I've mentioned how much I crave Sichuan Liang Mian when the mercury rises many times before. So of course, I just needed my fix when it got really hot and muggy two weeks ago. My last couple of visits to Fu An haven't been that great. So where to go? I was thinking of getting some Ko Shui Ji (mouthwatering chicken) as well, so Szechuan Taste was out of the question. My last Sichuan Liang Mian from Dede's was a total fail as well. Man, was I missing Ba Ren. Then I remembered that the last version of Sichuan Liang Mian I'd had at Spicy City was barely ok, so why not give them another shot. I got there a few minutes after five and folks were already there!
Anyway, I got my order to go after the usual perfunctory service from the two women who work there, in addition to the guy who's a jerk. Before he passed me my order he asked, "what did you order....huh...huh...huh...." Without giving me a chance to answer. Meanwhile, I had already paid for my order and had been standing there for 15 minutes. One of the women told him something along the lines of "I'd already paid"...but he dismissed her and proceeded to practice some kind of interrogation technique on me. Finally, having a chance to answer I went, "Sichuan liang mian, ko shui ji....." He was shocked that I could pronounce the items in Mandarin. I added on "da fei zhu" grabbed my packages and left.
Actually, the joke was on me as the Sichuan Liang Mian was terrible.
The noodles were fine, but the sauce was horrendous. It was basically thin, salty chili oil.....no depth of flavor. Missing were the components that make the dish for me; a dash of black vinegar, a slight sweetness, a touch of sesame paste, all the umami had been sucked out of the dish. The Missus was eating Her salad, but tried a bite and all She could say to me was, "oh, man, I'm so sorry....."
The Ko Shui Ji on the other hand wasn't bad. Quite spicy, with some of the "ma", the numbing flavor of Sichuan peppercorns.
The portion size was quite large, it was missing some of the complex flavors of aromatics, like ginger, garlic, scallion, and five spice. It also lacked the sugar - sesame paste - vinegar tones as well. Still, it was passable.
So a partial fail for the food, total fail for the service.......... Sadly, I don't think there's a fix to this craving in San Diego.....
Spicy City Chinese Restaurant
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
you should make this dish yourself (dunno if it is hard to make) to save you from so much disappointment :(
Posted by: kat | Monday, 10 August 2015 at 08:53 PM
You should try Spicy King in vista for the saliva chicken. It's not as close as Ba Ren but pretty close.
Posted by: TFD | Tuesday, 11 August 2015 at 12:44 AM
I haven't been here in years. Too bad about the service, though I would have loved to see his face after you called him a "da fei zhu". heehee
Posted by: Kirbie | Tuesday, 11 August 2015 at 01:38 AM
Hi Kat - I do:
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2011/07/sichuan-liang-mian-sichuan-cold-noodles.html
Except that after working a long day and the weather being super hot...the last thing I want to do is cook....and be toiling in a hot kitchen.
Hi TFD - I do have to revisit since the asst chef from Ba Ren is there.
Hi Kirbie - Man was that guy a punk....not jerk, punk.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 11 August 2015 at 06:30 AM
What does "da fei zhu" translate to in English? Is it something like, "fat pig"? The jerk deserved it.
Too bad about the food but good writing, as usual.
Posted by: alnc | Tuesday, 11 August 2015 at 11:45 AM
Have you ever tried ordering from them and then 'doctoring' it a bit at home? I do this sometimes to food I order from Chinese restaurants. But not sure it would work for these particular dishes...
Posted by: J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats | Tuesday, 11 August 2015 at 12:45 PM
Hi alnc - Add "big" to the front of that and you'd have it!
I have JS. Chinkiang Vinegar, sugar, sesame paste.......it doesn't work real well with these type of dishes. Good idea though!
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 11 August 2015 at 01:20 PM
Hey Kirk, unrelated to Sichuan liang mian but have you given Spicy House another visit lately? They've undergone three changes in ownership since my last visit and apparently it's now approved by a couple of Sichuanese friends of mine. I've been meaning to check it out and was wondering if you've been there lately. So sorry about the terrible service and food at Spicy City :\
Posted by: Jinxi | Tuesday, 11 August 2015 at 01:46 PM
Wow Jinxi - When I last visited just about a year ago, Spicy House was already on their third set of owners.....I'm wondering what the score is now? Thanks for the heads-up....I may just take my chances and revisit soon!
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 11 August 2015 at 07:07 PM
ah understandable...take care!
Posted by: kat | Wednesday, 12 August 2015 at 06:28 PM