Master Strokes

Master Chef Fu Lei offers diners at Tao-Fu, JW Marriott Pune, a choice of delectable preparations drawing on his heritage and family recipes

- Brinda Gill

Chinese by birth and upbringing, Master Chef Fu Lei has worked at restaurants in different countries. He first came to India in 2007 for four years and then returned in 2018. At Tao-Fu, the Chinese restaurant that recently opened at JW Marriott Pune, Chef Fu Lei has curated a unique dining experiece. He spent the last year in Pune trying out local food with the aim of offering diners traditional, authentic family-style Chinese food, so that they could experience the difference between Indo-Chinese food and authentic Chinese.

“I want to bring the heritage of Chinese food going back six centuries, with the original flavours of Sichuan spices, especially Sichuan pepper, and the joy and warmth of Sunday family meals cooked by my mother and grandmother,” he says.

A sense of space and style unfolds at Tao-Fu as one steps into the voluminous restaurant with well spaced seating, private dining areas as well as outdoor seating. Pendant lamps. (inspired by dim sum baskets), blue and white vases, a buzzing bar, an open kitchen with a backlit panel to the ceiling and the menu presented on iPads (complete with images and videos) create a smart, contemporary vibe.

The beverage menu features an extensive range of cocktails, wines and spirits. Twelve Zodiac Cocktails specific to Chinese zodiac signs and five Tea Cocktails invariably catch the interest of diners. Tapping the Chinese zodiac sign linked to your year of birth on the horoscope wheel reveals a drink to match your sign!

The multicoloured Zodiac Cocktails arrive with flourishes such as slivers of edible gold leaf on the Qilin cocktail while the Moon Rabbit cocktail is topped with an ethereal bubble that gently bursts into delicately scented wisps of vapour.