Chili in Wanchai

I don't dip my toes - or more accurately, my tongue - into Sichuan cuisine very often, thanks to not having a high tolerance for heat. The rare exception has made for a pair of meals at Deng G (鄧記) over the past few years, as they serve up some dishes which are more traditional and not everything is smothered in chili oil. When an invitation came from Mr. Chichi (吃吃君) for a dinner there while Chef Deng Huadong (邓华东) was back in town, I checked with Foursheets - who is always up for something spicy - and happily accepted the invitation.

The menu was, of course, composed by the chef. Foursheets and I did object to the inclusion of shark's fin, so we were promised a substitute that would not alter the experience significantly.

We started with six cold appetizers (鄧記六小碟):

Chayote shoots with Sichuan pepper (川椒龍鬚菜) - very refreshing, and not really spicy at all.

Sliced pig's kidneys with sour sauce (酸汁白腰) - I had this before on my first visit to the restaurant when Chef Deng was around, but this time the sauce was made with plenty of finely diced chilis and coriander, which packed a good amount of heat. Still love how smooth and silky the kidney slices were.

Ox tongue and tripe medley (招牌夫妻肺片) - pretty classic, no surprises here.

Marinated spinach roll (菠菜卷) - the spinach may have had most of the liquid squeezed out of it but was still pretty earthy. Not a fan.

Sliced pork with garlic and chili (名廚蒜泥白肉) - the fat of the pork belly was pretty nice, and the diced cucumber wrapped up inside were pretty refreshingly sweet.

Shredded Kamei chicken in chili oil (棒棒嘉美雞) - so this is bang bang ji (棒棒雞) but we've got a lot more chili oil than sesame sauce. They use Kamei chicken (嘉美雞) for this.

Braised shark's fin bird's nest with crab roe (蟹黃魚翅官燕) - very grateful for the substitution, although I would have been completely fine without the dish at all... seeing no connection between this and Sichuan cuisine. I've also never been much of a fan of bird's nest.

Crispy duck stuffed with glutinous rice (椒鹽八寶鴨) - I've had the pleasure of tasting this before, and I was so happy to see it again.

The duck was stuffed with lotus seeds, Job's tears (薏米), dried lily bulb, shiitake mushrooms, diced ham, dried shrimp, diced bamboo shoots, and diced pork. Oh, and of course glutinous rice. Just love, love, love that skin!

As always, the stuffed duck came with some cabbage marinated with vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Refreshes the palate after such a heavy bite.

Fishball in consommé (清湯魚圓) - the fishballs were so, so airy and fluffy. The consommé was clean and tasty. I'd be happy to eat this any day.

Braised fish maw Yibin-style (叙府廣肚) - this came with a sauce made with minced pork, diced bamboo shoots, preserved leafy mustard (梅乾菜), and of course... chili. We've also got bean sprouts at the bottom, but OK la...

Kung pao Wenchang chicken (宮保文昌雞丁) - not sure why this dish used Wenchang chicken and not Kamei chicken, but... this definitely numbed my taste buds and my lips a little.

Songsao noodles (宋嫂麵) - this isn't something I'm familiar with although it is apparently something pretty common, served with fish fillets. Pretty decent flavors, and not too much eat.

Stir-fried shredded eel (火爆紫龍) - this wasn't done the Shanghainese way, but with diced chilis and, surprisingly, julienned celtuce stem.

Mapo tofu with sea cucumber (麻婆豆腐海參) - the classic dish has been upgraded to a more luxe version with the addition of sea cucumbers.

Green beans with conpoy (瑤柱缸豆) - I love green beans, but... not getting the combination with conpoy.

Yu xiang shredded pork (魚香肉絲) - it's nice to have a dish featuring the classic Sichuan flavors of 魚香, with garlic, chili, spring onions... etc. But did they have to use julienned celtuce stem again?

Sautéed lotus seed mash (炒蓮子泥)

This crowd was surprisingly tame when it came to alcohol, since not everyone is a wino like moi...

Elise Bougy Chetillon de Haut, dégorgée en Decembre 2023 - the nose was pretty fragrant at first, then got more toasty with time. Crisp on the palate with pretty high acidity thanks to being blanc de blancs. Drinking nicely.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 170ème Édition, ID 221035 - the acidity on the palate was higher than expected. The nose still got those toasty notes, but not the brioche profile I love so much. The palate was on the lean side, and not as rich as I normally love. After about 20 minutes, the palate had softened up a little.

2021 Camille Thiriet Bourgogne-Aligoté du Jardin - this was a little mild on the palate at first, and in fact bland and boring. Nose showed a little toast but not much more interesting than that.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 172ème Édition, ID 123003 - toast nose, and the palate wasn't so acidic.

1994 Maximin Grünhaüser Abtsberg Riesling Auslese - lots of vanilla and marzipan on the nose at first, which was a surprise. Got the marmalade, too, after 30 years. This was ripe and rounded on the palate, but the acidity was high enough to balance it. The sweetness was nice enough to temper the heat in Sichuan cuisine.

2018 Wine Spots Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville - really ripe and sweet on the nose, with mint and spices, very fragrant.

A good evening with fun company, and I'm glad the heat didn't blow my head off. The classic dishes were fine, but maybe the flavors were just too familiar and I was hoping for some eye-openers. Oh well.