Whenever I need to recharge my fire, I go back to Chengdu. The city is the beating heart of Sichuan cuisine and the muse behind our own fiery fever dream at Grand Majestic Sichuan. Each visit reminds me how inexhaustible this canon of cooking really is. Chengdu is a city that never stops teaching me, where every bite carries the weight of centuries. There are too many favourites to list, but I hope these five inspire you the way they have inspired me.
1. Yongle Restaurant
The very first restaurant I dined at in Chengdu, and still one of the most memorable. Run by a father-and-son team who are close friends of our friend and collaborator Fuchsia Dunlop, it feels like stepping into someone’s home kitchen, only with the flavours dialled up to eleven. Their cooking perfectly expresses the breadth of Sichuan’s kaleidoscope of flavours: simple dishes with flavours that are anything but.
2. Ma’s Kitchen
A lively, modern spot tucked into Tai Koo Li, always reinventing itself with seasonal menus. There’s an energy here that reflects the younger, trendy side of Chengdu. My current obsession is their 脆皮粉蒸肉—crispy steamed pork.
3. Fu Rong Huang
Picture a quintessential Chinese banquet hall: a noisy room with sprawling tables and plenty of baijiu where bold aromas fill the air. 芙蓉凰 is exactly that, an unapologetic showcase of Sichuan’s most exuberant dishes. The Sichuan peppercorn bamboo shoots were a revelation for me—electric, green and mouth-tingling in the best way.
4. Mi Xun Tea House
At Mixun I went in expecting a gentle vegetarian menu and left completely floored by how satisfying and powerful their dishes are. Their dan dan noodles, dressed in sesame sauce, are some of the best I have ever had. Go here in case you need more proof that Sichuan’s depth goes far beyond meat and spice.
5. Xu’s Cuisine
Elaine of Ho Lee Fook first introduced me to this fine-dining temple to Sichuan cuisine. Simultaneously intense and refined, It was where I first tasted an unforgettable broth of abalone and beef tongue. It tingled like electricity, but was elegant enough to linger like perfume. That single dish was a huge inspiration for my menu at Grand Majestic Sichuan.
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