Michemin-starred restaurant from London, Yauatcha, has taken this essentially hawker food item and it turned into a high-end dish

In India, the concept of dim sums is roadside momos. They have become ubiquitous now, with roadside hawkers selling them at almost every marketplace and street corner. But if you are looking for authentic dim sums, the more delectable variety and not the roadside momos, then your search ends at Yauatcha. A Michelin-starred restaurant from London, Yauatcha has taken this essentially hawker food item and turned it into a high-end dish that you can order off the menu.

In India, the brand has been brought in by Ka Hospitality, with branches in four cities — Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Located on the second floor of Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, Yauatcha is essentially a Cantonese restaurant. The upscale restaurant was not so buzzing, it being a Tuesday afternoon, and had just a few tables occupied.

The restaurant also has a big bar, occupying one side of the wall at the far end. The bar size is reflected in the menu, with an enormously long list of cocktails, mocktails, hard drinks with a country-wise listing of rum, whisky, vodka, gin and beers, and an equally extensive wine list, along with the Japanese sake selection. It also has a selection of teas: black, green, flower, blue and Indian teas.

There is a long table right opposite the bar, set on a higher platform, from where you can get a view of the entire restaurant. Seated in one corner of the restaurant, we got a good view of its expansive space. The waiters here are courteous, sometimes a little too overbearing, though. While our order was perfect, we heard complaints about appetisers being served after the main course, from the table next door.

The restaurant has extensive lunch and dinner menus. The lunch menu is designed in a way to provide quick service, and is done keeping business lunch goers in mind. For lunch, there is also a separate Dim Sum Trail menu, which provides you a quick selection of six varieties for `2,000 for two people. It’s a quick and easy way to get a sampling of what Yauatcha offers.

Of the six dim sums, I opted for the har gau, char siu bun, chicken and prawn shanghai dumpling, baked chicken puff, crispy duck roll and the shanghai siew long bun. The selection included four steamed dumplings and two baked ones. You get three pieces of each, except the crispy duck roll, of which there are two pieces.

The har gau is a delicate dumpling made from a mix of wheat and tapioca flours. This makes the casing translucent and it has mildly spiced diced prawn filling. The char siu bun has delectable Cantonese roast pork in nutty sesame oil and a mixture of oyster and hoisin sauce. The casing is slightly thicker, like a soft, white bread. The prawn shanghai dumplings came in light, translucent casing, served with a light soupy soy sauce mix. But the best was the shanghai siew long bun, also known as soup dumplings. The filling of seasoned pork and a gelatinous broth made it perfect. When you bite into it, you get a mouthful of soupy broth first and then the meat.

Of the two baked ones, the crispy duck roll has duck breast with crunchy spring onions flavoured with chilli, ginger, soy and lemon zest. Also known as “So” in China, the baked chicken puffs were stuffed with a sticky, sweet mixture of chicken mince baked in a small bun, similar to a French croissant, glazed with sesame seeds on top.

Yautacha also offers a pronto menu, which is a little more elaborate at `888 for vegetarian, and `998 for non-vegetarian, per person. For this you can choose a soup, a dumpling, a selection of stir-fried veggies or meat, rice or noodle dish, and a dessert.

The dinner menu is a little more elaborate – it runs into several pages and you get a selection of roast meats, stir fries, noodles and rice. Once while having dinner there, I discovered that the although the cuisine is mainly Cantonese, I got a feeling some of the dishes have been put in there to cater to the Indian palate, such as the spicy prawn curry or the wok-fried lobster in spicy XO sauce.And surprisingly, it has a wide selection of desserts. I tried two options — chocolate hazelnut mousse, with chocolate mousse, crunchy hazelnut served with honeycomb ice cream, and a raspberry delice. I must say the desserts were plated delightfully and were also great to taste.

The lunch costs about `2,000 for two, without alcohol a la carte, unless you opt for a pronto meal. Dinner is more expensive at `3,000 for two, without alcohol or dessert. Be warned: alcohol costs a lot and it may be wiser to catch a drink at a pub outside and then have your meal here.