lower Parel has rolled out their Yum Cha promotion just in time; they have curated a menu with 40 varieties of Dim Sums for the promo which runs till 7^th July.

I went to Shiro for lunch on a Saturday afternoon, it was drizzling all morning that day, the sky was overcast and the scene couldn’t have been more ambient for a basketful of Dim Sums. I started with Asian influenced cocktails, one a lemon grass martini and second a heady concoction of tequila, Campari and a faint hint of kaffir lime leaf, they warmed me up indeed.  What followed was a culinary afternoon of Dim Sums and baos.  The regular fillings like mushroom, spinach, corn, carrots, pakchoy and some interesting combination with tofu, nutty zucchini and cashew nuts.  Vegetarian get a choice of 14 to try from, the crystal, spicy broccoli, Shanghai mushroom and Zucchini coriander were our picks. For those averse of dough you might want to stay away from the Baos, they are big and heavy but smell sweet and have a lovely texture. Lastly the Vegetable nest dumpling is deep fried; made with a  potato starch wrapper it is a bit oily however a desi palate would love a couple of those too.

Now coming to the price, they are very fair at pricing them at Rs 240 onwards for a portion  and it becomes a steal (more for the non-vegetarians which starts at Rs 300 a basket) when they charge Rs 900 for 4, Rs 1300 for 6 and Rs 1900 for 9 baskets.  So people group up!

And yes, do not forget to ask the tea for the day, it is gratis and without which Yum cha is incomplete!