After offering cuisines from every other corner of the globe, Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails is bringing the Around the Globe tour to a close in Chengdu, China, capital of the Sichuan province beginning September 1.
Sichuan, also known as ‘The Land of Plenty’ is located in the fertile Sichuan basin, where the warm climate, abundant rain and river water create ideal farming conditions. This basin is the home of the Sichuan pepper, the most famous and one of the most ancient Chinese spices.
“This unusual spice provides much more than heat, ” according to Downtown Kitchen. “It is fragrant, woodsy, musty with citrus notes. Its most exciting and unusual property is the numbing, tingling sensation it creates on the tongue.”
The Chengdu menu, offered throughout the month of September, showcases some Chengdu’s most famous dishes, like Hot & Sour Duck Soup and Pork Belly Buns while providing examples of different techniques and flavor profiles. Clay Pot Fish Stew with Many Treasures, anyone?
Downtown Kitchen + Cocktail’s Chengdu Menu
Appetizers
- Bang Bang Chicken and Bruised Cucumbers – Scallions, sesame seed paste, vinegar, Sichuan pepper and refreshing cucumber salad
- Hot and Sour Duck Soup – Char siu pork, roasted duck, orange peel, dried mushroom, tofu, scallions, bamboo shoots, sesame oil
- Pork and Shrimp Dumplings and Pork Belly Buns – Three dumplings, two buns, spicy chili, mustard and aromatic dipping sauces
Main Courses
- Clay Pot Fish Stew with Many Treasures – Dried shrimp, chicken, bacon, mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, ginger, rice wine, dashi broth
- Pock-Marked Mother Chen’s Bean Curd (Ma Po Dou Fu) – Tofu, leeks, pork, crayfish, Sichuanese chili bean paste, fermented black beans
- Creamy Sichuan Eggplant, Stir-Fry Gai Lan and Oyster Mushrooms, Crisp Garlic Green Beans – Peanuts, sesame seeds, chives, cilantro
Desserts
- Caramel Sichuan Peppercorn Ice Cream and Sesame Cookies – Chocolate sauce, candied ginger, Sichuan peanut brittle
- Hibiscus Strawberry Tart and Toasted Merinuge – Hibiscus petal hard sugar
The complete three course dinner costs $38 per person ($35 with the eggplant main course). Individual menu items are available for order.
For more information, visit downtownkitchen.com.
