Chino Romano Khar Mumbai | Chinese Italian Feast Home Delivered | Food Review

With the mid week blues hitting hard, I decided that perhaps something out of the ordinary was in place to lift my spirit. Enter ‘Chino Romano’. An intriguing concept of a promise to blend the spices and flavors of the Chinese Cuisine with the subtle and refreshing aromas of Italy.

The dishes under review included Paneer dumplings/ Bao, Basil Paneer with Fried Rice and a Malay/Thai inspired Yellow Chilly Curry Soup with Noodles. 

The winner of the show were the Paneer Bao. Great stuffing with a pleasantly thin casing of dough (a win for those who missed their Wednesday gym session!), and a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds for good measure. With a nice infusion of basil, the taste definitely grew on me with every bite. Further accentuating the flavors was the pairing of the sweet soy and chili dips that were served as accompaniments with the dumplings - all working in harmony to provide for a delicious beginning to the meal.

Next up was the Basil Paneer Gravy with Fried Rice. A wholesome and delicious dish. The slightly sweet undertones were fine with me but not much appealing to my sister; it is a matter of personal preference. The paneer in itself was extremely fresh and melted in our mouths, and much appreciate the lack of corn flour coating on the paneer. 

Finally comes what seems like an attempt to infuse some degree of Malay/Thai flavors into the Chino-Romano connection (Yellow Curry Soup with Noodles, or I think it was LAKSA). Unfortunately, this dish was disappointing in comparison to the dumplings and paneer gravy. Extremely sweet to the point of being ketchup-y. Some vegetables may have added a little more character to this dish. The addition of a fistful of chopped red chilies did not help the situation, as the rollercoaster ride of sweetness mixed with a sudden sharp hit to the head (courtesy the chilies), threw the flavors completely off balance. This dish fell flat in terms of flavors and could do with some improvement. (Being blessed with sweet jaw means I am fine with sweeter things myself but others like my sister or mom won't be, they want robust spiciness)

Summing up, decent quantity, great quality of food and very interesting flavors, would definitely call in here again, especially for the Paneer Bao. Some of the other dishes could do with more balance of flavors (especially the sweetness).