Food Picks: Chengdu Bowl's flagship at Changi Airport offers Sichuan dishes with a speakeasy concept
Too bad the set-up is undermined by the fact that you can turn the corner and walk right into the restaurant anyway. Its gaping side – presumably meant to be concealed by an as-yet-underutilised curtain – beckons the trickle of diners who find themselves ambling around this corner of Terminal 3.
Then again, no one seeks out Sichuan food for the intrigue. What diners come for is flavour – vivid, bold and bright. Crammed with enough spice to consign one to the toilet for the next half hour.
And that it indeed delivers. Chengdu Bowl, which has three branches in the Central Business District, has swopped out its grain bowls for sharing dishes like la zi ji ($22.80).
Mala xiao la (small spice) orderers, beware: This is not for the heat-shy. It pinches, it numbs. It parts to reveal pillows of cheesy rice cake, which offer some textual variety but do little to slow the burn.
On the less potent side of the spice spectrum, assorted skewers are steeped in a piquant red chilli oil ($14.80), chicken is soaked in a bold mala broth and served with ramen noodles ($16.80) and beef sizzles on a hotplate ($23.80), its caramelised fat rendering into kailan and oyster mushrooms.
But Chengdu Bowl does not want to be defined by firepower alone. As its menu proves, there is more to Sichuanese cuisine than la zi ji and mapo tofu. The silky prawn with luffa in golden broth ($26.80), for example, is a masterclass in how to deliver flavour without resorting to violence.
Mom's homemade rice pot from Chengdu Bowl.
PHOTO: CHENGDU BOWL
Mom's homemade rice pot ($32.80) – a stodgy porridge of abalone, prawns and diced vegetables that is good for four or five diners – dabbles in similar flavours, but leans slightly towards the sweeter side.
All in all, it is a hearty upgrade from Chengdu Bowl's usual offerings and a welcome addition to Changi Airport's culinary roster – with or without the clandestine thrill.
Where: Changi Airport Terminal 3 Departure Hall, 03-21, 65 Airport Boulevard
MRT: Changi Airport
Open: 11am to 9.30pm daily
Info: www.chengdubowl.com
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