Spicy food! Believe it or not, I used to not be able to eat anything spicy. Not that I don't like it, it's just that my palate cannot stand the heat. One day, I got a few friends that eat things that are only spicy....... so I got trained, and now I LOVE spicy food. This is probably one of the best sichuan places in Los Angeles, Chengdu taste. It is a very popular place, and they do not take reservations, so if you want to avoid a long line, I suggest going there between 11-12 for lunch.
I have been here a couple times, and here are some of my favorite dishes. Perfect appetizer: mung bean jelly noodle in chili sauce and the cold garlic pork dish. They are both cold dishes, perfect for summer. The jelly noodle helps neutralize the spiciness of the sauce, and it has such great flavor. For the garlic pork, it was served with a bed of sliced cucumber at the bottom, and the sweetness and freshness of the cucumber helps with the heat, and the pork was cooked and sliced perfectly.
The other two main courses that I love are the boiled fish with green pepper sauce and the toothpick lamb with cumin. The fish dish has a clear broth, but don't get fooled by it! It is numbingly spicy! The fish is cooked really nicely in the broth, and the broth is very tasty, perfectly seasoned. I still remember the first time we ate here, when I got home, my lips were hurting a little in a hot shower. I don't know whether they tuned it down, or we are more used to it, but it doesn't feel as spicy anymore. I didn't have a picture of the toothpick lamb, but as you can imagine, it is pieces of lamb on toothpicks. Very convenient to eat, you just pick it up and put in your mouth. This dish is not too spicy, so for those who cannot eat too spicy, this is a good dish for you. The lamb is well cooked and succulent. Their dishes are generally very big, that's why we weren't able to order too much usually, but it is perfect for a group of 4-6 people. Other dishes (bobo chicken, lion fish, chicken in green pepper sauce, etc) are pretty good too, but the fish is definitely a MUST ORDER.
