Friday Night Dinner

We are quite lucky to have a number of choices for dinner within a short walking distance. On Friday, when it was time to eat, I went down to the local Sechuan place. They were quite busy with a private party in the back and all of the tables were nearly full. They asked if I minded sitting on the end of a table where two men were enjoying their beers and spicy food. Lured by the smell and the potential to end my hunger, I said that I could.

I had a quick review of the menu and asked a few questions. Last week, we had a Sechuan food unit in my Mandarin class so I now know how to order a couple of the dishes in Chinese. I by passed the donkey meat, and ordered Mapo Tofu, an order of cucumbers for an appetizer, and an order of noodles with beef (it was actually like a spam meat ) and a Tsing Tao to wash it all down. Since I was eating by myself, I could only order a couple of dishes. I am reserving the other dishes I have learnt for another time. It was tasty and not too spicy. The mapo tofu has a little round spice in the sauce that has a very intense flavor; when you bite it, an intense lemon taste emerges and then numbs your mouth a bit. A little peculiar. I will be going back to this little restaurant. It is close, the people are friendly and the food is tasty. Also they have a rolled flatbread that I have yet to find on the menu; I need to learn and remember the name so that I can try it.