Taste of Chengdu serves bold Sichuan flavors
The teeny peppers that indicate hot and spicy dishes are plentiful on Taste of Chengdu’s menu for a reason. This restaurant in west Orlando specializes in cuisine from the Sichuan province of China. I’d characterize Sichuan fare as often spicy, but always with pungent and bold flavor.
What I would try a second time
Popping bites of Taste of Chengdu’s lazji, or Sichuan style spicy chicken, made my evening. Woven into the pile of diced juicy chicken were pieces of garlic and chili peppers along with peppercorns, a signature of Sichuan cuisine. The combination made each bite just a little bit different. The peppercorns created a buzzy sort of spice — a bit numbing — but not to the point that I couldn’t taste the fattiness of the chicken with those other bold flavors.
What I didn’t like
Service was spotty during our meals, with our servers disappearing for periods of time. Expect dishes to also arrive as they’re completed — not at any set pace. What I would put on Instagram
The lazji I mentioned above was a colorful dish, but I also liked the slick pork dumplings sprinkled with sesame seeds ($5.95). The half-moons floated in garlicky chili oil for our hot appetizer. The sweet pork inside the dumplings offered a nice contrast to the piquant sauce.
Other eats
Our meal began with a
spicy duo of dishes at different temperatures — the dumplings mentioned earlier and a cold starter of tongue and tripe in a chili sauce ($10.95). The somewhat chewy slivers were coated in the sauce. There’s something addicting about cold spicy food — it hits the palate in a sharp way.
The sautéed jumbo shrimp ($16.99) turned out to be a heartier entree than I imagined. Cauliflower florets, chunks of bell peppers, chili peppers. onions, and zucchini were wrapped in a smoky sauce — with more of those peppercorns hidden in the vegetables.
On a later visit, we snagged a vegetable dish as an extra side. The forktender eggplant ($11.95) was bathed in a spicy garlic sauce for a nice sweet, salty heat.
How I was treated
Please see what I didn’t like.
My next visit
The boiled sliced fish, or shui zhu yu ($17.99) didn’t make it onto my table this time around, but I would love to try this Sichuan classic.
For bar-hoppers
A handful of macro brews can be paired with your meal. Teas, smoothies and milkshakes are alcoholfree Where: 2030 W. Colonial Drive in Orlando
When: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $7.95-$29.95
Beverages: Beer, tea, smoothies, milkshakes
Attire: Casual Extras: Lunch specials Noise level: Moderate Wheelchair access: Good
Credit: Visa, American Express, Mastercard and Discover
Call: 407-839-1983
Online: Facebook.com/ tasteofchengdu options.
For those with special diets
A number of vegetable and tofu-based dishes are on Taste of Chengdu’s menu. I tried a classic Sichuan dish, mapo tofu ($11.95), on a return visit. A pile of silky tofu was bathed in a bracing, pungent chili oil sauce. It can be ordered with or without the ground pork.