2016 Jul 24
This is a review of Loon Tao’s old menu. For our new and updated review, click right here, or below!
by Aabid Aman
An authentic Chinese breeze!
Chinese has become a cuisine that is almost a daily part of an average Sri Lankan individual. From the misspelled ‘devilled’ chickens to fried rice, it’s almost as if we are the country of origin for the cuisine. Like Tsing Tao, Loon Tao makes a promise. A promise to serve you authentic Chinese food, and they have certainly passed the test. Our experience at Tsing Tao did really place the bar pretty high and we must say, this beautiful Chinese restaurant in a beautiful setting in Mount Lavinia did not let us down. It certainly carried the same sophistication and dining experience one yearns for.
Ambience
Ah, the beach. With the soothing breeze in the background and the slow almost dreamy music accompanying it, this place is a headliner in terms of a chilled out ambience. The staff and the setting of the restaurant makes you feel very welcome the minute you walk in. Dim lights and a live band is as ideal a beach dinner set-up as it could get.
The crowd was mostly a bunch of foreigners. A given fact when it’s one of the tourist destinations in Colombo. The staff is fast and very efficient. From the minute you’re at your table to until you leave the restaurant, they are at your service, literally. The place isn’t that hard to find either. It’s down College Avenue and is open for lunch from 11.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m. and for dinner from 6.00 p.m. – 11.00 p.m.
Loon Tao was a breath of fresh air a few years ago when it ushered in the now so famously loved Chinese cuisine. They were one of the very few restaurants from back then to both serve authentic Chinese at the same time to ensure that you receive the best possible service you pay for.
Drinks
All three cocktails we tried complemented the dishes very well.
We started with the classic Sex on the beach, ironical cause we were dining on the beach, but we scored that drink the highest than the others giving it an 8/10. The Vodka and the Cranberry juice really hit in and there was the right amount of alcohol in comparison to most Lankan places that have more juice or other mixers than the alcohol in the cocktail.
Blue Lagoon was a right amount of Blue Curacao and Vodka, we gave it a 7/10.
So the Kamikaze we tried scored the least out of the three we had. It was a 6/10, not that it wasn’t up to expectation, but since we went all MasterChef on it, we scored it the least.
Appetizers
The appetizers blew us away. The size of the portions are as commendable and very generous and exaggerated like at Tsing Tao.
The Deep Fried Cuttle Fish Balls at Rs. 698 for a quantity of 3 was very filling. The online downside was the fact that the deep fried balls were a little too oily and wasn’t drained well. But the flavour in the meat was a great start!
So the Prawn Salad was our next try-out. At Rs. 798 for a small portion and at Rs.1348 for a large portion, the salad was a show stopper. As someone who’s not a fan of this type of seafood, I enjoyed every bite of the salad. It wasn’t your average cold cut salad either, there was a crispy outer layer to the prawns that you don’t typically find in your average prawn salad. The buttery taste really combined the elements in the salad together.
What’s some authentic Chinese without a good wonton eh? Our next appetizer was Deep Fried Crispy Chicken Wontons at Rs. 548 for a portion of 6 wontons. A great take on the original wonton. Very crispy, packed with minced chicken and a definite go-to.
Behold, the Spicy Fried Chicken Wings, you can get a small portion at Rs. 548 and a large for Rs.948. Ah the sauce at first glance was pretty unusual but the minute you bit into it, there’s the juicy flavour of the meat packed inside waiting to explode inside your mouth. The only let down here again was the fact that the quantity was comparatively less. Our sensory organs wanted more.
Next we went for the Hot Butter Mushrooms, at Rs. 548 for the small and Rs. 798 for the large. This is a dish that really gives you a run for your money. The mushrooms had loads of flavour packed into them. There needs to be a tad bit more work on the presentation, but then again the restaurant is more casual dining than fine dining, so I think presentation wise, the dish can be given an excuse. Also, the dish was a little cold when it arrived at the table, the upside here being we were able to bat away the minute it was served, but we all would have loved the dish if it was hotter.
Our choices of soup did not let us down. They offer a variety of types of soup from thick soup to clear soups. Both the soups we ordered were thick soups and again, what we were served, impressed us. The Sweetcorn Soup with Chicken Meat was amazing. You are given the choice of choosing either chicken or crab meat and we went with the option of chicken. At Rs. 598 for small portion and Rs.948 for a large, the small portion was more than enough for two. The plus side also being how packed with meat it also was unlike our typical soups were the pieces of meat literally have to fished out.
Our next try-out was the Seafood with Vegetable Soup. Again at Rs. 598 for small portion and Rs.948 for a large, it did not let us down. Much, much more creamier than the chicken and sweetcorn soup. Loaded with veggies, will definitely make your mom happy. Also note that all their soups dwell in this price range.
Mains
Why else would you opt for Chinese if not for hot butter cuttlefish? Hot butter cuttlefish has literally become one of the most sought out dishes recently by us Sri Lankans. Even the waiters at Loon Tao were telling us how popular this dish was.
The Hot Butter Cuttlefish at Rs.698 for a small portion and Rs.1198 for a large was outstanding. Although we did feel like the money demanded more quantity. But in terms of taste and flavour, the coating was very crispy and leeks and onions added to the punch the flavour produced.
Since the seafood so far did by no means let us down, we went for the stir fried fish fillet in hot garlic chilli sauce. Again a small portion at Rs.648 and a large at Rs.1098. The fish was steamed right, really soft on the inside. The garlic sauce complimented the dish very well. We ordered a small and it was filling for 2 people. The skin of the fish was the right texture and bound the whole dish together.
Love me some good lobster! For someone who hasn’t tried some good lobster in ages, the Lobster dish did justice to all the levels of expectation I had for it. Absolutely brilliant presentation. Very meaty and tasted like it was tossed in a rich butter flavour. The Lobster was beautifully presented on a sea of freshly cut oranges. The zest and the aroma of the oranges blended into the dish so much better than we expected it to. The presentation was so fine, I literally sat for a good 5 minutes debating with the rest of them at the table if we should cut into the beautiful lobster. All in all, I’m glad we did.
The next dish to accompany our mains was the Chinese Omelette with Cheese Sauce and thin cut vegetables. At Rs. 498 for a small and Rs.798 for a large, this dish wasn’t really that exciting or great. This was your average omelette with a twinge of cheese here and there. We gave it a 4/10. Not really the best we’ve tried.
A sizzler never fails to impress us. The Sizzling Lamb with Black Pepper Sauce at Rs. 948 for a small and Rs.1648 for a large really did please our eyes and our appetite. It really made an arrival. The presentation was a show stopper although I did feel that more could have been done to improve the presentation of it entirely. The lamb was cooked to perfection. Well-cooked and tenderized. The sauce complemented the meat perfectly and lived up to the name of the dish. Enough for 2.
The “Indonesian Style” Seafood Rice and the “Singaporean Style” Fried Vermicelli with Chicken was a little bit of a let down on its own. You need to accompany it with some meat or vegetable dish because if not, it would taste a little too bland. But what should be noted is that the authenticity of Chinese food was definitely upheld. With their show stopping side dishes, the rice and noodles were delightful additions.
Loon Tao is for certain an authentic Chinese seafood experience you need to try. Beach dining, great music and amazing food. Can you ask for a better combination?
