Silver Wok

The Silver Wok I visited nearly 10 or so years ago seemed to reign supreme on the Chinese food in Bangalore scene. The upstairs was reserved for the quiet family types and the downstairs had a great blue hue to its decor and a wonderful bar that accompanied it. Of course this time round, I did end up in the 'family space' upstairs and don't really know what its like downstairs and whether alcohol is still served there. I doubt very much though. The decor in the daytime is no great shakes.

It was quite evident from the other patrons who came in that the regulars know the menu inside out and know what variations the chef is willing to accommodate them with. We decided to try the crab soup and the bacon-wrapped prawns for starters along with two lime sodas.

I was shocked at the speed at which our order came and was wondering whether the food is the heat and serve variety here. But no!!! the food is fresh and straight of the fire. The crab soup at first glance looked like an egg drop soup with boiled crab thrown in. When I ate it though, it is evident that the crab has been cooked in the soup. It is however completely devoid of any spice and totally bland. So while it did not go down well with me, Sudhakar slurped all his down.

Bacon-wrapped prawns. For Rs 300 a plate, I was sulking thinking of the extravagance. But when the dish came, I was blown away. There were atleast 10-12 portions and each one was huge and piping hot. Served with garlic sauce, this is one dish that you just have to try. The bacon was sliced thick and was not the sorry slivers you normally get in the name of bacon. The ratio of fat to meat was purrrrfect and I just gave myself an itch to have the dish again. The prawn in the centre of decent sized. Bite into one all the way to the centre and you are in Chinese food heaven. A word of caution though - a soup and this dish will leave you completely full. Also thanks to the saltiness of bacon, you will tend to drink a lot more water.... so plan your order carefully.

For the main course, we ordered the fried chilli pork in gravy. This was against our original plan of ordering shredded pork in beancurd threads (or something close). We were informed that the choice would be bland. To go with the fried chilli pork gravy we ordered the Thai fried rice with chicken and prawn flavoured with fish sauce.

Both these dishes were good without being exceptional. The starters trumped the main course in terms of being spectacular. Of course since we were filled to our ears with the starters, 90 per cent of lunch was parceled for home.

But we couldn't step out the place without having a dessert. We opted for the banana pancakes with vanilla ice cream. The pancakes were piping hot and nice with the crust of the pancakes being crisp and the inside generously filled with cooked, sugared banana mash.

The service is good, once again without being too in your face or spectacular. The starters are what you should look at here. The loo on the top floor is clean and unisex. As for the wallet factor, this meal cost us in the whereabouts of Rs 950, which for the quantities, quality and location of the restaurant is pretty darn good. If anyone goes there based on this do let me know of any other starters that you may try. The chicken on crackling spinach is supposed to be good.

Oh and in terms of rice and noodle options for vegetarians, the choice is pretty limited. Not so with the rest of the menu.