Asian is as widely known in the city as Indian is, probably more so. I love a good batch of dumplings, and more so I have started to savor the previously shunned (by my own meaty conscience) vegetarian dumplings, discovering all the different kinds of sushi and curries that reach out to our desi hearts. HONK, at Pullman serves a wide Pan Asian menu, going from Japanese to Chinese and with a bunch of Thai and Indonesian infusions. They also have some really exciting types of tea infusions that you just have to try.
Over turned cane baskets, casting gorgeous shadows, HONK sets the perfect romantic setting for the evening. Start your meal with three flavored crispies and a fresh, crunchy kimchi salad with a light vinaigrette dressing. Also, amuse bouche is always a pretty punch of flavors – water melon topped with feta cheese with hints of mint.
They have a gorgeous wine selection – I went for the Penfolds Rawson’s retreat Shiraz Cabarnet – the smooth red wine with hints of sweetness.
Som Tum Salad – shredded raw papaya, crunchy peanuts, grape tomatoes and a strong chilly flavor. The hint of sweetness balanced the chilly perfectly and this som tum salad is definitely on my favorites list as we just could not stop munching on it.
Sushi platter – salmon and tuna sashimi – a beautiful cut of both the tuna and salmon propped over gorgeously rolled rice – fresh and packed with the freshness of fish. California roll – soft crab meat, rolled with avocado, cucumber, sesame and tobiko mayo. What added that extra zing and pop of flavors in this roll was the tobiko, the flying fish roe exploded into flavors. Chicken skewers – minced chicken meat on skewers topped with a flavorsome curry.
Assorted dumplings – Edamame and shallot dumplings – a sticky dumpling, stuffed with edamame beans and shallots and topped with whole edamame seeds to add the extra crunch. White truffle mushroom dumpling – cooked to perfection stuffed into a yummy dumpling with a pop of fish roe. Mixed vegetable with chili pepper dumpling – mixed vegetable dumplings usually don’t turn out to be the most flavorsome but these with the chili pepper punch very just about perfect. Pumpkin and pine nut dumpling – the sweet pumpkin dimsums were absolutely yummy with the rustiness of pinenuts.
Prawn Hargaw – a classic, this was done perfectly with a crystal clear skin and minced prawns topped with fish roe. Duck and sour cherry dumplings – duck cooked with hoisin sauce in a yummy dumpling skin, the hoisin sauce, was a delicious sticky sweet but was over powering the duck just a tad. Chicken and chorizo dumpling – this is a meat lovers haven, with lots of meat and a strong chorizo taste. Chicken schezwan dumplings – chicken minced and tossed in schezwan sauce with a yummy chilly flavor. Chicken and black sesame – black sesame skin steamed chicken dumpling is a perfect treat for the eyes and the tastebuds.
For the mains – Rendang curry with lamb and jasmine rice – the utmost classic rendang curry with well cooked lamb chunks, shallots, Thai chilis balanced with the coconut cream. Paired with the aromatic jasmine rice, this classic traditional combination is absolutely killer. Bangkok fried rice with vegetables – stir fried with greens, this version of fried rice are surely more flavorsome and absolutely delish.
Chocolate Hazelnut Praline – up for dessert, this is the perfect, decadent chocolate. A chocolate globe, hot ganache with a hazelnut praline. What makes this dessert perfect is the addition of fresh mint leaves that cut the sweetness really well.
Finished the meal with fresh puffed rice green tea to wash down our hearty meal.
HONK is your ideal date spot for fine Asian, lovely service and not to miss their perfect sushi, edamame dumplings, mixed veg dumplings and Rednang curry.
Where? Pullman Hotel, Aerocity
Price for two – 3500INR approx (from the a la carte menu)
Cuisine – Pan Asian