I did not think that I would get excited about a vegetarian meal in Chengdu, but after a greasy hotpot meal, I actually got pretty excited to have a change to a healthy, zen-type meal. The hotel we were were staying at, also runs a teahouse in the adjoining retail/dining sprawl that is Taikoo Li. The teahouse, in a heritage building with an inner courtyard, was a quietly tranquil escape from the heat and bustle outside. Although not air-conditioned, the staff were helpful enough to seat us at a table near the AC vents on the floorboards.
Teahouses are a big thing in Chengdu. They are places of gathering for people of all ages, and usually very casual, set in parks and overlooking some greenery or bodies of water. One can spend the whole day at their favorite bamboo chairs doing nothing much except nurse a pot of tea, chit-chat or read the papers, fanning oneself indolently with a big paper fan. Whiling away time in a tea-house, and playing mahjong are the two most popular activities in the city, the locals are quietly proud of their laid-back culture.
This tea house is different though. Other than the beautiful setting, the menu takes itself more seriously than just a selection of teas and sunflower seeds. The menu features a surprisingly varied range of vegetarian dishes. Nothing 'mock' or that felt too much like a salad, plenty of pickles, preserved vegetables, dressed produces, cooked dishes to choose from, and it is a good idea to order a variety to share.
The food was delicious and beautifully presented, making the most out of the fresh local produce and utilising local techniques so there was a variety of Sichuan flavours. We loved the okra and smoked tofu in a piquant soy dressing. Fresh bamboo shoots with chilli oil was crunchy and sweet. Tofu in a spicy peppercoin oil was still very creamy and beany. The radish were pickled in a plum marinade, and cut to look like a flower, very pretty. The only disappointment was the baby potatoes in a jajiang sauce, in contrast to the other dishes, it was quite bland and heavy.
My favorite dish was a very simple one of noodles tossed with charred scallions and a semi-dry sauce supposedly made of mushrooms, that tasted more like preserved olives to me. Anyway, it was surprisingly delicious, the slightly-chewy noodles picking up on and running with the fleeting nutty, salty meaty notes of the sauce. We couldn't have enough of this, and ordered another to share.
Husband ordered a selection of tea cakes. I didn't have much hope in them, as I have eaten my share of overly sweet and dense paste cakes, but they were delicious, being light and refined, the infused flavours clearly discernible. Just the thing to accompany a pot of hot tea and round up our healthy meal.
No. 81 Bitieshi Street, Jinjiang District, Chengdu, China 610021
T: +86 28 6297 4193
