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| - Sichuan food has finally come to Charlotte! And boy does it make a splash with Chuan Wang Fu. Like "300 lb teenage boy that had too? much sugar doing a cannonball into the pool" kind of splash. In short, the Sichuan that they're serving at Chuan Wang Fu is legit and amazing.
Now, a word about the menu: this place is still transitioning from Umai Sushi to Chuan Wang Fu and, when you come in, they might assume you're here for Umai. I won't judge you if you are (okay, maybe I will a little bit, because this is really dumbed-down sushi meant for white people from the suburbs), but, if this happens, just ask for the Sichuan menu. Okay, with that out of the way, the menu is your typical list of hilariously poorly-translated Chinese. This is something the restaurant should really work on improving. Worry not, I will give you a few helpful suggestions?:
1.) We started with the Dandan Noodles (dan dan mien). These appear under "cold appetizers" as "noodles in chilli sauce." These were far and away some of the best Dandan I've had outside of China. Really great flavor and texture and not overly spicy. Crispy bits of ground pork added just the right amount of chewiness. You can't go wrong.
2.) They had a special for the day, Xiao Long Bao, AKA Shanghai Soup Dumplings. While I'm not sure if this is traditional Sichuan food, this is something to which you should never say no. These soup dumplings were above average, they tasted like they weren't homemade or had spent perhaps a bit too long in the steamer, but still had excellent taste and are always a welcome treat. I do wish they had served them with soup spoons so you could eat them in the traditional way.
3.) We opted for the eggplant for one entree. It was terrific and served literally fresh off the grill - it was still sizzling when it came out. The small Chinese eggplants were served extra tender and with a generous amount of flavorful Sichuan chili oil. Each bite melted in my mouth. Outstanding quality.
4.) Finally, we got the shredded pork with vegetables. This, too, was amazing and a neat combination of shredded pork with shredded vegetables and mushrooms. As good as this was served fresh, it made for incredible leftovers once the flavors had gotten a chance to really mingle.
Among other Sichuan specialties were dry pot, do-it-yourself wok, radish cakes, whole fried fish with garlic and chilis, and numerous other delectable offerings. They also have some of the more "exotic" dishes that include things like intestines - this is actually pretty common in much of Asia, but hasn't really picked up steam here. Worry not, though: there are plenty of dishes where you can stick with the meats you know (chicken, fish, pork, beef, duck, etc.).
We had a ton of leftovers since they give you a lot of food. Since there was plenty of sauce with each entree, we took them home and added a couple cups of rice to each - this ended up making us each two dinners and two lunches!
Anyway, any small criticisms I direct at Chuan Wang Fu should not distract from the central theme that it's FRICKIN SICHUAN FOOD IN CHARLOTTE. And it's pretty damn amazing. If you know this food, go. Right now. If you don't know it, go introduce yourself to it's awesomeness. You won't be disappointed.
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