I know that sounds bad, but actually it was very invigorating.

Somewhere between a burnt tongue and topical anesthesia at the dentist. The interesting tongue numbing sensation of the Sichuan peppers on the dry fried eggplant was the most strange sensation. The fish and the eggplant were delicious and different, the tofu very flavorful and the lo mien decent. Ended up having the dry fried eggplant appetizer, house special fish filet, tofu with vegetable in clay pot and the mixed vegetable lo mein. This was great because I had an opportunity to chat at length with Mary Lee and Gen Lee the co-owners along with Peter Chang. Was expecting a crazy rush, but there were very few patrons at 6:30 pm. Went there Tuesday night as soon as I heard they were open. Slippery Dan Dan noodles, which one well-known Richmond chef comically renamed 'Jesus noodles' because they're that stinkin' good, arrived to the table swimming in a broth of chili oil, preserved vegetables, black rice vinegar, sherry and ground pork topped with minced scallions. Arriving family-style, with one seemingly endless dish passed around after another, our senses were teased again and again. There was still dinner.Īnd, what a meal it was. Those were just some of the passed appetizers and snacks we sampled. Hot and numbing dry beef does exactly that, yet still retains its signature Sichuan jerky-that's-been-deep-fried quality, which results from a laborious four-part cooking process. Classic shrimp toast is accented with spicy salt and freshly ground shrimp resting atop bread that is expertly deep fried while crispy spring rolls are far from the regular stuff and are filled with coriander and fish. Chili peppers and peppercorns become almost prickly on the tongue yet subside as the soft, mild vegetable settles in. It's playful cuisine designed to challenge the senses with seemingly infinite variations of texture, taste and sensory hot followed by cool.ĭry fried eggplant is crispy on the outside yet melts in the mouth once its outer shell has been broken. From tickling the lips with numbing Szechuan peppercorns to drying the tongue with bits of tannic bitter melon, flavors arrest the palate in symphony's not quartets. It's culinary balance in its purest form. The beauty of Szechuan cooking is the careful marriage of its seven basic flavors: pungent, sour, hot, bitter, sweet, aromatic and salty.

Peter chang menu short pump