Category Archives: Eats

tried and true foods

Old Chengdu Club

Posted on May 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

On Friday night Jeff and I got the chance to indulge in some amazing massages and a seriously delicious dinner at the Old Chengdu Club. The Club’s website heralds it as combining “the best tradition of service, hospitality, and friendliness,” radiating the “sentiment of yester-years;” up until Friday we only knew it as the place that denied us entrance when we stumbled upon it back in September while exploring the area around Wenshu Monastery. As a foreigner in Chengdu, rejection is an uncommon feeling, so we were mildly put off by the exclusivity (yet intrigued by what the hell could be so great about the place that they were in a position to reject laowai).

Jeff attended a Cinco de Mayo party there 2 weeks ago hosted by the Singapore Chamber of Commerce, and managed to win some vouchers for knowing the answers to some pretty challenging “Mexican” trivia (like what does “cinco de mayo” mean…). Although we experienced a slightly mortifying moment discovering the massage vouchers didn’t actually cover the entire cost of the massage, I was overall blown away by the service and facilities at the Spa of the club – it was quite possibly the nicest massage experience, ever. This was likely because we each had not one but TWO people massaging us at the same time …. a bizarre sensory experience that felt amazing but kept me from my normal tendency to fall asleep mid-massage because it just felt so counterintuitive to have 4 hands symmetrically massaging your body. It was intense, and a little weird, but overall awesome.

After the massages we headed to the Japanese Restaurant at the club (they also have a Chinese, Korean, and Western resataurant) which we were told served up the best Japanese in town. Our gift certificates were for the “japanese barbeque” for 2 people, so we never looked at a menu or made any decisions regarding what we ate. Sometimes, this method works out in your culinary favor and sometimes this does not. Luckily this dinner was an example of  the former – it consisted of about 6 or 7 mini courses ranging from fresh sashimi tuna and salmon on ice to perfectly seared slices of beef to an exquisite miso soup, and a few others in between. The desert was a lovely plate of fresh dragon fruit and watermelon, with a bean curd custard on the side which was fluffy and the perfect palate cleanser. I would particularly commend the restaurant for their fresh ginger (ha, ha) and perfectly head-numbing wasabi, 2 accoutrements I have found completely unsatisfactory at other Japanese restuarants I have visited in Chengdu. My only criticism of the restaurant would be when they brought literal meaning to the phrase “ice cold beer” with several cubes bobbing around in my Asahi. I realize this was only done in attempts to please the bizarre chilled-beverage-loving foreigners, but I mean seriously – why would you ever put ice in a beer. Luckily there was enough delicious food to distract me. We also had the privelage of sharing a cup of sake with the manager of the Club – a very hospitable Austrailian guy who was filling us in on how much the Club has changed the past few months under his management, and how he wants to create an atmosphere that is more accessible and foreigner-friendly. He seems to be accomplishing his goal, as I will whole heartedly recommend a visit to the Old Chengdu Club. There may not be much that’s actually old  about it, but it is a fantastic getaway from the chaos of Chengdu – and the “Duet” massage will actually change your life  - I’d just suggest a price check in advance :)

yumsashimi.

a mighty pretty dessert

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cafe mosaico

Posted on April 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

On Thursday we had the chance to try out Chengdu’s newest western restaurant – Cafe Mosaico. There are a couple”Italian” eateries in this city, some of which I’ve tried and the rest of which I’ve heard were awful before I went ahead and wasted my kuai on them. At the beginning of last week, Jeff told me there was a new option in town – an actual Italian restaurant complete with an actually Italian chef who spent time cooking in NYC and elsewhere. I was intrigued.

Arriving at the restaurant felt a bit like a time warp because the entrance is located on East Tongzilin, a road I frequent but somehow had never noticed it’s newest arrival. The exterior is as inviting as the interior is lavish, yet comfortable. The owner is a worldly Chinese guy whose “day job” is tiles – his tiles have outfitted some of the world’s nicest hotels. He described opening  a restaurant, Italian specifically, as his “hobby.” To authenticate said hobby he hired an Italian chef from Modena, Italy and created an interior ambience resonant of a fancy European lounge, complete with small dining rooms aptly titled “Roma,” “Milano,” etc etc. Our good impression didn’t stop with the decoration. Overwhelmed by the fact that every dish on the menu looked appealing, our host asked the chef if he would make our decisions for us, which turned into a deliciously drawn-out tasting menu. Retrospectively I realize this method prevented us from ever noting the average portion-size, as all our courses were passed out tapas-style. I prefer this elongated, European way of eating but given Mosaico’s prices it would be useful to know the actual portion size of an 110 RMB pasta dish (roughly $16 – not bad by American standards, quite spendy on this side of the world). Regardless, the Chef did impress me, which I consider relatively hard to do as my life has been blessed with some pretty incredible, varied, and authentic Italian food – from Italy to NYC to DC and ETC. I’ve been doubly blessed with a dad who can cook Italian food better than most, or at least many. So – Mosaico’s food was a pleasant surprise, although I am willing to concede that 8 months away from this type of fare probably worked in it’s favor.

tortelloniii

We started with a plate of really good prosciutto and melon, followed by the pan-seared scallops doused in an orange juice reduction. The scallops were tiny but tasty, and the reduction was a fantastic compliment. I let the chef know I was seriously after homemade pasta, which he obliged for the next two courses. First, a duo of homemade tortellinis – one stuffed with roast pumpkin, parmigiano, and nutmeg (YUM) and the other stuffed with ricotta and spinach, topped with walnuts in a balsamic cream sauce. The contrasting flavors on opposite sides of the same plate was definitely one of the highlights of the meal.  Next came beef ravioli smothered in a tangy wild mushroom sauce with a blue taro potato puree. Our main course was seared, sesame covered Tuna. Jeff found his piece to be a little overcooked, but mine was perfect. For desert – Tirimasu; again, completely made from scratch. Not to mention this whole affair was accompanied by multiple bottles of wine, and I got to appreciate the food and wine with not one but two charming financial consultants.

seared tuna mignon...yes please.

At only two weeks old the place was relatively empty, which I assume is due to the double whammy of high prices and lack of awareness amongst ex-pats, yet. In time I can see Mosaico gaining in popularity for both foreigners and Chinese alike, as it provides the unique, private, *expensive* setting that fancy Sichuan restaurants offer and so far no Western restaurants (outside of 5 star hotels) have managed to create. I was also assured by the owner that he is in no rush for Mosaico to fill up – he was completely confident that the quality of the food will speak for itself, as people slowly give it a try. I’m not sure when we’ll get the chance to return (as I’m only 40 days away from NYC Italian) but in the meantime I will positively recommend – the prices are worth the experience and the food quality; our meal there was memorable and much appreciated.

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Wenshu Monastery Vegetarian Restaurant

Posted on March 8, 2011 | 1 Comment

Wenshu Monastery is one of the more authentic spots on the tourist trail in this city. It is the best preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu, and walking through the grounds actually feels quite tranquil (a rare feeling). The different pavilions host a multitude of artwork, calligraphy, paintings, and cultural relics that date back hundreds of years. We’ve explored the monastery before but this past Sunday we ventured over there exclusively for the food – just inside the entrance to the monastery there is a vegetarian restaurant  that is acclaimed to be the best in Chengdu. I have nothing to compare it to because, like tranquility, vegetarian restaurants are few and far between in this city, but my brother (an avid vegetarian) and mom are coming to visit in 2 weeks so I’ve been trying to scope out the spots I won’t have to use my bad Chinese to make sure there is no meat in the vegetable dishes.

The restaurant was packed on a Sunday afternoon, and we waited a solid half hour to sit down, which was well worth it. The menu is extensive and includes pictures and english captions – most of the dishes are reminiscent of what you’d find on any Sichuan menu only here the “diced rabbit,” “hamburger meat,” and even “sea cucumber” are just imitations made with some vegetable-bean curd-gluten product. There was also a lot on the menu that I’d never seen or heard of before – like sliced lotus soaked in orange juice which I will definitely be trying when I return. We ordered 5 dishes between the two of us and it was more than enough food but still cost just under 100 kuai ($15). We picked at random knowing we’ll be back soon to try another round. The dishes not shown below that we also ordered were: tiny potatoes and vegetables cooked with fake hot dogs in a not-spicy sauce (decent), chewy sesame-covered pumpkin cakes, and spears of raw cucumber in a vinegar sauce with sea kelp, which was so.refreshingly.delicious. The meal was worth the trip, the cost, and the wait. I was pleasantly surprised with how effortlessly they turned out authentic tasting Sichuan dishes with no traces of meat. A +.

battered and fried mushrooms cooked with chillies

 

fresh walnuts with greens

spicy, cold buckwheat noodles

Outside the gates of the monastery the “folk cultural experiencing zone” is much cooler than it’s name suggests. There are tons of vendors with the standard trinkets, jewelry, and “antiques” as well as a wide array of street food. We did get milk tea and sugar cane juice (Jeff’s crack) but we were too full to properly sample all the Chengdu snacks, which are incredibly spelled out for you  here.

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papaya, please.

Posted on February 20, 2011 | 1 Comment

In one of the most delicious weeks to date, we were taken out again Friday night to an amazing, high-brow Sichuan restaurant.  For these communal meals (I like to call them Lazy Susan Sessions), it’s all about the ordering, and our host did an incredible job. Usually, alongside the delicious dishes there are plenty we try to avoid – like tripe cooked every which way, or gelatinous blood with vegetables, or the disconcerting way that they serve small birds with their heads completely on – but this guy kept it palatable, but diverse. We ate everything, although it did feel weird to try roast dove. Kind of like we were eating peace. The most memorable, unusual dish, deserving in itself of a blog post, was the his + hers course – a unique concept because to some it would seem quite sexist for a waiter to present two very different looking plates to the men and women of the table. But I seriously lucked out in being a chick last night:

This is a double boiled papaya, with a jellied fungus soup. It took me 20 minutes and almost half the papaya to figure out that it was in fact, a papaya. Google informs me it is not a typical Sichuan dish, though jellied fungus soup is quite common in most places. It’s supposedly very good for the woman’s Shenti (health) and Jenny told me it makes you beautiful. I told her in that case I would eat one every day because they are so delicious, but she balked at the suggestion and said “NO! It only makes you beautiful if you have it twice a year!” (But according to her I should also cut out cold beverages entirely if I ever plan to have a child. I could write a book on the bizarre Chinese rules of eating and drinking). The soup was served with honey and coconut milk to pour inside – combined with the soft fleshy papaya and sweet broth of the jellied fungus, it was absolutely delicious, and unlike anything I’ve ever had before. It wasn’t overly sweet, and the boiling of the papaya altered its taste beyond recognition- at first I thought it was some relative of a sweet potato or yam, without the heavy starchiness. As a side note, Jenny also informed me that each papaya ran at about 300 kuai ($45), a price that would seem steep even in America. So I guess I can’t get used to it. I really lucked out with this delicacy – to my left Jeff had to dutifully suck down the man’s dish: a slimy, gelatinous Sea Cucumber covered in tentacles , in a murky brown sauce. It was only delicately implied that its suggestive form was good for a man’s … well, if Jenny didn’t spell it out for me, I certainly won’t spell it out for you.

i call this chinese baklava

dumplings dumplings dumplings

 

what remained of tender, juicy ribs.

spicy rabbit with melon

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Mike’s Pizza

Posted on February 17, 2011 | 1 Comment

It’s hard to be accustomed to good pizza, and then move to Southwest China. Nothing compares, and the closest you can get is Papa John’s, which isn’t close. In the past 6 months we have found the occasional good slice – while traveling, Le Sud, even the Bookworm. But forget about calling up for pizza delivery and spending the night on the couch.

We met Mike and his wife a couple months ago at a friend’s party, they brought the pizza they had just started selling and I remember him talking about the lengths to which he went to get the proper ingredients and equipment to recreate pizza of the quality he was used to.  I didn’t try the pizza, so I forgot all about it. But despite Jeff’s offer to take me to a french dinner on Valentine’s day, I really felt like sitting on the couch. I remembered Mike. We kept it simple and ordered the Red Riding Hood (italian sausage, pepperoni, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes), garlic knots, and a spinach salad with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. I haven’t found baby spinach in any grocery store or street stand since I’ve been in China, and haven’t tasted goat cheese on sun-dried tomatoes in a long, long time. It was a great salad. The garlic knots were awesome, and the marinara sauce that accompanied them actually tasted like homemade marinara sauce, not a hot derivative of ketchup. I don’t think the pizza tasted like typical “New York Style,” but it was really, really good. The topping-cheese-sauce ratio was just right, and the crust was well seasoned and the right amount of crispy. Even better, all that food cost 125 kuai (under $20), making it one of the few Western options for a Southwest China price. Mike is also a very friendly guy, clearly committed to pleasing his growing customer base here and going out of his way to please (like delivering to us, despite living beyond his technical delivery zone). Just knowing I have the option of home-style delivery makes me a happier person. And made me a very happy Valentine.

http://www.mikespizzakitchen.com

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