Black Lotus — Restaurant in Chandigarh

The place is very elegant and clean, with good atmosphere for a special occasion, but of course—it is in Taj Hotel. The staff are wonderfully kind and attentive. I appreciated them very much. Thank you! As for food, as a non-Indian native who enjoys Chinese cuisines, it was a huge disappointment to me. I am a foreigner who has lived in India for two years and always gets disappointed with "Chinese" food in this country. India and China are neighbors, so why can't some Indian restaurants offer proper Chinese food? I was hoping that given the international clientele of Taj and the very expensive price of food that Black Lotus would be different. However, the Chinese food court in Patel Market of Sector 15 is more authentic Chinese food (though it leans towards Nepali or Tibetan side). Recommendations for a better Chinese cuisine experience. Hot tea should be served automatically to diners. Chinese drink hot tea, not cold beverages, with hot meal. Teapot should be left at table for each diner so they can drink tea continuously without needing to wait for server. Hot water level in teapot should be observed and topped up when empty. I had to ask that the tea vessel (it wasn't a pot) be left at my table rather than at the cashier counter. The staff kindly obliged but did not top up the water. Chopsticks were provided but they were Japanese chopsticks and inadequate for eating the food properly. This suggests they don't actually expect diner to use chopsticks. The Chef admitted that yes, they are Japanese chopsticks. Sector 15 market provides proper chopsticks. Additionally, far too much metal silverware (knives, forks, spoons) is doled out at the table. I had to keep pushing these aside. Even if eating with silverware, so many pieces are not needed! There were also many superfluous oddly shaped plates that looked pretty but were clumsy and cluttered the table. Food should be cut in size to be picked up with chopsticks. Many items were chopped too finely or in the wrong shape to be eaten with chopsticks. We are not eating with spoon, bread, or fingers as in Punjabi food. Eating bowl should be provided. They kindly brought a bowl when requested, but it was not the right shape (it went flat on bottom, rather than round) and was uncomfortable to hold in the hand. The purpose of the eating bowl is so that one can lift the food to one's mouth when eating with chopsticks, and to put rice in. It is inelegant in Chinese dining to eat from a plate only, except in the case of large one-piece items like bao and spring roll (which are dim sum items). Black Lotus advertises Sichuan food but I couldn't find any item with Sichuan style. I asked the server for which one had Sichuan flower pepper (hua jiao), which is what gives characteristic "numbing" sensation to the Sichuan combination of "ma la" (numb-hot). What he recommended turned out to be Cumin Lamb, a Western Chinese dish. The front page of the menu in fact extolls the Sichuan pepper, but I don't think the staff was informed of it. The Chef told me the servers told him to go light on spice for me, perhaps as a foreigner? But any dhaba gives me mirchi food without asking. But again, it was the flower pepper which lacking. Chef said he had little bit (?) of it, but they don't seem to use it as a spice, despite advertising. Sautéed "Chinese greens" should be no-brainer. Take any leafy green veg of "cai"/choi family and saute in garlic. It can be adapted to any local produce like saag (greens) of mustard or mooli/radish etc. However the dish was a mix of odd vegetable, only worthy one being bok choy. Shrimp dish entitled "hong shao shrimp": Hong shao refers to "red braised" and it is a sweet (not spicy) Shanghai/eastern Chinese kind of sauce in which meat is slowly cooked. However, this dish was red in color only, and reminded me of some kind of "wet" (Indian style) stir fry. Chef ji was v kind; offered next time to contact him first and he will make real Ch. dish. Sometime I wish Indians wd try real Ch. food. Don't be scared to offer to Punjabi...

Black Lotus has recently opened its door after a brief haitus for a couple of months. The interiors have been overhauled and the menu has undegone a complete revamp for the better.

The Menu has been intelligently desinged. All the Veg Starters are pegged at the same price of Rs. 575 and for Non Veg it is Rs. 675. It's the same for the Veg Main Dishes at Rs. 575 while the Non Veg dishes stand at Rs. 775. These prices are extremely affordable and Pocket Friendly and no less than a treat as its a Five Star.

We began our evening with Asparagus, Haricot Beans and Corn Soup which was delectable. For Drinks we had Pinee Peach (Peach and Pineapple Juice), Mango Marina (Mango Puree' and twist of mint, Sweet and Sour - this was a complete Winner and a must try), Guava Marry, Watermelon Reference (Watermelon, Lime and Pomegranate Juice), Apple Ryder (Apple Juice with the hint of Smoky Cinnamon), Flavoured Jasmine Tea, Sichuaniska (Mixture of Sichuan Sauce with a hint of Pepper).

Moving to Starters we had Mushroom & Bamboo Shoots Salad, Lemon Grass Prawn, Pan Fried Lamb Dim Sum, Grilled Sesame Tofu (comes with a Live Flaming Grill, Must try for the Vegetarians). Each dish was fresh, unique and stood out.

Then came the Peking Duck which deserves a speical mention as it a whole meal in itself. Chef Wong came to our table and carved the Roasted Duck right in front us. It is quite a ceremony to watch the Carving of the Peking Duck. The Duck is then served as (a) Roasted Duck Pancakes served with classical accompaniments, (b) Duck Soup and (c) Stir Fried Duck. This is a signature Black Lotus Dish and a must try.

We were in for a treat with another signature Black Lotus dish i.e. The Hot Pot.This is a prepare your own Soup/Broth where all the fresh ingredients (Seafood Broth with Prawns, Sole Fish Slices, Chinese Vegetables and Noodles) are placed on the table with a Live simmering Water to Prepare the broth according to your liking. This was a big hit amongst everyone.

Moving to the Main Course we had Barbeque Pork Belly (the best Pork Ribs in the tricity hands down, the pork melts in your mouth and the sweet meat is a delicacy, must try), Steamed Fish with Black Bean Sauce (The Black Bean Sauce with the Black Pepper seeds creates a unique flavour), Chicken with Toban Djan Sauce, Egg Plant with Spicy Bean Sauce (I'm not an Eg plant fan but this dish has the capability to compete with the best of Non Veg preparations), Mung Bean Pan Cake with Chicken, Clay Pot Jasmine Rice with Tofu (extremely good), Bok Choy & Vegetables, Egg Wrapped Flat Noodles (Full points on the presentation as the Rice/Noodles come wrapped in an Omlette much like an Egg) with Vegetables and Chicken.

Moving to Desserts we had Lava Cake (treat for the senses), Clove Traingle Pineapple with Sweet Chili & Coconut Milk (quite good), Vanilla Ice Cream.

I am Bowled over by the Black Lotus Taj experience. I Love finding faults and I'm glad to admit here I found none. A full 5/5 from me. Go and experience the new Black Lotus...

I'm a huge fan of authentic Chinese food and any place serving that is just perfect for me. This place is one such place in the heart of Chandigarh city . Black lotus is an authentic restaurant in Taj Hotel . Firstly the ambience of this place is very classy and elegant. Now let's come to the Food . They had a special menu set for the Comedy Night Event . There were 4 starters , Crispy Corn Kernels- These were really good. Very crispy but not at all oily ,Perfectly seasoned and flavourful 👌 *Wok tossed Lotus Stem in black bean sauce - This was one very unique dish for me as I haven't had much before and surely my new favourite ❤❤ *Chicken and mint Spring roll- Another unique flavoured dish. Spring rolls were very crunchy and zero percent oily which is again a great thing *Woke Tossed Fish with Dry Red Chilli- The Fish was perfect cooked, very tender from inside and spicy from outside. Next comes the soup which was vegetable chilli lemon corriander soup. It was very light and was a balancing part of the complete menu . Coming to the main course, They had Stir fried tofu with fresh chilli ginger , wok tossed broccoli with shitake mushrooms and bamboo, Pan Fried Chinese greens and Spicy Hot Chicken. Out of these the Stir fried tofu and Spicy Hot Chicken were my favourite, and were perfect with Stir pineapple rice and Hakka noodles. Ending the dinner on a sweet note , they served some really good desserts. *Chocolate mousse was very tasty . The texture of the mousse was just perfect. A Melange of Lemon Grass Crem Brulee- Another Classic dessert.This was also very good and top coating was perfectly caramelized. 👍 Special mention of their Signature Drink Kaali . It was super super good , very refreshing drink . Perfect for the non-alcholics !! Overall a great experience . Will definitely will be...