Fat Emperor: A big, fat, Cantonese surprise

Trust me it was love at first sight. How can this be a mere dim sum? I wondered. Its exterior was charcoal black, and the lustre of the skin was a la the glass skin of a fashionista: supple, shiny and toned. 

On top of it was a piece of edible gold leaf, making it look like a precious gemstone. As I picked it up with the chopsticks, my fingers were trembling with excitement. The joy of sinking my teeth to devour the sumptuousness awaiting. I drizzled it with some chilli oil, and a bubble burst as I put it inside my mouth. 

The meaty dumpling bathed my taste buds with flavours. The credit goes to the sweetness of prawn bonding with the spiciness of chilli oil. The foodie in me was beaming. I moaned, "Mmmmm," as I finished the last bit of the dumping and asked, "so what is it called? Say it again please." "Charcoal Hargaw with truffle prawn", Nyeemun Nabi Azad answered with a smirk, "I knew you would love it." 

Sitting on the 9th floor of Bay's 23 Gulshan Avenue, we were talking about Nayeem's latest baby, Fat Emperor, a restaurant serving authentic Cantonese food, a rarity in the city that loved Chinese food ever since dining outside came into vogue.

"See, most of the Chinese restaurants we have here serve Szechuan-based food which is spicy, oily and particularly peppery. But with Fat Emperor, we would like to introduce authentic Cantonese food, which is famous all over the world for its use of fresh ingredients with a subtle sweetness associated with it", Nayeem, one of the managing partners of the restaurant explains. 

As a techie-turned-restaurateur Nayeem loves to travel and try different cuisines. That would be his favourite cuisine but his love affair with Cantonese food needed a special acknowledgement and thus this restaurant was born. 

Nayeem and his partners are already popular among foodies for their successful venture Laughing Buddha, offering Thai delicacies. "My partner Farazi Ghani and I worked on the concept of a Cantonese-style restaurant for years and designed bit by bit, starting from the menu, decor and ambience," he elaborates. 

Looking at the interior one can certainly appreciate their attention to detail. The logo, representing the mask of a Chinese warrior, is intriguing. While the logo of Laughing Buddha represents a smiling monk in gold on the black alphabet, for Fat Emperor they chose red on white. 

Was it because they wanted to make it look serious since they are claiming to offer a "truly imperial experience"? "The whole idea was to create an experience that will allow you to take your family to dinner in a serene atmosphere. 

As you can see we have used black or grey with red in the interior–the idea was to give a mystic look, as if you have entered the kingdom of an emperor who himself is a gourmand and he will serve the best dishes to his guests," Nayeem elaborates. 

The king's face, as you can see in several places inside the restaurant will certainly grab your attention. "We were looking for a catchy name that does proper justice to the opulence and indulgence we were about to offer. Therefore, when Nayeem suggested 'Fat Emperor', I was game," adds Farazi, the other managing partner who oversees the marketing aspect of the restaurant, while Nayeem is looking after the operations. 

As we kept discussing, Nayeem insisted on trying the crispy prawn net spring roll in truffle mayo. The meshlike outer surface of the spring roll crackled beneath my incisors as I took my first bite.

It instantly reminded me of some of the viral Instagram ASMR food reels showing crispy snacks making which I had doubts about. But this one proved that it's possible to make those spring rolls beautifully brittle. 

The smooth and creamy mayo with a hint of truffle oil and garlic makes the dish more delectable. "I find them quite irresistible", Nayeem says, as he picks up one from the plate. He believes understanding the cuisine and its intricacies is important to become a full-time restaurateur. 

"The nuances associated with culinary practices should be emulated in your endeavour," he shares his pearls of wisdom. As we chatted more, I came to know about the various challenges they faced while setting it up. 

Since the restaurant wanted to offer authentic Cantonese food, finding the right combination of people and ingredients was imperative. That being said, importing ingredients which are fresh and quality-checked can be a daunting task for any entrepreneur during the ongoing dollar crisis. 

However, they weathered the challenge and succeeded in ensuring a menu that is full of versatile flavours. One of their most-coveted items is the Peking duck, a dish which truly has stood the test of time. Originating in the 13th century in Hangzhou, this dish takes more than a day to prepare and serve. 

The roasted duck has won the hearts of food lovers for centuries with crispy amber skin, underneath which awaits a symphony of flavours of duck meat, delicate in texture but bold in savouriness. 

The restaurant also has soups, xiao long bao, bao buns and noodles rolls. Next, we tried the chicken shumai; round in shape, these hearty nibbles are filled with chicken dumplings. Eating one will certainly compel you to try another and probably one more!

As far as price is concerned, Fat Emperor is targeting the high-tier people of society who would love to spend family time. The restaurant has spacious private dining rooms, with a maximum capacity of 100-110 people for any big event. With adequate privacy, a pleasant ambience and above all, a menu full of flavourful freshness, Fat Emperor deserves to be on your bucket list of food ventures in Dhaka.