Chengdu style is very different from the peninsula / Fremont area places I’m used to going on Tuesday nights. Their large space was jam packed, but had enough turnover that we were seated immediately. It’s next to Cal, so as with my previous visits, mostly international student crowd, no families.
When they opened in 2014, they had dishes that were new, or uncommon, in the Bay Area, and which had been popular at recently opened Chengdu taste and Szechuan impression in the San Gabriel Valley. Some of these dishes include toothpick lamb, boiled fish with green Sichuan peppercorns, Sichuan potatoes (crinkle fries), Sichuan-style rabbit chunks, and bo bo ji (50 chicken skewers in a cold spicy liquid). They make their Sichuan sausage in house.
Toothpick lamb is still on lots of customer’s tables and now you have to forage for the toothpicks in a bed of chilies. The lamb exterior is dry and crispy, in a seemingly intentional way, and packs lots of flavor. In contrast, Chengdu Taste’s version in San Gabriel Valley’s version is juicy with similar seasonings.
Dan Dan noodles were weird and I wouldn’t recommend them. They studded greens, a dollop of unsaucy chili oil goop, and scallions on the top of thin noodles, and there was no sauce below. Without a lubricating sauce, the noodles didn’t mix well. It’s a meatless version, and I requested ya cai, which they brought in a separate little dish (I had to show the characters 芽菜 to the server),
Sichuan potatoes were fresh, not frozen, crinkle cut potatoes, starchy with that jicama like crunch you get from Sichuan style slivered potatoes. Seasoning had cumin, chili, and I believe Sichuan peppercorns. Huge portion. These were good, but I prefer Chef Zhao’s version, which had ya cai, and lots of minced garlic and ginger.
Our main dish, was a delicious water boiled fish with green Sichuan peppers (“boiled sliced fish in ball pepper oil”). Awesome, citrusy assault of green Sichuan peppercorns, without the chili heat of the red version. I don’t know what it’s supposed to be like, but my preference would have been for the cabbage to be more wilted.
