CANTAN — Restaurant in Bengaluru

When the rhythm of food and passion for cooking sync well, great restaurants by super talented Chefs are born. To make my statement more clear, I suggest my readers to visit the newly opened restaurant in town - 'Cantan - Chinese Bar House' by Olive group. After the successful ventures like The Fatty Bao and Olive Beach, AD Singh -Founder of Olive Group and his restaurant partners - Chef Manu Chandra and Chetan Rampal along with the Executive Chef Prashanth has created this magical restaurant which mainly focuses on Guangzhou, Hunan, Shanghai and Sichuan region delicacies. Located on the busy streets of Lavelle Road, this restaurant is for people who love Chinese hot pots and fresh flavors.

I visited Cantan a month ago and had the most delightful experience in recent times. The decor and the positive vibes of this restaurant will surely give a break from the ol' style Chinese restaurants in town. I can chillax there for hours just by sipping their wonderful cocktails. From the bar menu, I loved the 'Star of Cantan', a Vodka based drink with watermelon, basil leaves and beer. Another favorite was Cantan XO, a 'Gin and Tonic drink with in-house made salted plum shrub and oolong tea syrup', a must try drink which was suggested by the team.

Cantan's food menu is quite extensive and impressive. They have an interesting set menu for corporate luncheons with an exclusive 12 seater private dining area. If you love dim sums, hot pots, Shaokao, cold plates and foodgasmic desserts, then Cantan must be your next visit restaurant. If 'Peking style Pork Spare Ribs' was so heavenly indulgence, then earthy tasted 'Wood ear Mushroom Salad', made me realize that I am still on the earth. The 'Yunnan crossing the Bridge Noodles' served with hot chicken broth and 10 toppings on the side was easily one of the best soups I had in Bengaluru.

From the Dim Sums menu, I enjoyed every bit of the 'Lotus Root and Asparagus Puff', 'Shrimp and Water chestnut dim sum', and 'Spinach and fish rolls with Black bean sauce'.

My craving for good fried rice come to a halt after having Cantan's 'Raw Mango and Prawns fried rice' and 'Edamame and Asparagus rice'. Their selection of beef dishes is also quite unique and interesting.

I was very curious to try their desserts as most of the Pan Asian restaurants in town still haven't explored the range of popular Chinese desserts. Cantan won my heart with the classic 'Chinese Egg Custard tarts', and 'Spiced Carrot cake served with a quenelle of Walnut Ice cream'. I have made my mind; on my next visit, I am not gonna share the luscious, melt-in-the-mouth 'Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart' with anyone. They serve this dessert with Sichuan Pepper Ice cream.

Just like Cantan's amazing food, I love the eco-friendly and colorful cutleries they have used. The staffs were very helpful and courteous. I really had a great time and planning to visit again soon for fulfilling...

Despite my frequent visits to Lavelle Road, I had never paid any attention to this spot until my friends took me to this place on a Saturday evening.

Although it seems to be a simple place from the outside, the atmosphere changes completely once you walk within the restaurant. The intriguing interior design of this two-story Chinese theme restaurant has created an amazing vibe. Right from the colorful ceiling to the printed floors, the wall arts and the not so bright light makes the ambience really interesting.

The restaurant was decently occupied when we arrived. We were directed to a table near the staircase. The place is spacious and there is enough space between the tables.

We got the jasmine water along with the menu. Personally I didn’t like it but my friends liked so much that they wanted seconds even though it tasted like a agarbatti dipped water.

After scanning the entire menu, one of my friend decided to drink just soup.. JUST SOUP, apparently she feels she’s on a diet.

As usual I played safe by ordering just veg spring rolls and my another friend was really confused what to order, finally she did order Hot pot by considering various parameters such as throat pain, quantity, how hungry she’s and etc etc.

First we got the hot and sour soup, the soup looked pretty with the monochrome cutleries. It did taste good too, but it had weird after taste. Then we got the neatly arranged 4 veg spring rolls with a chatney. The spring rolls were crispy from outside filled with a delicious vegetable filling.

Then suddenly we realized that we they are giving it a chronological order, soup – starter – main course. By the time we finish our dishes, my friend got the hot pot. Interestingly you need some rice/noodles to eat the hot pot. So my friend order a bowl of jasmine rice. Which took sometime to arrive on our table.

Mean while I scanned the restaurant, checked the washroom which is really well maintained. Still there was lots of time for my friend to finish here hot pot s did order a mocktail for myself.

The mocktail looked beautiful with yellow hue. Thanks to Ms.Martha, one of the staff who suggested us to order it.

Overall, it was really fun to dine in here, had a great time. It could have been a 5 on 5 place but cutting down a start because of the pricing,

Otherwise its one of the great place to have an amazing with...

Here's a review of a Chinese restaurant:

Disappointing Dine-In at CANTAN

My recent visit to CANTAN was far from what I expected. While the atmosphere seemed inviting, the overall experience fell short due to several issues: Bland and Questionable Quality Food: The dishes we ordered lacked flavor and seemed reheated rather than freshly prepared. The quality of the ingredients was also a concern, with some meats appearing overly processed. Inattentive Service: Our server was slow to take our order and didn't check in on us throughout the meal. It felt like we were an afterthought, which negatively impacted the dining experience. Exorbitant Prices: Considering the quality of the food and service, the prices were unreasonably high. There are better Chinese restaurants in the area that offer tastier food and better value for money. Overall, I wouldn't recommend CANTAN to others. There are many other Chinese restaurants that offer a more enjoyable dining experience.

While Chinese food offers a variety of delicious dishes, there are some potential downsides to consider: High Sodium Content: Many Chinese dishes rely heavily on sauces that can be loaded with sodium. This can be a concern for people with hypertension or those watching their sodium intake. Oil Content: Some cooking methods used in Chinese cuisine, like stir-frying, can involve a lot of oil. This can increase the calorie and fat content of the dish. Processed Meats: Some Chinese restaurants use processed meats in their dishes, which can be high in unhealthy fats and sodium. MSG Sensitivity: Some people experience headaches or other symptoms after consuming MSG, a flavor enhancer sometimes used in...