Sichuan at the Chengdu Representative Office

Tonight we tried a Sichuan place which was written up in the City Weekend magazine as a can’t miss restaurant. It was the restaurant at the Chengdu Representative office in the Shudu Hotel, down an alley from Jingshan Park.   The entrance embodied the usual Chinese soulless décor of provincial hotels and the restaurant fared no better, with a very cafeteria like appearance.  The smell of baijiu which greeted us at the hotel entrance only intensified as we entered the restaurant.  We sat in a private room away from the noise and odor- it was 8 pm when we sat down at the only table left.    The dinner started out auspiciously as they informed us the kitchen would close at 8:40. Then as we were ordering we found out that they had no Ma Po Doufu, kind of the equivalent of McDonalds running out of French fries.  Nevertheless there was plenty more to choose from.   The only beer options were warm, as they informed us the refrigerator was not plugged in. But a short trip down the alley produced ice cold Yanjing at 5 RMB a bottle so we were covered on drinks.  

The food itself was good, just not great. We might have been receiving slightly reduced spice levels being foreigners- often very common in Sichuan restaurants in China.  The cold appetizers included a nice lotus root with a spicy sauce with a tinge of peppercorn and the standard Sichuan cold dish - spicy chicken in a sesame spicy broth.     The dandan mian were for me, the highlight of the meal-  spicy broth,  noodles done to perfection with minced pork and green vegetable- very well executed and I was sweating after this one.  The shuizhuyu (fish in spicy oil) was ok. Our first choice- catfish- was not available so we opted for the basic river fish.   It was ok- the fish was well cooked- nicely tender- but the broth needed more peppercorns- it was just very mild.     The laziji ( deep fried spicy chicken and peppers) was reasonably well executed with a nice kick but the chicken was pretty sparse.  The gongbao xia (shrimp) was garden variety-  a good balance of sour, sweet and spicy- but again, not enough spice- the shrimp were also on the small side.   There was a very nice beef fillet and green spicy pepper stir fry which had a good balance of spice, and the gan bian (French beans with preserved vegetables and chil) was done to a very high standard, the beans tender/crisp with the nice sourness of the preserved vegetables complementing it perfectly and a small bit of spice to give it a little character.

All in all, it was an acceptable meal, at a very acceptable price – 105 RMB a couple- which is very hard to do in Beijing these days.   We were kind of forced out of the restaurant at 930 as the last ones to leave as things shut down early.  The company was great and the food satisfied at the basic level.  There are better Sichuan places to be found in Beijing, so this is a can miss, but it was not bad overall.

A wine I enjoyed this week was the Vriesenhof Kallista 2004 – a South African meritage style red with Merlot and Cabernet as well as Cabernet Franc.  The wine had a medium body, with very soft tannins (the bottle aging was just about right). Plenty of red fruit to enjoy and a little bit of earthiness coming from the Cabernet.   A very pleasant drink.

 

  

Weekend Experiences

The weekend here brought excellent sunny weather and a plethora of activity with the kids- multiple birthday parties, school picnic and soccer games. In between, we found time to eat.   Friday night brought us to a new restaurant in our neighborhood , Mei Zhou Dong Po Restaurant.  It's located down the road from the Daystar Academy on Shunbai Road.  The food variety was quite broad, cutting across multiple regions. The Dong Po Pork, the classic Hangzhou dish, was excellent, with a pleasant surprise of green chili mixed in to give it a little kick. The black pepper beef was well executed, on an iron skillet with copious wild mushrooms and grilled onions- the beef was tender.  The baozi were pretty good - minced pork but with more of a sweeter sauce which seemed to be based on bean paste.  Erik pretty much gobbled these up. The sweet and sour pork was a bit disappointing, the exterior not crispy enough and the sauce was pretty bland. The gongbao jiding was reasonably well cooked but was lacking personality, as the level of spice was nowhere near where it should have been.  The eggplant on iron skillet was enjoyable, a touch on the oily side but still very flavorful with diced peppers , grilled onions and garlic.  The overall meal was pleasant and the value was good- 240 RMB for 5 people.    

Saturday night brought us to Bellagio on Gongti Xilu.   Bellagio is an upscale Taiwanese eatery popular with clubbers as it is located next to some of the best clubs in the city and it is open late. One notable feature is its female wait staff, all of who must have short cropped hair to work there.  But this idiosyncrasy aside, the food is quite enjoyable.  We had the delicious san bei ji (3 cup chicken), which is an aromatic dish of chicken based on soy, rice wine, and sesame oil and flavored with garlic and ginger.  Then we had some barbecued pork and roasted duck, more in the Cantonese style but delicious nevertheless. We had sauteed dragon beans and ginkgo, the dragon beans with an excellent crispy texture.  We also had some melt in your mouth minced pork in a flavorful broth and a noodle dish of barbecued beef and fragrant greens which had a pleasant kick to it. This was washed down with chrysanthemum tea and a very pleasant Taiwanese beer with a nice touch of hops.   Dinner for 3 netted out at around 290.  

On Sunday we decided to pick up some local food in our neighborhood for lunch. I had a craving for jianbing so I headed to the Jenny Lou's on Laiguangying where the food carts were set up.   Jianbing is a little work of art. It is essentially a crepe which is cooked with egg, black sesame seeds, cilantro, green onions,  bean paste,  and optionally some chili , wrapped around a crispy piece of fried dough. It is excellent and cheap and is great for breakfast or lunch.  So , I picked up a couple of these, then went down Laiguangying for some baozi, and then also stopped in the local village next to our compound, Ma Quan Ying, for some lao bing - unleavened flat bread - and some stuffed pancakes with chinese chives and egg. I think I spent a total of $3 but had plenty of food for everyone. 

Our day finished at Pinotage restaurant in Lane Bridge Compound on Laiguangying, where we attended a birthday party.  The catered food was very good, from the lamb skewers to the shrimp spring rolls.  The notable thing for me was the wine i had- a Kanonkop Kadette, which is a South African red blend of Pinotage, Cab and Merlot.  It had a pleasant, earthy character, with plenty of cherry and berry fruit- and had a medium body which worked well with the food we were having.  I am usually not a Pinotage fan as it tends to be a bit tannic for me but the Cab and Merlot did wonders in balancing it out.

A busy weekend, but a few opportunities here and there to experience some new things.

Intro to My Blog

I probably should have started this blog a long time ago. I've had a life long passion for food and drink of all kinds. My wife and I invest significant time seeking out new culinary experiences, both in our home and out in restaurants. So, this blog is just a running commentary on my daily experience with food and wine.  We live in Beijing so if not highlighted the restaurant is likely here. Hope you enjoy it.