Ping Pong, BKC

The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor - Chinese Proverb

This casual, Chinese dimsum eatery has arrived in Mumbai after gaining popularity in London. It evokes China from the get go with its low seating and Asian characters on everything from the long cylindrical lamps to the wallpapered ceiling. Stylish dark furniture with touches of yellow and latticed screens invite you in.

You can tick your choices from a DIY menu and even indicate whether you'd prefer leisurely service or want to be out by a particular time.

Image Courtesy Ping Pong BKC Facebook

On to the food - I was definitely impressed. Mind you the portions are small - it is dimsum after all, you get three pieces a plate. Between the 3 of us we went through 11 dishes (including 2 desserts) -  but admittedly we were painfully stuffed.

My vegetarian readers will be thrilled to know the veg dim sum was just wonderful. My favorite was probably the first one we had -  a hoi sin puff (Rs. 300) with a sweet side. We loved its flaky and crunchy pastry and honey glaze. Also excellent is the crispy asparagus (Rs. 225) - beautiful long stems dusted with sichuan pepper.

 The seafood shu mai (Rs. 350) I had was pretty fantastic too. Satisfyingly large chunks of prawns and scallops nestled in a tiny translucent basket - a little chewy, a little slippery, and packing a seafood punch.

You could skip the 3 dipping sauces (Rs. 75). The real stand out is the complementary chilly sauce. Its really needed with the spicy veg dumpling (Rs. 250) which is not nearly spicy enough. The spinach and mushroom dumpling with spicy mango sauce (Rs. 250) and pak choy dumpling (Rs. 300) are great but not too different with loud, green bursts of spinach and more subtle flavors of mushroom. The vegetable rice pot with broccoli (Rs. 325) is interesting but you may not love the black beans in it.

Did I forget to tell you about the drinks - I wouldn't dare. Exotic ingredients and odd combinations - these cocktails are right up my alley. Try the elderflower mist martini (Rs. 350) for a taste of spring or the grapes and rucola with sake (Rs. 500) for the taste of a garden. The first is a bit like an herbal tea and the second like a salad - but don't let that deter you from trying them. A wasabi bloody Mary (Rs. 350) was liked all around and a spicy mango tree concoction (Rs. 350) really didnt go easy on the spicy red chilly. With whisky and cinnamon its quite a bold and rebellious drink - and one worth trying.

For dessert we got ourselves the Chinese fluffy ginger cake and steamed banana cake (Rs. 220 each). Both interesting and excellent but too much like each other - with their airiness and dollop of vanilla ice cream on the side. But if you are going with ginger you better really like ginger - these guys aren't fucking around.

Ping Pong gets compared to Yautcha - London's other favorite Chinese place, now also in BKC. I think that isn't really a fair comparison given that they are in totally different price ranges - you spend significantly less at Ping Pong. I had a great time, especially so with the buy-one-get-one-free Happy Hour special.

The Damage: Rs. 5343 for 3 (with 8 Happy Hour drinks)

Food: 4
Service: 4
Ambience: 4

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