MFWF Mapo Tofu The Taste of Chengdu

Last week, Liz and I went to an MFWF event, Taste of Chengdu dinner, where I learned that Chengdu is famous not only for pandas but also for its celebrated Mapo Tofu.

The dinner was a birthday gift for Liz (we have started a tradition of experience birthday gifts – this year, she got me axe throwing). Also, if you think I technically got my best friend Tofu as a birthday gift experience, you are right. And no, she didn’t complain – because she is nice and that’s why we are friends.

She is also smart and clarified my ignorance, thinking Sichuan food is equivalent to Chongqing (The Q is pronounced as C, not K). Apparently, Sichuan, the home of spicy food is a region in China, with Chengdu being its’ capital. And Chongqing is not even a part of Sichuan – they were separated and now share a border, the heritage of spicy food, and a space in my spicy-loving heart.

Liz also explained that, though both are spicy, there are different types of spicy—while Chongqing cuisine highlights the numbingly spicy peppercorn, Chengdu cuisine is more subtle with chilli powder and, at times, balanced with a dash of sugar. The famous Mapo Tofu, which can be found in many Sichuan dishes, also originated in Chengdu – in 1862, as explained by the lady with the mic in the restaurant.

Taste of Chengdu at Chef David Melbourne

Our night didn’t start with Mapo Tofu but with equally delicious cocktails—both with a Sichuan twist. I got peppercorn-infused Sichuan G&T, and Liz got Sichuan Spicy Marg rimmed with Chinese 5-Spice Powder.

The first dish was an appetizer—a pretty bow of cucumber—I’ll give it to them for presentation. The cucumber tasted like cucumber, but the drizzled sesame sauce elevated the bites. It was good but underwhelming—maybe that’s how appetizers should be—they are there just to wet our palate.

The next dish, though, made up for it. Fuqi Feipian (Husband and Wife Lung slices) is thinly sliced beef drowned in a dark red spicy sauce made of chilli oil, garlic, sesame, and vinegar. We finished it in minutes and insisted on keeping the sauce with us so we could dip other dishes with it—Liz said it’s her fave.

We were also entertained by the fantastic performance of Bian Lian X—face-changing, an iconic theatrical performance in Chinese Sichuan opera. I had seen a similar performance in Panda Hot Pot during Lunar New Year last year, but never this up close and as dramatic.

This was a plus and a people pleaser. We were pleased!

Meanwhile, the dishes continued to be served. The next was Yuxiang Prawn – a piece of prawn for each. It was good. It was pretty. It was done in one bite.

And with that, we got on our following cocktails. I got Tamago Yuzushu, and Liz did a repeat order. We sipped it along with cubes of fried chicken bites. This, too, was flavorful—especially dipped in the remaining sauce from Fuqi Feipian and the chilli powder on the side.

Eventually, the star of the Taste of Chengdu – the famed Chengdu Mapo Tofu – served on a beautiful plate (I made a mental note to get a similar plate from the Home Goods section in the mall next time).

The dish was served alongside a tiny, teeny bowl of rice.

If you have read my blog for some time, you would know I am pretty rice-obsessed. When I saw this, I was ready to deduct a point from Gryffindor, I mean Chef David, but honestly, after tasting the Mapo Tofu, which I ate slowly with one-fourth spoon of rice to make it last, I couldn’t.

The dish was a perfection.

You know, all this while, I thought what differentiates a good Mapo Tofu dish from a so-so one (I never had a bad one) is the sauce, but no, no, no. Liz said it’s in the way you cook the tofu, which involves saltwater sorcery.

Back at the table, I thought the tofu would be the final dish served. But, no. We were also served a bowl of delicious wonton soup with just the right thickness of the skin and a delicious filling that didn’t stick to it. Liz made a remark saying it could have been served a little warmer and I must agree with her.

The best wonton of the night, and also my favourite, was the dry wonton served in a tiny bowl on a generous bed of sesame seed-laden chilli oil and an equally generous dollop of minced garlic on top of it. We each got two, but I could easily eat ten more.

Alas, we left the place happy. The Taste of Chengdu birthday dinner was a success. My only retrospective complaint is that I wished they had served some dessert. I wonder if dessert is not a big thing in Chengdu—maybe I should ask Liz.

Chef David Melbourne address: level 1/462 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia.

Read more of MFWF events: MFWF Sunshine Wander of Iranian Nibbles, Ethiopian Platter and Viet Flan in Melbourne.

Some of the pictures in this post are courtesy of Chef David. Follow me on Instagram @KultureKween for more recent updates.