My day revolves around my next meal.
A delicious and (thankfully) not too filling dessert soup. There were small cubes of Asian pear that added a nice crunch in the soup.
To wind up this Sichuan extravaganza, they served a simple palate cleansing soup. Next, a dessert and an opera recital by the manager/owner.
The Ma Po Dofu is their specialty. The best I have had in any place. Very spicy with balanced pepperyness. Each bite filled the senses with umami flavors which they created with ground pork, fermented black beans, and preserved vegetable. We were stuffed after the previous dish but we kept eating.
After the stewed brisket they turned down the heat with the pork loin and added another taste with the saltiness of fermented black beans. Mild heat.
Now they bring the heat! The bowl of stew had a number of two different hot peppers infusing the rich nutty beef gravy. They served it with a bowl of white steamed rice to soak up the gravy. I was pouring sweat even though I was right under the air conditioning. One of our favorite dishes.
A stew with clear rich chicken broth. It would be good for the flu season.
I had to present it on a spoon again. Not very spicy. The first dish after the appetizer and one of the weaker courses. Not bad though.
The third appetizer before our multicourse meal. Many of the dishes presented better on the Chinese spoon. Another well balanced dish with more La (heat) than Ma (pepper) this time. The sweat was beginning to bead on my forehead.
This was a BYOB that we bought at the City'Super in the IFC mall. The corkage is HK$150. A perfect food wine. Mineral foretaste. Peach mid note with a long mild honeydew melon finish. The midnote changed to grapefruit with some of the Ma La dishes. Well balanced wine that accompanied spicy food surprisingly well.
The other appetizer prior to the multicourse dinner. Well balanced pepper and heat.
A small peppery and spicy appetizer before our multicourse meal. There was a red crispy vegetable that I couldn't identify. Radish?
