R.E.D. Certainly Rare: Last Bite/Ravi V.Chhabra

I was at Rare Eastern Dining or R.E.D in short, housed at the Radisson MBD hotel in Noida. A dash of red color complimented the interiors of this specialty cuisine restaurant

The Mayonnaise Prawns arrived as I took a sip of the tranquilizing Jasmine tea. I was all too keen to taste the authentic Oriental cuisine done with a combination of fruits and Juice Prawns in Singapore mayonnaise-based sauce.

The prawns tingled my taste buds as I savored every luscious bite. The starters promised that the meal to follow would be nothing less than fantastic.

The paintings splashing scarlet spoke a great deal about the oriental aura and its history with red symbolizing the vitality of the East.The logo proudly flaunting vibrant and hi-tech, fashionable new east that is contemporary and chic.
The interior done in rose wood is a creation of P49 - a Thailand based design group. With offices in Australia, China and Singapore, P49 has produced some of Asia’s finest designs that include the Ritz Carlton Bali, Le Meridien Khao Lak and the Ritz Carlton Spa Bali, Marriot Mandarin Spa Shanghai, Sheraton Spas in Pattaya and Krabi.

A whiff of steamed chicken mingled with the perfume of the hall, as I realized the waiter approaching with the second round of starters. Bearing delectably dressed ‘Chicken Dimsums’, he laid the juicy, steamed chicken dumplings on the china and served it with rice vinegar pickled ginger. It tasted simply superb. Engrossed in devouring the ‘Crispy Black Mushroom Dry Red Chili’, a specialty from Singapore, I keenly observed the decor of the restaurant - as if a part of a Singapore cutout!
Pink orchids on slim porcelain vases occupied the center of the dinning tables. The USP being unique made-to-order ‘induction tables’ for a personalized cook & dine foray; with a chimney for each table, facilitating the diners to cook themselves for their guests with the chef’s help. After the last round of appetizers with ‘Pokchoy Dimsums’, a minced vegetable in a Pokchoy flavored wanton sheet, chef Raymond Sim from Singapore blended ‘Sliced Lamb with Ginger and Spring Onions’ at the induction table.

The whole concept of cooking on your own sitting in a five star’s specialty restaurant was an experience I hadn’t fathomed earlier. The chef made sure to use chicken powder instead of MSG to authenticate the lamb preparation. What was his favorite cuisine?, I enquired. “I prefer Chinese because you need to use fresh ingredients to prepare such cuisine”, answered Sim. Trained in Singapore, chef Raymond’s first stint with a kitchen was in 1979. After years of experimentation he has perfected the art of cooking by assorting his signature menu for the restaurant. His customized signature dishes include dramatic reinterpretations of classic eastern cuisine from Japan, China, Thailand, Mongolia, Malaysia and Singapore.
The waiter arrived with a steaming bowl of thick bean curd soup with seafood and placed it on the table, gently. The soup tantalized my taste buds yet again and I congratulated Chef Sim for the excellent preparation.

For main course, he brought stirred Exotic Chinese Greens in Fragrant Sauce. The Fragrant Sauce was brewed with oriental greens in a yellow bean and rose wine flavored sauce.

The second round of main course comprised a classic combine of bean curd and double mushroom in Oyster Sauce, followed by chicken in Chilly Vinegar Sauce. This was a house specialty flavored with Chin Kiang Vinegar. Singaporean Mee Swa noodles and ginger spring onion fried rice flanked with steamed snapper in Hongkong Sauce (whole fish steamed and scented mildly with Hongkong Sauce) totaled an overwhelming lunching experience at the R.E.D.

The title ‘Rare Eastern Dining’ befits this specialty restaurant. The lavish course spread concluded with ice-cream spring rolls and orange sesame cake garnished with fresh cream and laced with farm-fresh cherries for dessert.
I relished everything till the last bite and let the heavenly taste linger on. Warm and hospitable, the staff displayed immaculate restaurant etiquette, making R.E.D an abode for fine food aficionados. An incredible blend of delectable and eclectic delicacies with a ‘feeling special’ factor makes R.E.D truly rare from the word go!