After saying goodbye to Seoul on Sunday morning it was soon time to hop over the Yellow Sea and say hello to Beijing early afternoon. With some excitement, my plane descended through the thick smog and the city emerged to once again reveal its mystical intrigue…
I was lucky enough to be met by some old friends at the airport who helped me find my hotel (not far from Xizhimen subway station) and familiarise me with the local busses which are near impossible to use as the route signs are only written in Chinese. After this, it was high time for dinner so we headed for a rather stylish Sichuan restaurant in a local department store.
My last encounter with Sichuan food was mind-blowing to say the least and this time was no different. With dishes straight from the fiery depths of hell, this is one culinary experience you (or your taste buds) are not likely to forget. The Chinese even have a phrase for it: Ma La Teng, meaning your tongue will lose all sense and it’s hot! Not for those with a delicate palate.
We had three main dishes ~ beancurd (the yellow stuff in the bowl), extremely spicy BBQ beef sticks and Shui Zhu Yu fish (above) cooked in boiling oil with chillies. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire but as with most Chinese cuisine, I loved it! More here.
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