Ten years into the business of serving the choicest of Chinese cuisine. Maintaining a low profile. Always different. A taste of the hidden secret of rarity and more is what Fa Yian is all about. Its only the hollow inside who brag about their wares outside is an epithet that applies aptly to the restaurant in the plush Connaught Place area. Its a delightful fare from start to end.

The restaurant, which has shifted to a place just a stones throw away from the earlier location, has been exquisitely done up with simple yet tasteful decor amidst air-conditioned comfort. Rare plates and trays of different shapes and sizes, including one of the Nizams platter, are arranged systematically on the wall as one enters the place to savour the better than the best of China. Says Mr. Francis, co-owner of the eating house we are always different and believe in serving the real China in India with profit motive and turnover being only secondary issues for us. Little wonder then that Fa Yian has dedicated customers many of who even come four times a week to eat out there. What is more amazing is that some of them order the same set of dishes each time they come, Mr. Francis adds.

Flower Garden is what Fa Yian means in Chinese and though there are no gardens around the premises of the 65-cover restaurant, the ambience and the aroma of the dishes appears as if one were in a garden. Simple, yet subtle and eye-catching is the furniture while the sauce and spice containers have been chosen with a lot of care. For its the sauces and spices that give the real pep to Chinese food. Appetising, wholesome and healthy to say the least is how food can be described at the outlet, which is open from 12 noon to 3 p.m. for lunch and 7p.m. to 11p.m. for dinner.

There are a host of appetizers all worth a try, but if you were really choosy, then the ideal would be to go in for Sui Chiao (steamed dumplings filled with marinades of prawn/chicken/vegetables served with garlic soya sauce). May sound a bit too costly at Rs.120, but then quality is something one has to pay for. One could go in for fried wonton at Rs.95, which are crispy wrappers filled with choice of chicken/vegetable mince served with garlic sauce, a pleasure to say the least. If you haven?t heard of different sauces for different stuff, then you?ll see it at Fa Yian. Its both the simple and complex varieties of authenticity. With the appetizers over, its time to move onto the soups, which again offers one delectable contraption after the other. Its only those who have been to China who can vouch for what the food at the joint stands for. And mind you nothing can escape the eagle like eyes of Mr. Gregory who looks after the kitchen to ensure that there is no kind of compromise with quality. Even the ubiquitous momos, both fried and steamed present a picture extraordinaire and take you on an altogether different journey what with the special soya and garlic sauce. Both in the steamed and fried varieties, the sauce give it an additional dash of elegance. Among the soups try Fa Yian Special at Rs.80. It is a tangy blend of cream corn, mushrooms, glass noodles and fresh vegetables. A combination that transports you over the seas to the land of the dragon. Little wonder that it has been christened Fa Yian Special. Even the devilishly common sweet corn soup available at any joint at Rs.75, is something beyond the ordinary. And before you move onto the real meal, pamper the taste buds with ginger ale something you?ll never regret when you think of the poor old stomach and its digestive juices

And just as is the quality of the food, so is the service. Things come to you in a jiffy as if it had been planned well in advance and yet coming as fresh as flower. If you are a prawn fan, then in the main course go in for the Fa Yian prawn a treat at Rs.395 and do not miss out on the Fa Yian fish, a mouthwatering combination with its gravy priced at Rs.195. It can go excellently with noodles or rice. And while mentioning noodles just forget about anything else and grab the Fa Yian noodles or rice at Rs. 90. There?s more and the choice rests with you. Lamb dishes come all for Rs. 140 for those with a flair for the soft stuff. While the busy birdies could go in for the Singapore chicken, a speciality both for the way it is cooked and also for getting at the truth, at Rs.135. But what takes the cake is the honey chicken, priced at Rs.10 more. It simply melts in the mouth. If you are a vegetarian then the axe naturally falls on honey potato at Rs. 115. Heard of it - if not then Fa Yian will narrate its tale to you. At the same price comes the vegetable pepper salt and the mixed vegetable baby corn - two priceless gifts to the outlet that go well with both noodles and rice. The journey could go on or if you wish to end up with the desserts. At the end of it all you will only sing praises of what a light stomach is all about - the quantity notwithstanding.

So, if our are thinking in terms of savouring the real taste of China, hosting a birthday party or wedding party or even some other event with a Chinese menu then your place has to be Fa Yian at A-25/5, Middle Circle, Connaught Place. Phone 23323272 and 23323237