Wellness & Fitness

Do-it-Yourself Restaurant

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The Bento Tray from the Pan Asian Yao menu. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NMG

On visiting an eatery the next obvious move after making an order is digging into the hot platter and savouring the meal. Yet this is not always the situation as I came to learn when I visited the Pan-Asian Yao, a new outlet at the China Garden in Gigiri, Nairobi.

As an enthusiast of Asian food, my expectations were to have an opportunity to sample servings bursting with herbs and spices and to take my time while at it.

This was the case when corporate executive Chef Rahul Rana recommended that we try the Bento Tray Menu.

You choose
We sampled vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals of Indonesian, Malaysian, Indian and Chinese origin albeit as the unconventional starters; for a group that needed to know what the restaurant will be serving its client after its official opening.

The wide-ranging meals of Bento Tray Menu were all defined by the herbs used and the accompanying sauces like the Satay and chilli peanut.

Then came the announcement from Chef Rana that the Hop Pot menu was next in the agenda. In short, we were required to make the main meal right from the dining table.

The reason behind displayed spices, raw meat and uncooked vegetables on the side table was slowly beginning to come clearer.

Cooking pots containing broths were set on the table and the hot plates switched on, marking the beginning of an experience that gave people the power to choose their preferred spices and the type of food they want eat at the restaurant. It is also gives people an opportunity to blend and taste multiple ingredients.

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The Good Earth Group food and beverage director Rahul Rana at Pan Asian Yao in Gigiri. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NMG

We choose one sort of stock out of the four types of broths including the Sichuan, a spicy broth made of Sichuan paste and peppercorn, Tom Yun a blend of lemon grass spicy broth with lemon, Beijing a clear soup with ginger and spring onion and Tonyu nabe a vegan option made of soya milk, miso paste and vegetables.

The sauces

Thin slices of raw chicken, beef, lamb and seafood on separate bowls were set on the table too. About 11 types of vegetables including oyster mushrooms, ribbon carrots, fried lotus stem, bamboo shoots, baby corn and fresh spinach were added to the table too.

The sauces were in abundance also and are meant to give cooked food flavour and appeal too.

Among the sauces provided includes the hot garlic sauce, chilli peanut, light soya, oyster and sesame.

As the broth boils on the hot plate, which blends beautifully with the dining table, inches away the Chef Rana explained that it would take a few minutes to have the ingredients ready.

“Pick as many ingredients from the bowl as you prefer and dip them into the boiling broth. It will only take three minutes to have the meat ready as they are thinly sliced, make sure that you do not overdo it as this will make the meat tough. Rice cake may take a bit longer to cook (about five minutes),” said Chef Rana.

“Use the sauces on the table to give cooked food extra flavour,” he directed. The hot plate menu takes a person into an experiential journey that turns meal time into a fun experience. The restaurant’s set up looks ideal for re-unions and would work perfectly for individuals yearning for a new dining experience.

The prices at the Pan-Asia Yao are fair considering its target clientele as it is set in an up-market area where expatriates roam and next to the American Embassy.

The restaurant is part of the Good Earth Group which also runs Mama Nyama outlets. 

The Pan-Asian Yao restaurant is is inspired by the founder’s passion for travel and culture which come alive through the fusion of South-East Asia foods.