I’ve never cared for tofu, so I can’t explain why I ended up at @chensmapotofu. Maybe I got swayed by the Michelin Bib Gourmand, or maybe I just decided to walk into the first restaurant I saw and hope for the best. My luck was in and my hope was not in vain, as my choice of the Signature Combo ($15++) was an inspired one.⠀
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Featuring a half portion of the Mapo Don that got Chen’s on the Bib Gourmand and a half portion of Dan Dan Mian, this double combo combines to make a truly filling meal. The sauce of the mapo tofu was downright delightful, with its supreme savouriness spiced up with Sichuan peppercorns for that trademark numbing. The intensity of the peppercorns was quite tame, with a subtle but unmistakable numbness & a hit of spicy heat. The sauce was thick, going against the norm of a thin watery sauce, and the mapo tofu felt considerably more substantial as a result. The silky soft tofu was enriched by an abundance of minced pork, and when combined with the sapid spicy sauce & steamed rice, made me reconsider my indifference towards mapo tofu.⠀
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As for the Dan Dan Mian, it was simple but satisfyingly savoury. Bouncy, QQ ramen is topped with a saucy minced pork sauce, and normally that would be all she wrote. However, here at Chen’s, that meat sauce is upgraded with a splash of Sichuan chili oil for that trademark tongue numbing sensation and the kick of spicy heat. This simple noodle dish is elevated with just a little tweak, and it was so supremely satisfying to savour. Enjoy the noodles first though, as the noodles get cold real quick and clump up.