2. Dipping Sauces: Soy, roasted pumpkin, chili oil (they also had cute, individual sauce plates) 🧅🌶
3. Corn & Waterchestnut Dumpling (the yellow one) 🌽🥟
4. Handrolled Avocado Spring Roll 🥑
5. Vegetables & Chive Dumpling 🥦🥟
6. Tofu & Wild Mushroom Clay Pot, Bok Choy 🍜🍄🥬
7. Vegetable Yang Chow Fried Rice 🍚🌽
Zao Cha House had been tucked in my Instagram ‘Saved’ section for a while. We finally decided to grab a meal there. Tucked in an alley, this cute little dumpling restaurant won our hearts with its woody, Zen interiors that remind you a of meditation cave.
With asymmetrical windows panning their walls, they seated us on the first floor. We watched the sunlight play on red, orange and green leaves while sipping on Yum Cha Iced Tea--- a mandarin-based orange cooler which is refreshingly tangy and sweet.
We asked Andrew, our server, in order to recommend vegetarian dimsums. His recommendations turned out to be really tasty. We started with the Corn and Waterchestnut Dumpling. I’ve had this pairing before, but Zao Cha surprised me. They created a harmony out of these two vegetables in a way where the crunchiness of the waterchestnuts almost blended with sweetness of the corn.
I say this to my friend very often, “You know it’s a good dumpling when you can eat it just as it is. No dipping sauce needed.”
I tried a bite of this with their roasted pumpkin sauce and the combo was stellar. Next, we had their Handrolled Avocado Spring Roll. The fried skin was light, flaky and crunchy. Served on a bed of avocado pieces, they sautéed these with salt, pepper and butter. But the standout was dunking the spring roll in that Sriracha Mayo. Damn, that was good. Surprisingly, there was a certain cheesiness to the filling without there being any cheese in it.
Let’s come to the Vegetable and Chives dumpling. This was a bit on the sweeter side. However, I love a slight sweetness in my dimsum fillings. This one went beautifully with both, the chili oil and the roasted pumpkin one.
I am going to take a moment and applaud the Vegetable Yang Fried Rice because it was so well-made. With a stickiness similar to sushi rice, this one was cooked in the wok to perfection, lending it a smoky, light fragrance. I ate a couple of servings of this rice just as is. So good.
Their Tofu & Wild Mushroom Clay Pot, Bok Choy was beautiful. Again, it was a bit sweet versus salty, however, I loved the mild kick of Thai chili and the lovely root-flavor of the mushrooms. The Bok choy was cooked in a way where the crunch of the stem wasn’t lost. So delicious. Lastly, *that* tofu. Oh man, it literally made me sigh out of pleasure. Melting straight away on my tongue it was a delight to eat.
I don’t think I can forget this meal. And I am very grateful for the restaurant and Andrew, our server, who made our lunch such a memorable experience.💕
Where: Zao Cha House, Bandra (W), Mumbai
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