At select city walk Mall, saket, you can savour 68 varieties of dimsum made with hundreds of ingredients
To dine at Pa Pa Ya, a modern Asian Bistro & Tapas Bar at Select City Walk in Saket, is to celebrate the finer things in life. That’s what one expects from the House of Massive Restaurants, known to create brands that are exceptional and stand apart. Pa Pa Ya is one of their popular outlets, best described as a chic, modern and radical reinterpretation of Asian cuisine.
Presenting a pan-Asian dining experience, Pa Pa Ya is an assimilation of various cooking techniques and cultures found across the Asian continent. These days the buzzword at the restaurant is 68 varieties of dimsum using hundreds of ingredients. Intrigued by their pitch, we headed towards the tony address in South Delhi.
The décor is as dynamic as the food. One sees metal exoskeletons — representative of food molecules — combined with 3D spatial mapping techniques. The idea is to create synergy with the food to prepare the guests for a memorable dining experience.
The menu itself reveals the thought process and several months of research, with painstaking attention to detail, creating a unique flavour profile for each dimsum served. For example, ‘Red Curry Wild Mushroom’ consists of four pieces of delicious open-faced Burmese dumplings baked to perfection, stuffed with wild mushrooms and cream cheese garnish with truffle oil on top. Then there is ‘Double Cooked Savory White Radish’ — translucent dumplings which are steamed to perfection stuffed with double cooked savoury white radish along with fried mikrop rice on the side.
Non-vegetarians can feast on some outstanding ones like ‘Corn- fed Chicken Leg Sui Mai’ — open-faced dumplings stuffed with chicken along with caramelised rendang curry on the side. ‘Har Gao, Green Curry Prawn Farce’ is truly the star —translucent dumplings steamed to perfection, stuffed with prawns and served on the bed of Thai green curry with cheery tomato and fried basil on top as garnish.
For lamb lovers, there is ‘Mandarin Zest Infused Lamb Goutie,’ delicious mandarin flavored lamb dumplings with Wasabi jelly on the side and chilli guava pickle.
Adventurous souls can try ‘Spiked Berkshire Pork Baos’ — fermented lotus flour steamed buns stuffed with delicious barbequed Berkshire pork inside. For seafood lovers, chef recommends ‘Crab & Scallop Ravioli’. Corporate Chef Sahil explains, “These are our version of dimsums, which are shaped as ravioli stuffed with crab & scallop with soya sauce on top and tobanjang tobiko.”
About the ongoing Dimsum Fest, owner Zorawar Kalra adds, “We wanted to do something unique. We love dimsum and wanted to expose Delhi to the largest variety ever. In fact, there is no restaurant that we know of, anywhere in the world, with this large a variety. We have used all techniques such as steaming, baking, pan frying and more. While conceptualising this menu we have actually played with each and every possible ingredient which has truly made this menu very versatile and largest in world.”
The chef adds, “If you are done with the dimsum feast, try our Modern Sushi where the texture and the appearance of the sushi are completely different from the authentic sushi – still, the flavour is the same.”
That explains the food philosophy of the curators of the menu here, as Kalra points out, “It is as much about culinary art as it is about offering an exceptional gastronomic experience. The Tapas style food presents a unique ability for the diners to enjoy a vast range of dishes in the right portion size, creating a true sensory dining experience.”
So the day you are in a mood to have a real long leisurely meal, Pa Pa Ya is a great option. All the five senses are deployed in the dining experience. Complete your gastronomic fare with beverages like Pa Pa Ya’s #GoPaPaYa, Lighthouse and Jin Gin. But only after you have gone through the ceremony of having ‘Chocolate Ball of Fire’. For further details, check it out yourself!
