Another tasty breakfast venue didn't have English signs... Very new and casual interior. Yet the foods are very traditional.
This is their signature dish Feichangfen, which is soupy spicy (of course) noodles with organ meats. The noodles are made with some potato and are semi transparent, which reminds me of Korean cold noodles. Unlike noodles made with wheat flour, they're very light. I really don't know what to call the liquid portion. Unlike ramen or pho, this is not soup because it's supposed to be left after all the noodles and other solids are eaten. But it's not thick enough to call it a sauce. It seems wasteful, but the water is from the pot that the noodles were being boiled in. It's not any special stock. So, I guess it's soupy just to dilute the seasoning and spices....
Nonetheless, it was very tasty. Again, it wasn't hot in terms of chili and had a nice flavor of szechuan pepper corn.
This is my most favorite szechuan dish, called Koushuijipian!! Cold steamed chicken is covered with chili oil with various spices and peanuts. I had to have this dish while I'm in Chengdu. I wish I had more time to try it at various restaurants. Spiciness-wise, it was pretty mild. I've had a much spicier version when I was in Los Angeles. All of chicken in Koushuijipian I've had in the US were bone-in. But this one had bones removed. It could be just this restaurant but I didn't expect that... Anyway, this was satisfyingly good dish.
There are not many sight seeing spots in the city. I could have made one day trip outside the city, but I rather wanted to have as many Szechuan dishes as possible. However, I did go to Wuhou memorial temple, which was beautiful. The temple is surrounded by Jinli pedestrian street, filled with souvenir shops, food stands, etc.
Although the street looked very touristy, I didn't see any vendors for foreign tourists. This is one of the very few vendors with English signs.
In this place, I found that draft beers are sold. I was expecting some sort of lager made in China. But they are selling IPA! I had to try it.
I was really impressed with their IPA. Very hoppy west coast style IPA. I figured out the owner of this venue is an American from Boulder, Colorado. No wonder why.... Anyway, this is unexpected in Chengdu.
Another late lunch to avoid the crowd. It is similar to the hot pot that I went to yesterday. But the difference is the foods are skewered.
Some appetizers, deep fried meats and sticky starchy cakes soaked in syrup. Later, I'd be glad that I had these, especially the sweet one....
Like the hot pot from yesterday, there are two kinds of broth. Based on my lesson yesterday, I chose the mildest (again there are 3 levels of spiciness). This broth is more chili and less szechuan pepper corn. It's supposed to the mildest of the three but it seems spicier than yesterday. As I ate, the heat of the chili got out of control and it became inedible. I was trying to cool down my mouth with the sweet appetizer, but I had to surrender at some point. It was too spicy.... Still tastes great, though.
The dinner was at Chin Ma Po Tofu, which is just across the street from the hotel. This restaurant is considered the pioneer of the famous Szechuan dish, ma po tofu.
Of course, I ordered their ma po tofu. Luckily, they offered two sizes, small and large. I chose small because I could try other dishes then.. I was expecting a pretty hot and numbing ma po tofu. But compared to the lunch, I didn't really feel any heat.. Since this is one of the most famous restaurants in Chengdu, probably they are toning it down??
This is another famous szechan dish, called twice cooked pork, which is my favorite. I've had both spicy and non spicy versions. I guess this is supposed to be spicy but not so much. All the twice cooked pork I've had before in the US was prepared with leeks. But the green veggie used in this dish didn't look like leeks. Probably Chinese chives? It was good but I wish it had more heat.
Not particularly Szechuan dessert but my favorite. Sticky rice ball filled with black sesame paste. The rice balls are served in the semi sweet warm water. Although I was pretty full, I finished this with no effort.
The service was pretty horrible. Because any other restaurants I went to in Chengdu weren't like this at all, I don't think this is Chengdu's "authentic" service. Probably famous restaurant's attitude?
When I left the restaurant, I saw two single customers. Each customer was having so many dishes. One lady was having a small ma po tofu and three other big dishes. Are people in Chengdu big eaters? Or are these people tourists and just trying to eat as much food as possible like me?
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