A Celebration of Regional Flavors Redefining Sichuan Delicacies Past Numbing Spice
Hong Kong — Sichuan Rouge, a energetic new eating spot, just lately opened at Soundwill Plaza II, Midtown, Causeway Bay, celebrating the area’s charming flavors. Led by famend Sichuan chef Hu Taiqing and seasoned native chef Kenny Chan Kai Tak, it reimagines Sichuan delicacies, making it each accessible and inexpensive. The restaurant sources genuine components from Sichuan Province and Chongqing, difficult the notion that Sichuan meals is solely outlined by its well-known ‘mala’ spice. Visitors can get pleasure from a various vary of flavors that reveal the richness and complexity of this cherished culinary custom.
Chilli Fried Smoked Eels wrapped with Pork Intestines
Sichuan Rouge seats 76 diners throughout over 2,000 sq. ft. Its inside attracts inspiration from the glamorous nightlife of Nineteen Thirties Shek Tong Tsui. Vintage Chinese language hardwood cupboards, darkish wood-grained tables, a picket archway, lantern-adorned beams, and ornate window frames evoke a nostalgic ambiance. Old school neon indicators with Chinese language quotes and mushy orange-red lighting improve a colour scheme of deep reds, seen in hand-painted floral wall panels, crimson velvet seating, and reflecting the colourful spirit of Sichuan delicacies.
The kitchen is spearheaded by two of China’s most gifted cooks in Sichuan gastronomy. Chef Hu, a Culinary Grasp of China, is an iconic determine in Sichuan province and Chongqing, famend for his modern aptitude and common hotpot manufacturers. With a glittering profession spanning over 30 years, he has obtained quite a few accolades, together with the ‘Gold Award’ on the seventh China Lodge Trade Skilled Talent Competitors – Sichuan District, and the celebrated ‘King of Chef’ award within the inaugural competitors for famend cooks and eating places. Along with his culinary experience, Chef Hu frequently serves as a visitor lecturer, competitors choose, and is featured on tv meals exhibits in mainland China, additional solidifying his esteemed standing within the business.
Often called a strolling dictionary of latest Sichuan delicacies, Chef Chan comes from a household of culinary artists who as soon as operated a Sichuan bean-paste manufacturing facility in Hong Kong. With almost 60 years of expertise, he has consulted for Michelin-starred Sichuan eating places and led the kitchens of top-rated institutions, together with the Michelin-recommended Yunyan, Lumiere, Sichuan Lab, and Sze Chuen Lau in Wanchai, in addition to the World Commerce Middle Membership. His distinguished profession consists of cooking for international political and enterprise leaders and internet hosting banquets for visiting British royalty.
Sichuan delicacies is revered for its complexity, characterised by a large number of dishes and flavors. It depends on the skillful use of native spices, a seasoning artwork refined over greater than 3,000 years. There are 24 traditional taste profiles in Sichuan delicacies, every reflecting the knowledge of the Ba-Shu meals tradition, achieved by a exact matching of components. Central to this delicacies are two key ingredient trios: the palate-numbing Sichuan peppercorns, sizzling and spicy purple chili, and pepper; alongside spring onion, ginger, and garlic.
Sichuan Rouge challenges the widespread perception that Sichuan delicacies is solely outlined by its numbing spiciness, or mala. As an alternative, it presents a wealthy and sophisticated array of flavors by a various menu that features appetizers, soups, traditional sizzling dishes, genuine rice and noodle preparations, and desserts. This choice reveals the area’s lesser-known genuine essences whereas showcasing the inventive ingenuity of its grasp cooks, who’ve sourced over 40 spices and herbs from Sichuan and Chongqing, mixing Chinese language and Western culinary sensibilities.
Amongst must-try appetizers are Chilled Razor Clam with Sichuan Peppercorn and Mint (HK$178/2pcs), which mixes plump razor clams with a refined sauce of spicy and numbing flavors; and the favored Chengdu road meals of Sliced Beef and Ox Tripe in Chili Sauce (HK$128), whose secret recipe of purple chili oil with a splash of Baoning black vinegar fantastically balances spice and bitter. A sprinkling of rock salt elevates the peppery, fragrant, and melt-in-the-mouth serving of Deep-Fried Sliced Beef with Sichuan Peppercorn with Rock Salt (HK$168). Younger Pigeon with Pepper (HK$98) options lip-numbing teng jiao (Sichuan pepper) oil; and delicate but meaty abalone from pristine waters has a fiery kick in Recent South African Abalone with Chili (HK$228).
Genuine Sichuan-style Sizzling and Bitter Soup with Freshly Floor Pepper (HK$88 per individual) warms the soul with every spoonful. Following that, the refined broth of Double Boiled Matsutake and Conch Soup with Conpoy (HK$168 per individual) fantastically marries the prized matsutake mushrooms and sea snails, delivering pleasant essences from each the forest and the ocean. Lastly, indulge within the luxurious Double Boiled Fish Maw and Hen Soup with Morels (HK$168 per individual), the place delicate fish maw, tender hen, and the earthy richness of morels come collectively in excellent concord.
Residence-style major dishes embody the invitingly spicy Chilli Fried Smoked Eels Wrapped with Pork Intestines (HK$388), the place smoked boneless native white eels are full of chitlins marinated in fermented chilli bean paste, then diced and garnished with fried chillies in a show of excellent craftsmanship. That includes ox tripe and luncheon meat, Duck Blood in Chilli Sauce (HK$338) elevates a street-food custom; and the ultra-luxe Stir-Fried Coral Lobster Mapo Tofu (HK$338) sees a 1-catty lobster (about 500g) paired with silky tofu and doused in sizzling purple chilli oil for a contemporary, spicy aroma and style that can linger lengthy within the reminiscence.
Sautéed Prawn with Eggplant in Candy and Chilli Kung Pao Sauce (HK$288) provides wealthy flavors, plus the pleasing textural distinction of crisp on the skin and tender inside. Twice-Cooked Pork with Black Bean and Soybean Paste (HK$158) is a mellow, savory dish of Sichuan farm flavors, whereas Sichuan Type Boiled Angus Beef (HK$288) is one other genuine preparation, providing mushy meat and moreish spice.
Regional dessert favorites harmonize daring flavors with savory sensations, creating a pleasant eating expertise. Should-try choices embody the Black Sugar Glutinous Rice Cake (HK$48 for 4 items) and the refreshing Ice Jelly with Pomelo (HK$48).
“As a local of Sichuan, I’m excited to convey the genuine flavours of my homeland to Hong Kong diners. At Sichuan Rouge, we rejoice the wealthy culinary heritage of the area, showcasing its big selection of intricate and layered tastes that transcend simply spiciness,” says Chef Hu Taiqing.
“Having spent virtually six many years in Sichuan kitchens, I imagine each dish on the Sichuan Rouge menu displays the delicacies’s wealthy historical past. It’s our honour to showcase conventional methods whereas infusing creativity, inviting visitors to expertise the total spectrum of the area’s culinary treasures,” says Chef Kenny Chan Kai Tak.
To showcase its numerous charms, Sichuan Rouge collaborates with Shanxi Xinghuacun Fenjiu Distillery to current two distinctive pairings of qingxiang (frivolously fragrant) baijiu with its standout dishes. The QingHua Fenjiu 20 Years Worldwide Version (HK$1,580) and the QingHua Fenjiu 30 Years Worldwide Version (HK$1,780) are each cherished for his or her wealthy floral, fruit, and nut aromas, and are aged in Qing Hua (Chinese language porcelain) earthenware.
Sichuan Rouge is positioned at 27/F, Soundwill Plaza II, Midtown, 1-29 Tang Lung Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, and opens from 12:00 midday to three:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. on Monday to Saturday, and from 12:00 midday to three:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Sunday and public holidays. A devoted lunch menu will likely be launched in early August 2025.
For enquiries or reservations, please name (852) 9370-6345, WhatsApp (852) 7045-4963, or electronic mail reservations@sichuanrouge.com.
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