At Cho Asia in Putney, chef Parminder Singh has developed a creative menu with twists on familiar Asian dishes, all well rounded and complex. Writer Sanjuna Budhani takes it for a taste drive to find out more
“Urgh did you see her quenelle?!” I say, sat on my sofa eating leftover pasta bake from two days ago. Cooking shows have a way of bringing out the (unfounded) critic in us.
We have plenty of opinions watching an edited cooking competition where contestants make dishes we’ve never heard of. “No! You left it in too long!” we exclaim at the TV, despite never having made a Swiss meringue before.
So when I got the chance to check out Parminder Singh’s Cho Asia (yes the former MasterChef contestant) in Putney, I put on my (unqualified) critic’s hat and went to see his approach to Pan-Asian food.
First Challenge
We kicked off with a Toki Old-Fashioned and Mango Bellini. The Old Fashioned used a japanese whisky instead of the standard bourbon, which meant the cocktail was lighter and the addition of the five spice bitters accentuated the floral notes from the Toki.
Overall a well balanced interesting take on a classic. The bellini also had actual mango in it! The mango pulp brought out the sweetness of the prosecco.
Small But Mighty
We started with a few small plates. And while they were small in size, they were not small in flavour. The dry garlic prawns were sink-your-teeth-in meaty and savoury. The chili chicken was all the right things; spicy, tender, garlicky. You can definitely see the Chinese influence on the starters. Fan favourites but executed well.
The spicy chicken dumplings were generously filled and had a soft smokiness to them, the prawn har kau in their translucent wrappings were perfectly chewy on the outside and gently sweet on the inside.
The Main Event
At this point, we were well on the way to being satiated. So when the Kolkata lamb shank and the slow braised beef ribs with prune and winter turnip came out, we knew we had to shift our belts a couple of notches.
The lamb shank, I still think about to this day. A gentle poke and the meat falls clean away from the bone. Lamb can have a strong, almost gamey flavour, but this had been slowly cooked away and a deep savoury flavour remained. The meat broke apart with a minimal touch and was fantastic scooped up with the rich gravy. The beef, similarly, felt apart at the slightest nudge. The prune and winter turnip added a sweetness that helped supplement the meat sauce.
You’d be surprised to learn that I also had the space for the Indian inspired coconut jaggery rice pudding, but I had to, for science.
The Wordrobe Verdict
Chef Parminder Singh has developed a creative menu with twists on familiar Asian dishes, all well rounded and complex. I must confess, despite my loud opinions when watching skilled chefs cook in ultra high pressure TV competitions, I cannot cook like this, and boy oh boy, I wish I could.
Make it happen
Where: 90 Lower Richmond Rd., London SW15 1LL
How: Find out more and make a booking via choasia.com
Words by Sanjuna Budhani, freelance writer
