"Big chicken'' served with noodles is one of the all-time Xinjiang cuisine classics.(Photo/Shanghai Daily)
Miss Ali, the once cozy Xinjiang cuisine restaurant on Dagu Road, recently reopened on Yuyuan Rd East with an all-new design.
Miss Ali's new look resembles a modern, industrial-style cafe rather than a traditional Xinjiang restaurant. The new location has a much larger, open space with a high ceiling and only a few embroidered pillows in ethnic style that linger on the sofa seats.
The menu, printed on kraft paper, is straightforward and clear. Though the lack of photos makes it a little difficult to order unfamiliar dishes, the waiters were quite good at describing the dishes and explaining the ingredients.
For appetizer, the lamb skewers on the tamarisk (15 yuan per skewer) is one of the house's signature dishes. Large chunks of mutton on the natural tamarisk branches were juicy and flavorful thanks to the cumin seasoning.
"Big chicken" is one of the all-time Xinjiang cuisine classics: a small portion of regular chicken is 58 yuan and there's also the option of farm cage-free chicken for 88 yuan for a small portion, while a large portion is 158 yuan. We recommend a small plate, as it is more than enough for two to share. The chicken is stewed nicely in a rich broth that's slightly spicy and the potatoes were soft and had absorbed all the flavors. The dish was served with a small plate of pre-cooked handmade thick noodles to dip in the broth after you're done with the chicken and potatoes. The stir-fried naan with mutton (58 yuan) is also recommended. The freshly baked naan was soft, the mutton was juicy and the whole dish came together well as it had just the right amount of seasoning.
The traditional lamb roasted in naan pit (98 yuan for small, 198 yuan for large) is a good choice for meat lovers. If you would like a whole roasted lamb leg prepared in the same style (458 yuan), you will have to reserve it a day in advance. The dessert menu is quite short, so it's hard to miss the house-made yogurt (18 yuan). Served in a small wooden bowl, the yogurt was topped with raisins from Xinjiang, white sesame seeds and chopped walnut as well.
Rose panna cotta (18 yuan) is a Western style dessert. The pink dish was made with real rose juice and topped with dried rose petal flakes. It's moderately sweet and had a dense texture.
For beverage, Miss Ali offers the traditional Xinjiang style milk tea in sweet or savory flavors as well as Xinjiang black tea and beer.
The service was very attentive, the waiter came to change the plates without being asked and all dishes were served in a timely fashion.
