Xin Nian Kuai Le!

to celebrate lunar new year's eve, my friends and i went to szechuan gourmet on w.39th between 5th and 6th avenue...who knew you had to go to koreatown for the best sichuanese food in town?

upon entering the boisterous restaurant, the scent of peppercorns and spices greet you. the food is delicious, cheap, and authentic. for appetizers, we ordered poached chicken and crispy soy beans, dan dan noodles, spicy mung bean jello salad, and thin sliced beef tendons. the poached chicken cleverly juxtaposed cool chicken and crisp cucumber (not soy beans) against a fiery, tongue numbing chili sauce and was the clear winner for the apps. the dan dan mian were underwhelming (grand sichuan does a better job here). jello salad was nothing special and the sliced beef tendons were tasty but not compelling.

for main entrees, we shared a braised whole bass in a sichuan, chili miso sauce, stir fried fresh pork belly, stir fried greens (dou miao), and wok tossed crispy beef fillets. i loved every dish. the sauce adorning the fish was extremely flavorful with just enough spiciness, saltiness, and sweetness. the stir fried pork belly was decadent with complex textures. the beef fillets were essentially deep fried beef spiced with cumin and reminded me of meals of spicy kabobs and naan that i savoured in xinjiang.

theng bought up predictions for the year of the rat for those born in the year of the horse which sent me into a tizzy of concern- afterall, the boy and my brother are both horses (not to mention theng herself). . . to find out what 2008 entails for you.. . read this http://www.fengshuiweb.co.uk/advice/chineseanimalpredictions2008.htm