Ping’s Cafe Orient by PCO

Beautifully presented and completely delicious ‘healthy asian street food’ from the fine folks at PCO. So good that we’re already planning our next visit.

Ping’s has grown to be my latest go-to place. Located in the Lodhi Colony Market, I treat it like a Asian tapas restaurant because it offers street food from most South Asian countries. Lots of vegetarian options in the small plates category and if you manage to reach the Main section, there is enough there too. I might add that the non-vegetarian is exceptional as well but I’ll let the others tell you about it. Ping’s has small light bulbs hanging on each table which you can turn on to catch the eye of the server instead of shouting or craning your neck.

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This evening, my first with the family here, started with my other recent favourite – the Negroni.

thefamilytable-pingsFirst to arrive was the Raw Papaya Salad – crispy, tangy and fresh. The second was the Philadelphia cheese & truffle oil dimsums – a sort of Italy meets China fusion – worked for all of us it seems, considering we ordered 3 portions.

thefamilytable-pings13The crystal dumplings were so-so as were the corn fritters, both lacked crunch. Crispy potatoes (which I have to order purely out of my love for the vegetable) could also be given a pass. The Thai red curry was exceptional however. Tasted light and balanced , not too creamy or overly spicy, it went well with the sticky rice. The desserts were un-exciting. Easy to get to, no parking hassle, good service, great food, decent bar – well, whats not to like about Ping’s?

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I bless Rax for taking us to Ping’s. It was honestly the best oriental I’ve had in a while. Everything had ‘bags of flayvah’ (thank you, George Calombaris) and personality.

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I had high hopes for my Singapore Sling given that PCO is known for its cocktails, but it was disappointing (I had to replace it with a glass of Riesling.) I really enjoyed the Raw Papaya salad and the Cream Cheese and Truffle Oil Dimsum. Bizarre combination but it works so well.

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The Corn Fritters were very pretty to look at and tasted good with Sriracha. The Crystal Dumplings were fairly boring after all the other flavours we’d been enjoying.

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I loved the Fresh Spinach and Mushroom Fried Rice with Mapo Tofu. Perfection.

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It’s just been 2 days and already I can’t wait to go back to Ping’s.

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We spent a cozy evening at Ping’s. The decor is true to the projection of street food – dimly lit and yet inviting, much like any street in Bangkok where you’d get your dim sum fix. We had some fantastic dumplings, chicken and vegetarian. They were very refined and the dipping sauce was excellent. The Philadelphia cheese dim sum deserves a special mention for its unique flavour combination with truffle oil (specially when encased in a dim sum). 

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Amongst other things, we also had some papaya salad, which was tasty.

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The Thai red curry with vegetables was packed with flavour and not overtly creamy.

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Each dish we tried was delicious. Ping’s is a rare find. The serving style and serving ware can do with some upgradation, however the overall experience was definately a winner. I look forward to going back there soon!

I was impressed with almost everything I ate at Ping’s. I do, however, make a better Bloody Mary than what I had there.

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The dimsum were all very tasty, as were the salads. The beef salad was something unusual for me, with fantastic flavour combinations – tart, sweet and chilli at the same time.

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The sticky rice with spinach and mushroom was exceptional, but to me the clear winner was the duck stewed rice with pokchoy and burnt garlic. I would go back just for this dish. If you haven’t been already, Ping’s is definitely worth checking out.

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Ping’s Cafe Orient, 13 Main Market, Lodhi Colony, New Delhi. Call them at 09999447977.

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