Mala is like Asian peppercorns or Sichuan peppercorns to be exact where it will give you some numbing after-taste on your tongue. The precise origins of mala in dishes are unclear. However, Chongqing cuisine has a strong characteristic of Sichuan cuisine featuring mala in many of their dishes especially in hotpot menus.
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| Chongqing spicy noodle with stewed beef $15.80 |
Here in Mr Meng restaurant, you can find great ranges of noodles dishes that highlighting mala. They also serve other menus to suit kids or other people palates who might not into spicy mala thingy. Their noodle is cooked to al dente. The soup is rich and piquant. However, finishing the whole bowl of noodle on my own, there're too much mala to handle. So, we ordered a couple of their dessert to cool down my burning tongue.
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| Chongqing spicy noodle with pork mince and corn $14.80 |
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| Clear noodle soup with stewed beef and tomato $15.50 |
To be honest, this clear noodle soup with fresh tomato were more like my cup of tea. We ordered this for the kids. But it tasted very light and refreshing. Maybe I'll go with this dish next time.
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| Deep fried crispy pork $9.80 |
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| Deep fried brown sugar rice cake $7.80 |
We were contemplating between this rice cake or sesame balls at first. But the waiter recommended this rice cake, so we went along with it. It was really good actually, lucky we trusted him. The rice cakes were having this nice crispy skin on the outside and still soft inside. Dipped into melted brown sugar, they went well together and not so sweet at all. Though, be careful of the piping hot from the inner rice cake.
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| Ice jelly with brown syrup $5.50 |
This jelly dish didn't look appetising to me at all but to be honest I can't stop eating them. It soothed my mouth from lingering mala taste. I don't understand how come this simple dish can be so good, it was only a clear jelly served with brown sugar, peanuts and something like haw flakes.
Market City, Level 3, Hay Street, Haymarket
Open: 11:30-20:30 (Fri, Sat, and Sun close at 21:00) Tue closed
