The setting here is very warm and inviting setting with a touch of nature. We were seated at the communal table in the middle as rest of the round tables are full. Surprisingly it's not awkward at all even we're sharing the table with other people. There are enough space between seats to keep our conversation private, and the seats are actually quite comfortable and leave us a lot of room to place the wholesome food that follows.
We started with a cold dish recommended by the server - Eight-flavor tofu. As told, this is a quintessential Sichuan dish which the local people would DIY and mix the tofu with condiments to their liking. We were given 9 seasonings including a tongue numbing chilli sauce with oil, chilli peppers, some crushed garlic, soy sauce and many more to play with. The flavors are awesome and we can have different combinations. The texture of tofu is quite firm and unlike the tofu we've tried elsewhere, it has quite a standout flavor of soybean.
Then we had another appetizer - Translucent beef slices, which tastes like beef jerky but it's melting in your mouth. The flavors are amazing with a little bit of heat from what I believe is Sichuan peppercorn powder. The spiciness is than neutralized by a layer of glazed honey to make it addictively delicious.
For main course we tried the Mud crab with pickled chili, which is very flavoursome with just the balanced amount of heat and sourness. The crab is served on a bed of fried rice cake slices, and it's meaty and quite sizeable for its price. The rice cakes had absorbed the chilli sauce and gave a lot of flavor. This dish is quite filling so this can be enjoyed as a carb dish as well.
As sister and I were almost full at this point, we were about to leave but the manager came and asked if we want some desserts. Instead of the anticipated Chinese desserts, we were introduced to some exoticly flavoured ice cream - drunken chilli chocolate ice cream and sichuan peppercorn ice cream. No sweet tooth like us could resist this temptation therefore we ordered one of each. Indeed both were very tasty and delivered the Sichuan spices that they promised. Personally I preferred the chocolate ice cream which is enhanced by a strong scent of Sichuhan rice wine. The vanilla version is also a sweet and heaty choice and my sister loves its elegant presentation with rose petal.
Overall a very satisfying full with lots of flavors - from spicy to sour to sweet.
