Kathmandu:

The mushrooms, all four types, mixed in the broth to give a musky, elusive flavour that centuries ago had an Emperor declaring that he was the only one allowed to eat mushrooms in his kingdom. The Wild Mushroom Pot at The China Hotel, which is inside the Gangjong Hotel at Lazimpat just before The Shangri-La, is presided over by its founder a surprisingly young girl, Ivy whose knowledge is extensive.

“My father who was obsessed by food passed on his passion to me, and when I came to Nepal and looked around for a business, food was the obvious one,” said Ivy.

The Wild Mushroom Pot is just one of the soups on the hotel’s extensive menu. There are four Tonic Soups that are delicious and healthy, which is not surprising considering the fact that in 2700 BC the Chinese wrote the Png-tzao-kan-mu or The Classic Herbal, which talks about the healing powers of herbs. The Cantonese food we were eating was as delicate as many ingredients the Canton Chinese use such as celery which is both food and medicine.

“In our cooking, things are cut to exact sizes and cooking times have to be precise. My father would use a stopwatch,” said Ivy.

But then the Chinese have always been fastidious like the famous Confucius, who was a governor in 501 BC, and demanded that meat should always be served in its proper sauce with exactly the light colour and should be cut in perfect squares.

The Pork Braised in Abalone Sauce had several flavours. The first was sweetness imparted by sugar crystals and the Abalone Sauce was a bonus beneath many tastes. The secret lay in the marination and the fact that fat helped to spread the sauce.

“We have these small private rooms because Cantonese like privacy while eating and bright lights because the food that is served is light and fresh and it looks good when the room is lit properly,” said Ivy.

The Cumin Mutton, which came wrapped in foil, was a surprise to the palate and a delight to taste. The cumin is almost a light crust and there is an after taste of herbs. One wants to chew the meat way past the bones.

“We change our menu every three months and invite our friends to taste it so they talk about it and word spreads,” declared Ivy as we sampled the Crisp Spicy Chicken, which was the most unusual chilly chicken I’ve eaten. It was capsicum and dried red chillies flavoured and

you bit into a crisp outer layer then a soft well-marinated tangy inside. I couldn’t stop eating it.

Along with it came Chinese Greens or what Ivy calls Cai Yun. Be they Chinese cabbage or Pak Choy, they are made with herbs that bring out untold flavours.

The menu at The China Hotel has 20 Special Delicacies which ends with Hong Kong Curry. We ordered it with a slightly flatted Chowmein which is fried noodles but which had a taste of chicken and vegetables and no grease. The Curry came with potatoes and cauliflower and according to Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Bible it combines a Chinese Red-Cooked Curry which has soya sauce, rice wine, spring onions and curry powder mixed with another British-style curry

which was made with milk so it was almost but not quite a Korma.

I tried to ask Ivy to get the ingredients for several dishes from the Chef but they remained a secret. Go sample them and talk to Ivy and learn about deliciousness. Call 4439888-259.