Delicacies
Secret of really hot food good chili
By Ye Jun (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-17 13:40
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At an authentic Sichuan restaurant you don't need to worry about feeling uncomfortable afterwards. I learned this lesson from eating at Taoranju, which terms its cuisine Chongqing, or Chuanyu style.
The reason for the absence of stomach upsets is that all the chili used is natural and of excellent quality.
After three months of renovations, Taoranju Chongqing Restaurant's Kuntai branch reopened recently. It has increased the number of private rooms to 25, while the public dining area has been decreased, so it is more suitable for family gatherings, or small groups.
The menu has also been modified, adding 20 modern Cantonese dishes, 12 Beijing dishes and 20 "private family cuisine" style dishes.
A healthy twist can be perceived from the design of the new dishes. White pork on pole, for example, is a classic Sichuan dish created by the restaurant more than 10 years ago. Now the white pork is swapped for the healthier oyster mushroom, which tastes similar.
Another dish uses free-range chicken in millet congee, a light but delectable tasting alternative to the spicy and tongue-numbing chicken with taro.
White-cut fresh sea bass and shredded chicken with mashed bell pepper are two other starters that tasted good.
Kong Pao prawn was fried and given a Thai twist to make it fresh and spicy. French foie gras sauce has never been used to braise Sichuan countryside aubergine before, but the combination is flavorsome.
Other orders worth checking out are Peking roast duck, dry-fried pork meatballs, white pork with sour cabbage in the pot, and fried green bean curd.
Additionally, there is authentic Chongqing style hot pot, with five meat dishes and five vegetable dishes. You can even order "snowflake" beef for the hot pot.
Chongqing xiaochi, or "small eats", is a must at the eatery. Don't forget to order boiled dumplings with rice wine, dandan noodles, and clear-soup wonton. The meal will set you back 100 yuan a person if you sit in the public dining area, but the bill is likely to be over 150 yuan a person in the private rooms.
To mark its reopening the restaurant gives a 12 percent discount until Jan 20.
