Chengdu Famous Food - A Spicy Diamond in the Rough
Chengdu Famous Food first popped up on my yelp “hot & new” section a few months ago, and though intrigued, I didn’t make any real effort to wander over to try it. I was picturing a sort of hole in the wall American Chinese place, and given it’s location on Lancaster ave on the outskirts of University City, it seemed a little too inconvenient for lunch on a work day. However then I read somewhere that Chengdu Famous Food was started by fresh out of Drexel grad with a dedication to authenticity who had poached an old Jane G’s chef, and my curiosity was seriously piqued.
Walking into the space, it definitely has a hip vibe with a fast casual atmosphere. On one of the side walls, there is a giant mural in a really cool street art style of a panda slurping on some noodles and dumplings. It’s an order at the counter and then pick a table sort of deal. The menu was a little confusing and disjointed — there are dishes with photos above the counter, specials handwritten near the register, and also a printed take-out like menu with dishes that don’t appear anywhere else, but my coworker and I talked to the very friendly woman manning the register to figure out what we wanted. After some back and forth, my friend and I settled on one classic dish, one adventurous dish, and one leafy green to balance the other two dishes, which were the garlic (yu hsiang) eggplant, the master chef style pig feet, and sautéed bok choy, respectively.
The first dish to come out was the bok choy. It looked rather unassuming, but it was unexpectedly delicious. The leafy greens were really fresh tasting and fragrant from the garlic it was cooked with. It still retained a mild crunch and really stood up to the rest of the heavily seasoned meal with it’s simple but deep umami flavors. This was one of those deceptively simple dishes that let’s you know that the people in the kitchen know what they’re doing.
The next dish to drop was the eggplant. It had a unique presentation which I had never seen before for this dish — long cuts of eggplant in pyramids that had been individually deep fried and stacked into a larger pyramid. It was molten hot on the inside when it first came out, but so delicious I burned my mouth a few times trying to eat them. The eggplant was amazing on it’s own, and down right addicting when mopped around in the thick layer of sauce at the bottom of the plate. The sauce itself was perfectly balanced version of the classic yu hsiang sauce with enough heft to stick to the eggplant. The combination of the fried texture of the outside of the eggplant with the super soft, tender inside, all coated in tangy, spicy sauce is something I will think about often when spacing out at my desk.
The last dish to come was the master style pigs feet. This dish consisted of pork hock pieces encrusted with a dry rub made of cumin and other mysterious ingredients and deep fried so it had satisfying outer layer of crunch. The ma (numbing) flavor really came out, which had my tongue tingling after a few bites, and the la (spicy) was definitely present too. I was gulping down water the entire meal. The pigs feet version of this dish is definitely not for beginners or picky eaters - the gelatinous texture of the pigs feet comes through pretty clearly though for me, it was an amazing pairing with the crust of fried seasoning on top. There are also a bunch of awkwardly shaped bones to gnaw around, so maybe also not a first date dish. Not going to lie though, these things are all pluses in my book, so I will definitely be back for this.
I was so impressed with this place, that I actually came back with a friend I know also loves garlic eggplant. The second time around I was craving that spicy tingle again, but I knew that the friend I went with would not be down with pigs feet, so I suggested what I thought was a more beginner friendly option of pork ribs. Unfortunately, though the texture is less challenging than the pigs’ feet, the pork ribs still had bones and hard cartilage in the pieces that needed to be navigated around, which my friend wasn’t a fan of. Though that being said, between the two of us we still devoured the entire thing. Given the two choices, I’d probably go with pigs feet, but this is a solid option for those who are not gelatinous-texture inclined. (It looked super similar to the pigs feet though, so I'll just stick the pork ribs version into the gallery below.)
Of course we also got the eggplant, and to round it out, this time I picked the spicy cold cucumbers. The eggplant was just as delicious as I remembered it, and my friend was a huge fan as well, which is a good sign of the consistency of the kitchen.
The cucumbers were also addictively tasty. Like the bok choy, they looked deceivingly simple, but the garlicky spicy marinade they were tossed in was amazing and the cucumbers were light and super crunchy. They were the perfect accompaniment to the other spicy and sauce heavy dishes we had ordered. I could definitely mindlessly eat an entire order of these things as a snack while watching TV or browsing the internet.
In terms of the overall experience, there are some logistical things they could improve on. At both visits, we were only given rice packed in tiny bowl and no plates, making for an awkward and messy eating experience. When asked though, they did bring out plates straightaway. Also there were no automatic water refills or a place where you can refill on your own— you have to bring your water cup to the counter and ask for a refill. Obviously these aren’t ideal, but looking back, I think it’s just part of their no-frills vibe. Given that it’s an order at the counter type deal, I’m not mad about having to request plates or go up for a water refill (though for the water refill, it would definitely make more sense to place a pitcher on the counter so customers can self-refill).
My last complaint about this place is that I always over order and the food is so good that I eat until way past my body is telling me to stop, and then proceed to feel like death for a few hours as I try to survive an epic food coma. But that’s probably just a me problem and not a Chengdu Famous Food problem.
TL;DR - A rare 10/10 for me. Definitely come try this place if you love spicy authentic Chinese food. For Yu Hsiang Eggplant fans, the eggplant is a must order.
