Feng Wei Ju

My last visit to Feng Wei Ju was definitely before COVID, so I am glad to make it back during one of my recent Macau trips in March. A quick ride in the car get us from our hotel in Cotai to the restaurant in 20 minutes, located in the older part of Macau inside Starworld Hotel. I felt the décor didn’t change much since my last visit, with the casual vibe typical of just about any Chinese restaurant, but this time they set us up in one of their private room at the back so it’s kinda nice. 

Over the Moon (Again)

"It's actually my birthday today..." Chef Andre shared with us this in a timid manner as he dropped by our table at the beginning of the dinner at Sichuan Moon. Probably not exactly his choice but we are happy to spend the evening with him on this special day - hahaha.  

Over the Moon

We confirmed our booking at Sichuan Moon as soon as we knew Chef Andre would be in Macau at his restaurant on the same weekend we were in town for. We always wanted to visit since they open in early 2019 but never got a chance to get around to do that until now. 

Long Lunch Part 3: Grand Majestic Sichuan

Perhaps no non-Chinese has written more about Sichuan cuisine than Fuchsia Dunlop and when she's in town recently to introduce the new menu at Grand Majestic Sichuan where she worked as a consultant, I was intrigued to check it out at a special preview lunch. 

Grand Majestic

I don’t really buy the PR rhetoric that the décor of Grand Majestic Sichuan took inspiration from an old “ritzy supper club” in the 60’s, but the setting did remind me a little of those “grand” Chinese restaurants/banquet halls common in Hong Kong in the old days with the same festive red color tone and touches of gold for the flamboyant feel. There’s always an appetite for high-end Chinese restaurant in the middle of the business district so the restaurant, centrally located inside The Landmark’s Alexandria House building, is a welcoming addition despite we are still in the middle of the pandemic lockdown. 

New Sichuan at Times Square

Hong Kong people seem to have bottomless appetite for Sichuan food with more and more Sichuan restaurants popping up around town. Chuan was the latest one I tried at one of the invited dinner tastings. 

Swansong Dinner

Sichuan Lab might easily be overlooked by passers-by with its dark decor resembling more like a night club and the nondescript, unmarked entrance next to a serviced apartment building across the street from a park and in the middle of the Wanchai wet market district. But it's always noticeable by any Sichuan food lover for its non-compromising take of classic cuisine with its chef in helm considered one of the most authoritative voices in the local culinary scene, especially in the subject of authentic Sichuan cuisine.

Weekend Sichuan Meetup

As we were slowly going back to normal in terms of social activities, a few weeks ago a few friends and we got together for something hot and spicy at Deng G. It's been a while since all of us last visited this small Sichuan restaurant in Wanchai so this seems to be a logical choice for a meet-up long overdue. 

 

Spicy Hotpot

While I thought it’s strange to spend time at a hot spring resort in the middle of summer, I have no problem eating at a hotpot restaurant in August – yes, talk about double standard. And this time in Taipei, we decided to visit one of the more popular hotpot restaurant chains for dinner.

A Flavorsome Dialogue

Sichuan cuisine is perhaps one of the most well-known yet least understood style of cooking in our culture. As representative Sichuanese dishes like Kung Pao chicken, Mapo Tofu, Hot and Sour Soup or Dan Dan Noodles are now enjoyed by people all over the world from college kids sitting in their dorm rooms holding the Chinese takeaway box to workers squatting by the curb in the province capital of Chengdu with food from a street-side stall, to a certain extent and to many, Sichuan cuisine is their entry point of knowledge about what constituted "Chinese food" in their minds. But the popularity of those dishes all with intense flavor also causes a general misconception that Sichuan food is all about being hot and spicy, which is far from truth.

Sichuan Omakase

Many of us were fans of Chef Kaitak Chan's innovative take on Sichuan dishes combining traditional and modern techniques, so with the pending (temporary) closure of his restaurant Yun Yan at its current Causeway Bay location, we decided to go one last time to say goodbye. And to make it more interesting, this time we asked Chef Chan to prepare a special menu for us, Sichuan omakase style.

Pop-up Weekend Part 1: Sook x Fly by Jing

I began the "weekend of speakeasy" with a short hop to my friend Mina's kitchen studio in Chaiwan for a one-night only "Sichuan Seoul Food" dinner, a collaboration between her and Jenny from Shanghai.

I had the chance to enjoy Mina's fabulous cooking a few times at one of her pop-up dinner events in the past year - even got my hands-on experience at her kitchen studio Sook when she hosted a kimchi making class a few months ago. And I have been following the writer-turned-chef Jenny's culinary business ventures in social media, from the starting of her online site Jing Theory to the founding of Baoism restaurant in China, and now with her second dining concept of Fly by Jing, inspired by the cooking of her hometown Chengdu in Sichuan Province.

Fifty Shades of Spices - Feng Wei Ju

We went for an early dinner in Macau before taking the evening ferry home to conclude our whirlwind weekend getaway. I have heard good words on Feng Wei Ju, the Sichuan restaurant at Starworld Hotel from our friends, plus they were one of those places that opened early for dinner service, so we decided to check it out.