Exotic Chinese Sichuan Food from a Private Kitchen Hidden in Residence (Chengdu)

In this video, I join two of my local friends and bring you to Yu Lin Garden (玉林小院) in Chengdu. This is a private kitchen serving traditional Sichuan food, hidden in a residential building with no sign. Reservation and ordering are required one day in advance. The food is amazing, including some very traditional but not often seen items and some neo-traditional items combining existing traditions that I've never tried before, and I absolutely loved them. My friends also shared their experiences and insights into the Sichuan food scene.
Food we ordered:
Tofu Niqiu (豆腐泥鳅)
Tofu with pond loach. Pond loach is used in dishes throughout Sichuan but not found outside of China. Despite its spicy-looking appearance, this dish is not very spicy but rather an expression of various aromatic spices, which can feel quite different from the traditional spicy numbing profile Sichuan cuisine is known for outside of China.
Yansun Shao Dutiao (烟笋烧肚条)
Smoked bamboo shoots braised tripe slices, the usages of many crunchy ingredients create a texture delight.
Rewo Tihua (热窝提花)
Ginger pig feat with snow peas. Rewo literally means warm nest and refers to the temperature at which the dish should be served, this dish is seasoned with ginger and a small amount of vinegar along with traditional Sichuan aromatics, creating a wonder balance of flavors, this dish is not spicy. The category of Rewo dishes is very traditional and now hard to find.
Huoxiang Jiangtuan (藿香江团)
A traditional Sichuan dish but rarely seen outside. Huoxiang is a Chinese herb (sometimes called Chinese patchouli) Jiangtuan is a type of freshwater fish native to China (Leiocassis longirostris). The fish is fried then braised and reduced, this is a technique called Zha Shou Cai (lit. fried-reduced dish), the flavor is fresh, sweet, savory, umami and aromatic, a very unique local dish and an exotic experience to foreigners.
Kongpao Guoba Xiaqiu (宫保锅巴虾球)
This is an excellent dish that blends two traditional Sichuan dishes into one, Kongpao (as in Kongpao Chicken) and Guoba (crispy rice cracker used in some traditional dishes that I have covered in my previous video). The combination is magical and the fragrant and floral Sichuan peppercorn brings this dish to another level.
Pao Jiao Tu (泡椒兔)
Rabbit with pickled peppers, a dish that pairs good with rice or baiju (Chinese wine made out of sorghum)
▬▬▬▬▬
Welcome to my channel! I make food/travel videos as I would make films. Join me as I explore diverse cultures through food and travel.
Some videos come with Chinese or Spanish subtitles
IG/TikTok: fufski
▬▬▬▬▬
NYC Food:
• NYC Food Around the World
▬▬▬▬▬
My Gear
Camera
Sony A7S3 (current): amzn.to/3pOAAJf
Sony A73: amzn.to/3msTKSI
Lens
Tamron 17-28: amzn.to/3GCyXnR
Lavalier Mic
Sennheiser Pro Audio XSW-D: amzn.to/3bkvRqp
Narrative Mic
Rode NT-USB: amzn.to/3EnVzqi