Another addition to the ever-expanding influx of pan Asian and Chinese cuisine in the foodscape of Karachi, is Xian Oriental Chinese. Located on the strip of eateries at Saba Avenue, the fine-dining restaurant aims to revive the taste of authentic Chinese. A friend and I were walk-ins at Xian last week and were swept away by its ambience which is kept sophisticated and plush, owing to beige leatherette furniture and eye-catching red accents. A roaring Chinese metallic dragon adorns one wall adding magnificence to the place. Sifting through the menu, we found it to be vast for newly-sprouted eatery, offering diners an array of soups, salads, appetisers, varieties in poultry, beef and even duck. We kick-started our early dinner with traditional Chicken Corn Soup and signature Giant Prawns, which arrived piping hot within fifteen minutes of the order. The steaming soup wasn’t too spicy or bland in taste, allowing us to tweak its flavour quotients by tipping in sauces. Their signature prawns lived up to the name; they were truly giant and arrived under a bed of delicately sliced lemons. I was sceptic about its texture being too hard or chewy, since they were big and batter-fried; thankfully it wasn’t the case. The batter was kept crispy yet soft, flavoured with a curious zest of lemon which I had not tasted in a prawn dish before. I liked it. On our server’s recommendation we had gone for Xian Special Beef and Dragon Chicken from the poultry section, alongside vegetable fried rice. With wafting aroma of sesame oil and Szechuan chili, Special Beef turned out to be a spice fest! Stir-fried and flavoured with chunks of capsicum and onion, the dark gravy was roller-coaster of flavours with a smokey flavour to it. I wasn’t a fan of their vegetable rice which had an odd underlying taste to it, owing to spices not mixed well. Our server immediately looked into it and served us another tray of rice which was just fine. Dragon Chicken turned out to be curiously sweet, tangy with a piquant spicy note. The meddling of these flavours and chili pepper seasoning added a spicy punch to each morsel. By this time we were full to the brim but our last order – Mediterranean Chownmein – arrived piping hot on the table. You feed with your eyes first and the dish of beautifully coiled noodles, with a spunk of greens, reds and yummy aroma added value to the dish. We could only manage a few bites but loved how the fish and prawns carried a distinct flavour, aside from the noodles. I do wish they were slightly saucy and sticky, because it was slightly drying on as we ate them.

Location: 1C, Saba Avenue, Street 3, Phase 5, DHA, Karachi, Pakistan
Average cost for 2: rs 3000 – 4500 aproxx

TASTE

For a new Chinese eatery it is important to establish a strong foothold with taste to keep up with the competition. And Xian shows potential. All dishes I tried were on their A-game with taste and flavours.

SERVICE

Extremely courteous and affable staff is on its toes to assure you enjoy your food. Kudos to the manager who ensured our dining experience goes smooth.

AMBIENCE

Xian keeps it sophisticated and elite, which offers diners who are looking for a fine-dining experience with good Chinese food, something new to explore.

PRESENTATION

With exceptional taste offerings and good service, this is the only area where the eatery needs to work on by being a bit more inventive with presentation.

VALUE FOR MONEY

All sections of the menu are relatively expensive. But for a fine-dining experience on special evenings, you may feel it’s worth the splurge.