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| - The first time I came here, my friends and I, all seasoned F&B professionals, were impressed with the food. I came back tonight with a group of ten, including two friends who were celebrating birthdays.
Of course, we ordered the Peking Duck, duck soup, hot & sour soup, beef pancake roll, kung pao chicken, ma po tofu, and a few other dishes.
The duck arrived first, followed closely by the beef pancake roll and duck soup. The duck seemed smaller than I remember and we got half the number of pancakes but it tasted good. The duck broth wasn't as rich as the last time but still good. The beef was good. Unfortunately, all the rest of the dishes were misses, with some of them borderline inedible.
The next dish, kung pao chicken, which we have never ordered before, from anywhere, had a floral spice that made our tongues feel numb and tingly at the same time. We learned that this spice is mala peppercorns, or Sichuan pepper. The dish was laced with it. Way too much! The floral flavour was overpowering (for all of us) and the tingling numb sensation was very offputting. Very! I cannot describe this sensation as pleasant.
The rest of the dishes were not any better. The chef tonight was very heavy handed with the mala peppercorns, soya sauce, and chili oil. Whether or not they all had mala peppercorns, that's all we could taste, even now, hours later. Not good!
The hot & sour soup was very dark and thick. The ma po tofu was swimming in chili oil and smothered in peppercorns. We barely touched it. Other dishes included the second course of the Peking duck, shrimps, and vegetables. We couldn't finish it and declined to take it home.
It's hard, even for me, to believe that my opinion of this place could change so drastically. To top it all off, we were asked to leave so another group could take our table.
Sorry for ruining your birthday celebrations, my friends.
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