Spicy Bordeaux

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The Compatriot is in town on a short stopover and had time for one dinner. I rattled off the names of a few restaurants but the one that seem to have caught his attention was Mián (紅棉), as it's more than just your box standard Cantonese restaurant. Foursheets and I also love the place for its pet-friendly outdoor terrace, but as the weather has been unstable lately, we played it safe by getting a table indoors.

I've got a list of favorite dishes based on multiple visits, but I wanted to make sure our visitors got to try things that interested them. Thankfully the dishes they chose were ones I would have probably ordered, anyway.

We started a little late because of a late arrival, but I was wondering why it was taking so long for food to arrive after we had asked the staff to alert the kitchen... when all four starters we had ordered came at the same time.

Boiled sliced pork ∙ garlic ∙ chili oil (蒜泥白肉) - pretty spicy, but perhaps a little less than I remembered. Lots of diced garlic delivered that familiar flavor profile, and the heat was somewhat tempered by the celtuce wrapped inside the pork.

Jade lettuce ∙ wasabi (日本鮮山葵玉玲瓏) - always refreshing to start with this, as the blanched and chilled celtuce stem has got that crunchy texture with very clean flavors

Apple wood smoked bean curd sheet rolls ∙ assorted vegetables (蘋果木煙薰素鵝) - another one of our favorites here. The "vegetarian goose (素鵝)" came stuffed with shredded carrots, celtuce stem, and wood ear. But the best thing about this dish is that smoky fragrance from being smoked with apple wood.

Mian's roasted barbecue Iberico pork (別不同叉燒) - I like it that they tried to offer something other than the standard char siu, and these thin cuts came drenched in sweet, fruity marinade (reportedly made with tamarind) and were also covered in a blanket of shredded coriander for aromatics. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I do love it.

Sichuan style boiled mandarin fish fillets ∙ assorted chili (沸騰桂花魚) - a request from our guest, and I'm so happy mandarin fish was chosen and not brown-marbled grouper (老虎斑)... as the latter is on the World Wildlife Fund's "Avoid" list. Those red chilis floating on top look a little intimidating...

I've always liked this dish. The fish fillets were tasty, and I love that they've got chunks of loofah. Any potential muddy flavors of the gourd would be tempered somewhat by the spicy and sour broth which it had soaked up. We've also got flat noodles in the bowl, and I love slurping it up along with the broth. In terms of heat, this was near the upper end of my tolerance level, but the broth was so delicious that I found myself unable to stop spooning it into my mouth.

Fried lamb meat ∙ nuts ∙ chili (果仁辣子羊) - our first time having this dish, at Foursheets' request, and this wasn't what we had expected. Of course, we should have known from the Chinese description that this was akin to the classic Sichuanese dish of deep-fried chicken with dried chili (辣子雞). Pretty tasty with enough heat and that numbing sensation from fragrant Sichuan peppercorns. The cashews, pistachios, and walnuts made it a little more interesting.

Deep fried crispy chicken ∙ scallions sauce (紅棉䓤油雞) - our visitors requested this thinking that it would be just a steamed chicken with a condiment of minced ginger and spring onion (薑蓉), and was surprised by how this looked when it showed up. Thankfully, this was well-received! The combination of tender chicken with that paper-thin crispy skin, surrounded by both diced raw spring onions and burnt spring onion purée was just so tasty. One of my favorite dishes here.

Beef brisket and tendon ∙ chili pepper broth (椒香清湯牛筋蝴蝶腩) - another favorite dish to show our visitors, as the classic beef brisket in broth (清湯牛腩) gets a Sichuanese twist with the addition of green Sichuan peppercorn (藤椒) and a little bit of chili.

This didn't bring a whole lotta heat, but the numbing from the peppercorns - as well as the fragrance left in one's mouth - always surprises those tasting this for the first time. Of course, the tendon and the very tender brisket were delicious, too!

Stir-fried water bamboo ∙ eggplants ∙ green beans (醬燒地三鮮：茭白筍，茄子，法邊豆) - I love this veg dish as the ingredients aren't very typically Cantonese.

Fried mixed wild rice ∙ seafood ∙ egg ∙ premium soy sauce (元朗大孖頭抽海鮮炒飯) - many people order the baked pork chop rice as their main carb dish, but for me this fried rice made with premium soy sauce (頭抽) from Tai Ma Sauce (大孖醬園) is really, really good. The rice grains were nicely separated and dry with a firm texture, while the wok hei (鑊氣) made me lick my lips and yearning to refill my bowl. Interesting that Chef Shao added flying fish roe (飛び子), as I don't see it often in Chinese restaurants. This was so tasty that someone had FOUR bowls.

We kept it civilized tonight and didn't open all the bottles we brought along...

Pol Roger Brut Réserve, dégorgée en September 2023 - the nose was surprisingly fragrant and floral, with some classic yeasty notes.

1982 Cos d'Estournel - what a classic claret from a fantastic vintage! Smoky, a little earthy, and still got the sweet fruit. Smooth and silky on the palate now, and still going strong after more than 4 decades.

2005 Ausone - decanted 1½ hours after opening, and tasted 30 minutes after decanting. Very fragrant nose with lots of coconut butter and vanilla, and also lots of oak. Very ripe and sweet on the palate.

2020 Frédéric Cossard Puligny-Montrachet - the nose was metallic and reminds one of Anjour pear. Pretty nice on the palate, more towards the lean and acidic side but well-balanced.

I think our visitors were happy with the meal. There were quite a few spicy dishes, which didn't pair well with the lovely wines we were drinking. Dommage...