FEBRUARY 2016 Understanding Wok Hei and Other Wok Matters Howard Cai’s New Chinese Regional Recipes to Cook at Home DO CHENGDU Argusphoto A 2,000-year-old city with one of the fast-growing economies in China and a UNESCO Capital of Gastronomy, Sichuan’s laid-back metropolis is getting a shiny facelift. Text by Johannes Pong Made in France The EuroCave comes in different sizes with different finishes. For a free brochure containing full details, please contact: Alpha International Food Services Tel: +852 2889 2123 or +86 (755) 2561 7383 Fax: +852 2889 1757 or +86 (755) 2561 1213 Showroom: 909, Chai Wan Industrial City, Phase 2, 70 Wing Tai Road, Chai Wan, Hong Kong. Web-site: http://www.eurocave.com.hk Email: [email protected] 56 DESTINATION mongolia A Chat with DINING Domenico Cicchetti Chef de cuisine of Tivano HIGHLIGHTS chengdu Temple House Hotel, Chengdu xi’an nanyang china Why do you live here? chongqing Having been settled in Chengdu for a year, I feel its high living standards make this the perfect city for my family. The weather is rarely cold, and there’s plenty of greenery. The friendly faces myanmar are very welcoming and the food is delicious, especially at Tivano. On weekends, we stroll lose to Tibet in western China, through People’s Park, Tianfu Square and the Chengdu Basin of Sichuan Floraland Park. province seems like a far-off Clockwise from top left: the entrance to Tivano at mystical land to those who are only The Temple House; one of the rustic pavilions on familiar with the mainland’s wealthy coastal Qing Cheng Mountain; and organic garden at Six C Senses Qing Cheng Mountain What is your favourite part of the city? cities. Enveloped by treacherous mountains, Sichuan used to be notoriously difficult to reach. As the Chinese saying goes: “The Another urban monastery, 1,000-year- Land of Shu [Chengdu’s old name] is difficult old Daci Temple, is famous for ordaining Walking has become a routine for me. I especially to go to.” the 13-year-old Xuanzang, the master of enjoy the route from Lan Kwai Fong to Tianfu The Teahouse the (fictional) Monkey King. During the Square, which parallels Jinjiang River. The uplifting The wood-lined rooms connected to the lush courtyard Tang dynasty, the real-life Xuanzang left feeling draws me back on a regular basis. But if Yet for 2,300 years of recorded history, of The Temple House’s Mi Xun spa were once the Daci you ask my daughter, she will definitely say the 1 Daci on his famed journey to the West, Chengdu has been a sophisticated urban Manchu generals who stayed behind in Monastery’s mulberry gardens, where silkworms were raised. bringing back Buddhist scriptures from Panda Base. centre famous for brocade and other luxury Chengdu were prohibited from mingling The Teahouse serves light, contemporary Sichuanese vegetarian India. The monastery now sits within Taikoo goods. It was here that engraved typography with the locals, so a luxurious little enclave dishes, with its own signature tea blend featuring dried Li, a gleaming retail complex built by was invented during the Tang dynasty, the of Beijing-style siheyuan was built with mulberries in a nod to its history. world’s first paper currency was issued in intricate 300-year-old brick façades and Swire Properties and Chengdu’s Sino- Ocean Land. Well-preserved heritage What did you have for dinner last night? the Southern Song, and that tea culture alleyways lined with wooden manor gates. 81 Bitieshi Street, Jinjiang District buildings (including a massive guild hall for originated. Green tea packed with umami It’s remarkably better preserved than Tel: +86 28 6297 4161 has been harvested from ancient trees on the Beijing’s hutongs and feels more authentic Cantonese merchants) rub shoulders with peaks of Mount Meng and sacred Emei since than Shanghai’s Xintiandi. Locals sip green cool cafés and stores such as Muji I had a local dinner of Chinese dumplings, long before longjing in Hangzhou or oolong tea in its rustic salons or minimalist modern and Givenchy. noodles with pork and nuts, and Tsingtao beer. in Fujian. tea rooms, or join the weekly ritual of mala My favourite dish prepared by my wife is a huoguo – a bubbling, fire-engine-red hotpot Nearby, The Temple House is the city’s Portuguese dish called feijoada – slow-cooked For foodies all over the globe, this is of Sichuan peppercorn, crimson chilli oil, newest and most stylish boutique hotel pork stew with black beans. Fuchsia Dunlop’s China, famed for black cardamom and other spices – while and the third property in Swire’s House its spicy yet complex cuisine. Sichuanese listening to live guzheng (Chinese zither) in Collective (along with Beijing’s Opposite food has taken the world by storm, elegant courtyards. House and Hong Kong’s The Upper prompting UNESCO to name Chengdu House). Behind the ornate Qing brick What is your opinion of the dining scene its third “City of Gastronomy” in 2010, The Diaoyutai Boutique Chengdu is in a façade, the lobby features a cosy library in Chengdu? joining Colombia’s Popayan and heritage mansion complex in a corner of and a gallery displaying contemporary local Sweden’s Östersund. Kuan Alley. Redesigned by Bruno Moinard, art, a nod to the building’s past as a Qing the designer responsible for Cartier government translation office forbitieshi Despite being a major metropolis for 23 boutiques worldwide and the Hermès (Manchurian scholars). Chengdu is a growing city. In the past year, at centuries – and now one of the fastest- headquarters in Paris’ 8th Arrondissement, least six new foreign restaurants opened. Sichuan growing economies in China, producing the 45-room hotel is the first in theDiaoyutai Forty-five minutes away, the Qingcheng cuisine is indisputably delicious. Topping my list half of the world’s iPads – Chengdu is MGM Hospitality portfolio (a diaoyutai (“Green Citadel”) mountain range is the are dandan noodles, hotpot and barbecued inordinately more relaxed than Hong Kong is a Chinese state-owned guesthouse) birthplace of Taoism, attracting hikers street food. or Shanghai. Locals hang out at tea houses, and boasts the most expensive rooms and religious seekers to its ancient play mahjong and philosophise. There’s in Chengdu. temples and caves. The footpaths and gossip, but no mention of money. tram up the mountain are well kept, and Natives of Chengdu are refreshingly Elsewhere, the city exudes a spiritual calm picturesque pavilions provide rest along What is your favourite time of year Yishaoguan by Huangcheng Laoma gentle and soft-spoken, despite their from grand sanctuaries such as Wuhou the way. Hike up with Olaf Kotzke, the in Chengdu? fiery, mouth-numbing cuisine. Shrine from the Three Kingdoms period (AD affable guest experience manager of the Huangcheng Laoma is a Chengdu hotpot institution, but 220-280) and the giant Wenshu Monastery. nearby Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain. 2 instead of the usual boisterous crowds at round tables, Chengdu’s laid-back lifestyle is on full display A pilgrimage spot for foodies, Wenshu has a The Sichuanese-speaking Berliner is an its new Yishaoguan outlets are hushed conveyor belt hotpot bars I would say autumn is the best season of the year. at Kuanzhai Xiangzi – the Wide and Narrow tea garden and a massive restaurant offering expert on the area and something of a swathed in cool mint green and soft jazz. This updated version of During October, the leaves on the Ginkgo trees Alleys – a marvellous mosaic of Sichuanese a delicious vegetarian buffet. Among the local celeb. Afterwards, sate your appetite mala huoguo is perfect for solo diners or intimate dates. turn a beautiful shade of yellow. and northern Chinese architecture from the stalls near its gates, Zhang’s chilled noodle at the resort’s Farm2Fork and 28Zodiac Qing period. In 1718, Beijing sent 3,000 shop is the best joint for local street-food restaurant, supplied by the resort’s idyllic 2/F Taiko Li, 19 Daci Temple Road, Jinjiang District troops west to quell a Tibetan aprising. The classic tianshuimian, “sweet water noodles”. organic farm. Interview by Ellie Furuya and Cherrie Yu Tel: +86 28 8676 5437 20160113_Kaika_VDay_210x285_v2.pdf 1 15/1/2016 1:29 PM 58 DESTINATION Laofangzi “The Old House” This 100-year-old chain has extensive but easily 3 navigable iPad menus with clear images of the dishes, which change daily. Chose rustic baked buckwheat cakes and an exhilaratingly piquant stir-fry of cow innards, well-executed Sichuan classics such as mayi shangshu (wok-fried mung bean vermicelli with mincemeat) and spicy dumplings, or more modern Chengdu creations such as chilled okra in tangy dressing or a minimalist huiguorou (twice-cooked pork). 2/F 243 Wuhou Temple Main Street, Wuhouci District Tel: +86 28 8509 8822 Li Xuan This high-end restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton 4 Chengdu offers sophisticated interpretations of Cantonese and Sichuanese classics. Choose the fine-dining Chengdu specialities such as double-boiled soups “kung fu” style, served in a clay teapot, and tender Sichuan tea C marinated boneless wagyu short ribs cooked inside charcoal bamboo. M Y The Ritz-Carlton Chengdu, 269 Shuncheng Avenue Qingyang District CM Tel: +86 28 8358 888 MY CY CMY K Zhang Liangfen Zhang’s “chilled noodle” shop serves all varieties of 5 Sichuanese pasta, but go for the classic Chengdu street snack, tianshuimian, “sweet water noodles”. Thick, finger-sized al dente noodles are coated with sandy, sweet, spicy and smoky chilli paste with sugar, sesame seeds and Sichuan peppercorn powder. The zingy muscular sauce clings to every crook and cranny of the chewy strands.