I have a confession to make: yesterday when I was due to visit a local opera restaurant, I couldn't bear the thought of eating more Shanghainese dumplings and noodles that I cancelled and made a run to the nearest Sichuan restaurant, Nina's Spicy Food.
It's not that Shanghainese food is bad, it's just... Shanghainese. The food derives its flavoring mainly from its base ingredients. It's uncomplicated and pure on the one hand, but on the other, it can be uninspiring and lack dimension.
I come from a Cantonese family and was raised with a flavor palate heavily coded by oil, garlic and chili. So when I had to eat a pork dumpling that contains only pork meat and unimaginative vinegar, I frowned a little and gasped, "Is that all there is?"
Chili is the closest thing I know to addiction. And for a chili addict, there's nothing as divine as deep-fried Sichuan chicken in a mire of dried chili, pepper and mala peppercorn. Spicy oil oozes out as you bite into crunchy pieces of chicken and each and every single bite bursts like tiny heavens of pleasure in your mouth. Next thing you know you're high and delirious on chili and mala.
Nina's Spicy Food did an equally great job with their dandan noodles. Theirs wasn't one of those that's nauseatingly curried in peanut sauce. The correct version of dandan noodles is noodles with straight-up chili oil, sichuan pepper, minced pork and some preserved vegetables.
Nina's Spicy Food
227 North Huangpi Road
Central Plaza
Shanghai
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