A Mixed Culinary Journey at Holy Chopsticks, Varanasi Holy Chopsticks in Varanasi is a place that promises much, and in some areas, it delivers beautifully, while in others, it falls a bit short. My recent visit presented a spectrum of experiences, from delightful to disappointing, which makes for a truly mixed review. First, the positives. The restaurant boasts an excellent location, easily accessible and situated in a good area. The ambience is equally impressive. The interiors are tastefully done, and the seating arrangements are comfortable and well-spaced, creating a pleasant and relaxing dining atmosphere. It's a great spot to meet up with friends or family for a meal. The staff, for the most part, was quite good, attentive, and friendly, which contributed positively to our experience. The standout dish of the evening was, without a doubt, the Lotus Stem Bhel. This was a culinary revelation. The lotus stems were perfectly crispy, and the dish had a truly amazing, delicious flavor profile. What made it special was the unique and very welcome Indian twist it brought to a classic Bhel. This dish alone is a reason to visit Holy Chopsticks, and it's something I would highly recommend. However, the rest of the meal was a different story. We were quite keen to order the bibimbap, only to be informed that it was already sold out. This was particularly disappointing as it was early in the evening, just an hour after the restaurant had opened, and there were hardly any other diners present. The sushi was also a bit of a letdown. It was edible but lacked the freshness and authentic taste one expects. The wasabi, in particular, was a major disappointment; it was devoid of the sharp, pungent kick and instead tasted oddly reminiscent of a green pudina (mint) chutney. This was a significant miss for an establishment aiming for authentic Asian flavors. The main courses also had their ups and downs. The Pan-Fried Veg Noodles were okay, serviceable but nothing to write home about. Unfortunately, the Chili Garlic Noodles were a complete letdown, lacking in both flavor and texture. Adding to the frustration was a misunderstanding with our order. The staff brought us more food than we had actually ordered, and despite our attempts to clarify the error, we were expected to pay for the extra dishes. While the staff was generally good, this specific incident highlighted a flaw in their order management process and put us in an awkward position. In conclusion, Holy Chopsticks is a place with fantastic ambience and a great location. Their Lotus Stem Bhel is a must-try and a highlight of the menu. However, the inconsistency in the quality of other dishes and an unfortunate billing mishap prevented the experience from being truly great. It has the potential to be a stellar restaurant, but some improvements in the food, a more reliable menu, and a careful approach to order management would make all...
ย ย ย Read moreThis is the best fine dining restaurant in Varanasi that expertises at Pan Asian cuisines. From authentic Japanese Sushi to Thai Curry, you can find it all here. We tried so many cuisines here and loved them all. ๐Tom Kha Soup - This is a coconut based Thai soup made with coconut milk. It was delicious. The consistency was just right. It was sour as well as spicy. ๐Burmese Khao Suey Soup - It is a coconut based noodle soup from Burma. It is served with roasted coconut, fried garlic, fried onions, chilli flakes and lemon. ๐ธHighly recommended. ๐Holy Chicken - It is one of the best chicken dishes for starters. The chicken pieces are cooked in spicy delicious sauces and some veggies. The chicken pieces were so tender and the sauces took the taste to another level. ๐ธHighly recommended. ๐Corn and Water Chestnut Thai Herb - It is one of the best vegetarian choice for starter meal. The crunchy sweet corn and water chestnuts are stir fried in Thai peppers and herbs. The taste was too good. ๐ Curry Veg Dimsums - These were vegetarian dimsums served with creamy curry. It was a little sweet in taste. ๐ Veg Thai Herbs Dimsums - Theses were vegetarian dimsums. The fillings were prepared in Thai Herbs and peppers. These were served with soy sauce. ๐ Prawn Hargow - These were prawn dimsums. The fillings were a little bland. ๐ Fried Chilli Cottage Cheese Dimsums - These were fried dimsums filled with soft cottage cheese. The fillings were a little spicy, yet so creamy. These were served with spicy red chilli sauce. ๐ Chicken Tempura Sushi and Spicy Shitake Roll - These were non vegetarian and vegetarian versions of Sushi. Both the dishes were so good. The taste was so authentic. These were served with soy sauce. ๐ธ Highly recommended. ๐ Chilli Garlic Noodles - These were stir fried noodles with veggies and a lot of pepper. It was very spicy. ๐ Vegetables in Ginger Chilli Wine Sauce - It is a gravy based dish. The vegetables like tomato, onion, capsicum and more were stir fried and added to a sour and spicy ginger chilli gravy. ๐ Red Thai Curry and Steamed Basil Rice - It a spicy coconut based Thai curry with added essence of basil. It tastes best with basil steamed rice. ๐ธHighly recommended. ๐ Meatball Sizzler - Well, sizzlers are the best part of Pan Asian cuisines. The meatballs in the sizzler were so delicious. It was served with noodles and potato fingers. ๐ธ Highly recommended. ๐Darsaan - It is a traditional Chinese desert. These are honey fried noodles served with ice cream. It is a treat to your sweet tooth. ๐ธ Highly recommended. Apart from this, the restaurant has a beautiful decor and the interiors really go with the food. The presentation of the food is lovely. The ambience is so cosy and vibrant. They have a decent seating area. The service...
ย ย ย Read morePan asian cuisine carries in it a lot of varying dishes originating from different regions and being prepared with different ingredients and condiments...Tried few of them here and had a nice brunching experience...So coming to food , I tried:
1.Tom Kha soup: Thai-cuisine , carrying partially cooked veggies , coconut milk and thai herbs and condiments, aptly spiced with thick consistency and tasted Delicious!!
Khao Suey Soup: Burmese cuisine ,It's their signature soup and they both presented and prepared it beautifully...It came along with separately served toppings that you can add as per your preference like fried onions, burnt garlic, peanuts ,chilli flakes ...The best part was though both the soup had coconut milk as base but the taste maintained was distinct and appreciable....Highly recommended..
3.Curry Veg dimsums: Well presented and topped with green thai curry sauce...Tasted really well..Highly Recommended..
Veg thai herbs dimsum : heavily stuffed with veggies and presentation was beautifully done..
Fried chilli cottage cheese dimsums : stuffed with cheese, paneer, and spices....Tasted well with the dip served..
6.Prawn hargow dimsums: stuffing was bland and lacked flavour..
7.chicken tempura {Sushi} and spicy shitake roll {sushi} : well prepared and well presented...Tasted nice with soy sauce , wasabi etc....Mildly spiced as it should be...Spicy shitake was better..
8.Holy chicken: a kind of chicken starter resembling chilli chicken..chicken pieces were soft and sauces has been aptly used..
9.Corn and water-chestnuts thai herbs: Crispiness was on point..A good option for starters..
10.Meat-ball sizzler: had meat balls, noodles and thin potato chips served on a sizzler plate..
11.Red Thai curry with steamed basil rice: It would have been perfect if the consistency of thai curry were a bit thick...Otherwise flavour was on point..
Vegetables in Ginger Chilli wine sauce and Chilli garlic noodles: Former carried variety of veggies like bell peppers, broccoli, babycorn etc and prepared in cooking wine sauce, taste was nice...Garlic noodle lacked garlic flavour in it..
Darsan: It was so delicious....Topped with honey and sesame seeds and a scoop of icecream ...Perfect for people like me who don't prefer excess sugary deserts..
Talking about the ambience is goes with the theme with walls adorned with paintings of people wearing kimono and carrying chopsticks and few chinese scriptures being painted ...Wooden furnitures also are co-ordinated with the whole set up...Staff is well trained...
ย ย ย Read more