Dim Sum Fest @ Baan Tao, Hyatt Pune.

5 Spice Corn & Water-chestnuts Dumpling

The first time I met Chef Sunil Joshi, the head chef of Baan Tao, Hyatt Pune, was when I was invited to lunch with Vir Sanghvi at the restaurant by the folks at Eazy Diner, a restaurant booking app Sanghvi's a part of. Apart from all the hospitality related enthralling conversations, what really stood out that afternoon was the steamed dumplings, delicate parcels of meat with a translucent skin that tasted even better than they looked. So a dim sim fest helmed by the good chef was an interesting proposition, especially since the special menu includes cheung fun. bao and variety of steamed, pan fried and deep fried dumplings. 

Mushroom Cheung Fun

Turnip Cake with Celery, Sweet Soy and Burnt Garlic Sauce

The first set of steamed vegetarian dim sum like Asian Greeen Dumpling and 5 Spice Corn and Water-chestnut Dumpling had spinach and beetroot puree added to the wraps and while the dim sum looked great, the added moisture made the skins go sticky and slightly chewy. The fillings were fine, though. Pan Seared Sesame Dumpling comprising a filling of minced zucchini, bell peppers and carrot; Turnip Cake with Celery, Sweet Soy and Burnt Garlic Sauce and the terrific Mushroom Cheung Fun were my picks from the vegetarian options. 

Pan Seared Lamb Dumplings

Chicken Sui Mai

The non vegetarian dim sum kicked-off with the Pan Seared Lamb Dumpling and it was fantastic! - mild but flavourful meat with the juices still intact wrapped, steamed and pan fried till the outer surface catches a golden brown hue. Prawns Cheung Fun with a deep, dark ginger-spiked broth, Pork Pot Stickers, Chicken Sui Mai, Tibetian Lamb Momos and Batter Fried Chicken Dumpling followed, and ticked all the boxes they were meant to.

Chao Sao

Choiyoko

Chao Sao was served with chicken dumplings swimming in a pool of spicy broth comprising Sichuan sauce, soy sauce and chili oil. Another winner that had me going back for seconds. Choiyoko {chicken and prawn dumplings} and Cha Siu Bao were well executed too, though I'd have preferred the latter to be tad more generous with the pork filling. There were 6 table sauces for us to have with our dim sum - Black Bean Garlic, Tomato Sichuan, Sriracha, Lemon Chili, Celery Spring Onion and Soy Ginger - but most of the dim sum were moist and flavourful enough  to be enjoyed by themselves.

Pistachio and Custard Bao

Hazelnut and Chocolate Pudding

From the 3 desserts served to us, the Pistachio and Custard Bao stood out with that rich gooey centre and crunch of the nuts. The other 2 desserts were Apricot and Coconut Bao and Hazelnut and Chocolate Pudding. The Dim Sum Festival is on till 27th May, dinner only. Though an a la carte option is available, I'd suggest the set menu priced at Rs.1650 ++ {vegetarian} and Rs. 1750 ++ {non vegetarian} which gets you unlimited servings of 6 varieties of dim sum and 3 desserts. 

{The bloggers table was hosted by Baan Tao, Hyatt Pune.}