Ask anyone from Delhi where they dine when they crave some dim sum, and they’ll say, “Baoshuan, at The Oberoi”. Indeed, when the five-star hotel reopened in January 2018, Taipan (an Oriental institution in its own right) became Baoshuan. The name comes from bǎochuán, the largest vessels in the fleet of 15th-century Chinese merchant ships that sailed across the Indian Ocean laden with luxurious Chinese goods.
Those bǎochuán were led by the legendary Admiral Zheng, but the Baoshuan of today owes its allegiance to its mentor chef, the London-based Andrew Wong, who helms the Michelin-starred A. Wong, and who, oddly enough, never envisioned a culinary career for himself. He studied chemistry at Oxford University and anthropology at London School of Economics—but the sudden death of his father saw him return to London to help his mother run the family business (they owned four restaurants at the time). Determined to see the modest empire his parents had built flourish, Wong enrolled himself in culinary school and specialised in classical French cooking and culinary science. But it was only after he gained technical expertise that he realised he was missing one key ingredient: inspiration. So, he set off on a year-long journey through China to rediscover his roots. A course at the Sichuan Culinary Institute followed, as did pit stops: in Beijing he mastered Peking duck, and in Hong Kong, he turned his gaze towards perfecting Cantonese dim sum.
Laughing Buddha Bun
On his return to London, he launched A. Wong (the ‘A’ is for his parents Albert and Annie), which has since transformed the city’s perception of ‘Chinese food’, as Wong moves far beyond regular fare and offers revamped interpretations of traditional delicacies that can be found across 14 different regions of China. It is this wealth of knowledge and culinary skill that he brought to Baoshuan too, as its mentor chef, and the restaurant stays true to his vision and uses an interactive service style that revolves around sharing plates to tell diners a story.
Chef Andrew Wong
Which is why all roads lead to Baoshuan till January 24, because Wong is here, in the capital, cooking up a storm in the kitchen. If you consider yourself a gastronome, or if you too have tried in vain to snag that last-minute table at A. Wong in London, this is your chance to eat from the hand of a master chef.
Emperor Yao’s Pleasure
For five days, Wong will be preparing plate after perfect plate of his signature dim sum lunch (priced at Rs. 2,500): wild mushroom and truffle to clear shrimp dumpling with sweet chilli sauce and citrus foam, and honey baked pork pastry. The main course will see items such as slow braised pork belly with pickled ginger, and a casserole of baby bok choy, dried shiitake, truffle, and goji berries. To cap it all off, there’s the Baoshuan ice-cream trolley.
Pork and Prawn Dumpling with Pork Crackling
Peking duck, London 1960, pancakes and plum sauce
Tip: book a table on the terrace, where you can take in the sweeping views of the Delhi Golf Club with a cocktail in hand, as you wait for Wong’s culinary mastery to materialise in front of you.
The interiors of the restaurant
The Oberoi New Delhi, Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, Delhi Golf Club, Golf Links, New Delhi. Tel: 011 2436 3030; Oberoihotels.com
Photographs: Oberoi Hotels & Resorts
