[San Jose] Chef Z's 海哥川菜馆, Sichuan and Yunnan Eats

[Redheadcook (K. Laurence)]

I live in Redwood City & would love to join in. I’ve never tried this type of cuisine before & it sounds exciting. I also don’t mind heading to the farmers market at San Mateo College to look for good mushrooms-I just don’t know which varieties to buy. Any day of the week is fine with me.

[sck]

@Redheadcook

I just don’t know which varieties to buy. Any day of the week is fine with me.

We don’t either, until the chef names the mushrooms. Don’t know why its taking a long time for the chef to write up the menu. I guess running an eatery is busy!

[sck]

I was told by one of us that the chef was quite immersed in watching World Cup. I talked to him on the phone Of all the obstacles between us and a banquet, I would have never thought World Cup would be it. I guess I have to show up and demand him to write me a menu on the spot.

[sck]

Here’s the menu. More info in English about the dishes here.

海哥精致出品云南私房菜：

精致套餐$299

凉菜：
1）云南大薄片
2）鬼火怒
3）绿豆粉

1）什锦凉米线
2）云南汽锅鸡
3）香煎乳饼
4）傣味巧拌牛肉
5）瑞丽酸辣鱼
6）火腿烩松茸
7）红三剁
8）普洱茶香美极虾
9）五谷丰收
10）老奶洋芋
11）主食：大救驾
12）豆面汤圆

[sck]

Please RSVP to the banquet by going here. Thanks.

[San Jose] Off-the-menu Yunnan banquet at Chef Z- Sat 7/14, 7pm

Please sign up for the Yunnan banquet here by indicating the number of guests that will be joining the banquet. For ease of counting, and to minimize the amount of logistics work/ email exchange, please edit the third post (the post after the menu) to add your name (forum or real), and the number of “adults or big kids”/ “small kids”. We’ll use the RSVP count to ask the chef to cook the right amount of food, and you’ll also use this count as a basis to split the bill among your tablemates. ET…

[sck]

After last year’s great Yunnan multicourse banquet, I finally made it back to Chef Z for a small meal this weekend.

[San Jose] Chef Z- Yunnan Banquet

14 of us partook in a Yunnan banquet at Chef Z in San Jose tonight. Husband wife beef [_D3A1305] 绿豆粉 mung bean starch noodles [_D3A1306] 鬼火怒 Really pissed off [_D3A1307] 什锦凉米线 assorted cold Mixian noodles [_D3A1308] 瑞丽酸辣鱼 Ruili (in western Yunnan) hot and sour fish, dish from Xishuangbanna [_D3A1309] 火腿烩松茸 ham braised with matsutake [_D3A1310] 老奶洋芋 Yunnan mashed potatoes [_D3A1311] 红三剁 red three - red tomatoes, red pork, red pepper [_D3A1312] Asparagus with ham …

Looks like the chef had an updated menu. I asked him what new Yunnan dish he had on the menu and he immediately pointed to the Stir Fried Shredded Pork with Pickled Cabbage,

which is exactly what I ordered after studying the menu some more. It was a good dish. Savory strips of pork intermingled with loads of tart pickled cabbage, mild chiles, red chiles, green sweet pepper, etc. The balance of flavor was just right. My wife, who was nursing a sore throat originally didn’t plan to eat anything spicy that day, couldn’t resist and approved. Previously I kept telling her the chef got skills and she was skeptical. I think this dish converted her.

I happily ate the leftover for lunch the next day.

Since the kids couldn’t eat spicy, I asked the chef what chicken dish he could whip up that’s not spicy. He said he just made a batch of ginger scallion chicken. I got half of it. Good yellow feather chicken cooked with aromatics with fragrant green onion on top. I didn’t care for the dip on the side, but happily eat the chicken on its own.