Initially skeptical of Chinese cuisine, my culinary road trip from Kunming to Lhasa did little to change my opinion, with unappealing and repetitive dishes at every turn. However, my visit to Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan and a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, was a game-changer.
Chengdu, with its broad avenues, towering skyscrapers, lush parks, and its reputation as China’s most liveable city, offers an unhurried lifestyle that’s reflected in its food culture. My stay at a budget-friendly, Japanese-themed hotel in the lively Chunxi Road area was just the beginning of this culinary adventure.
My introduction to Chengdu’s cuisine started with a Cantonese-style duck, a departure from the Peking style I was familiar with. The flavorful, star anise and ginger-infused duck was a delightful surprise. I then received an invitation from my travel agent to Long Sen Yuan, a renowned hotpot restaurant in the Qing dynasty-themed Qintai Road. Contrasting starkly with my previous hotpot experience in Tibet, this meal was an immersion into authentic Chengdu hotpot, known for its Sichuan peppers inducing a unique numbing sensation.
The hotpot, enriched with herbs and spices, was a communal feast of beef, pork, chicken, and seafood, all dipped in bowls of chili oil and accompanied by baijiu. This experience highlighted the city’s famous Shui Jing Fang distillery, a historic site repurposed for modern use.
Continuing my culinary exploration, I attended a Sichuan Opera performance, a stunning showcase of local art and culture. The next day, guided by Lost Plate, I embarked on a tuk-tuk food tour, a throwback to Chengdu’s past. Our guide explained the uniqueness of Chengdu’s cuisine, especially its famed spice.
The tour led us to a restaurant specializing in Sichuan-style pork dumplings, with a heartwarming story of a housewife whose culinary skills turned her home kitchen into a thriving business. The dumplings, delicate and flavorful, were a testament to Chengdu’s rich culinary heritage.
Next on the tour was Dan Dan Tian Shui Mian, a celebrated dandan noodle restaurant. The sweetwater noodles, served in a peanut and chili oil sauce, set the stage for the next destination, Bamboo House. Here, we indulged in dishes like lotus root stuffed with minced pork and Sichuan-style twice-cooked pork, a dish with a history as rich as its flavors.
The tour concluded with mapo tofu, a classic that combined the fiery heat of chili with the numbing effect of Sichuan peppers. The next two days were spent exploring Chengdu’s street food, from candied nuts to pork belly strips, but the standout was a sandwich from Yan Taipo, a popular local joint. The combination of beef, spring onions, pickles, and spices in a toasted bread was an epitome of flavor and texture balance.
My guide then introduced me to Chengdu’s raw food culture at Qingyang Market. This bustling marketplace offered everything from pickles to homemade baijiu and a fascinating array of mushrooms and Sichuan peppers. It was a sensory overload, deepening my appreciation for Chengdu’s culinary diversity.
My journey in Chengdu turned my preconceptions about Chinese food upside down. The city’s chefs and food artisans, with their mastery of flavors and ingredients, offered a culinary experience that resonated long after the trip. Chengdu’s food scene, steeped in tradition yet boldly innovative, was a revelation that changed my understanding of Chinese cuisine forever.
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