Christopher Atkinson
Google
Since I moved to Orlando, the Taste of Chengdu always came up in conversation about good Chinese food. So it's been on my list for a long time. So when it hit the Michelin Guide, the urgency of my visit grew exponentially. So, in between shows at the Florida Fringe Festival, I took my chance and struck.
Ambiance is perfect. It's tucked away off of the Baldwin Park main street, meaning you basically have to be specifically seeking it out to find it. Inside, it's classically, mildly Chinese, and it has those awesome circle tables that have the giant Lazy Susan in the middle. I'm sure those have a real name I'm not aware of.
Service was very nice. The lady asked us what we like, what spice levels we're comfortable with, and gave us recommendations. It was hard to choose, since there were so many different options. It was hard to find a proper, current menu online, so we were basically seeing the menu for the first time.
We started off with the Dan Dan Noodle (Minced pork, veg). This was a warm up, only two Sichuan peppers for spice level. And it was lovely. Tons of noodles, completely slathered in the oily sauce that is customary with Sichuan cooking. Lot's of well-seasoned minced pork, and some steamed bok choy. A great little app.
We moved on to Dumplings Sichuan Style (Pork). And these were also good! A lot of the same flavors from the pork, but the dumplings were expertly crafted, holding their shape. And that's saying something, because with how slippery they were, we were dropping them left and right with our chopsticks. Just very yummy.
Onto the main entrees.
I personally ate the Pork in Garlic Sauce (Sauteed w. celery, bell pepper and wood ear mushroom). Very good! The pork was super succulent, and the veggies were all cooked through, just a touch of al dente. The zingy garlic sauce was paired well with the earthy mushrooms. Just a nice dish.
I also got to try the Beef in Hoisin Sauce (Beef Flank Steak with sweet hoisin sauce). These veggies had a little more of a bite to them, FYI, but slathered in all that hoisin, they were excellent. The texture the dish needed, because that beef was just tender tender. Very delicious and only slightly spicy meal.
Overall, this place did not disappoint. Given the reputation of Sichuan cooking, I was looking forward to being at least moderately uncomfortable with the heat levels of the meal, but it seems like they spotted us gringos from a mile away and took it easy on us. I'm gonna be more explicit next time with my desire for heat. And yes, next time, because I will be back. Soon.