Crazy for Sichuan food

I don't know when it got started. If yawning is contagious, I would argue food cravings can be contagious too. The devil living inside me has an increasing tolerance and appetite for Sichuan food ever since I moved back to Hong Kong. Albeit most sichuan dishes are excessively seasoned and oily, some said spicy food is good for skin but the unfortunate most would be more prone to massive breakout. Luckily spicy food doesn't stimulate acne for me or make my stomach turn, eating too much of it would still make my lover's handles more prominant.

As a typical taurus, I am not very adventurous with restaurant choices and tend to visit the same places incessantly until the restaurants screw up miserably. Whenever my friends ask where to go for dinner, I would always list my 3 choices: yakitori, sichuan food or hotpot.

For sichuan food, my favorite dinner place as gotten to be San Xi Lou 三希樓(滿江紅), even a chengdu born guy would claim this as the best sichuan restaurant in HK, although the spicy level has adjusted down a notch. I went there again, this time not for hotpot but for hot dishes.

Spicy chicken/ "saliva" chicken - chicken was lean and meaty. The sauce was adjusted just right and not too sweet. I always love the peanuts on top of the chicken to give a crunchy texture when combined. A must order item whenever I dined at the restaurant.

The cold dish - fun pai - I wonder if they make the fun pai themselves because these are thicker than the ones at other restaurants. The key is the sauce that's hot and flavorful enough because fan pai is basically tasteless. I just love the sauce that can burn your tongue.

Sichuan wonton in red sauce. Not the best that I have had, I still prefer the wraps to be the kind of dumplings rather than the guangdong wonton. I am still obsessed with the one at sichuan dai ping fou, where the skin is thick and chewy and absorb a great deal of hot sauce.

Dam dam noodles - basically noodles in peanut sauce.

Deep fried tofu cubes - great snacks for beer.

Fish in chili soup - Another must order item at any sichuan restaurant. because the soup base is so oily the fish fillets absorbed all the oil hence become very smooth and slimy. Inside the bowl you can also found the potato starch noodles and lots of beans sprouts.

Tofu and beef - the tofu was silky and smooth and is a great combination with the beef in chili sauce and peanuts.

For dessert, we had the pumpkin soup, red beans jelly and sweet dumplings in rice wine. I have to admit that the restaurant doesn't offer very good dessert. but still something sweet can moderate the flame after a spicy dinner.

I need to convince people that we all can train up our tolerance level for spicy food. I keep lifting my tolerance level for every visit to sichuan restaurant, and I am addicted to the excitment of burning my tongue off after a hot dinner. Call me crazy but that's my devil's calling....