PETALING JAYA, May 10 — It’s hard to believe that this well-hidden restaurant in Section 14, Petaling Jaya has been around for eight years already! Located up a flight of stairs above The Baker’s Cottage, I had discovered this eatery one night when a group of friends brought me here for an impromptu meal.
Dining here during the weekend was an eye-opener, as the place that spans two shoplots was packed. Even though some dishes were missed out from our order with the chaos, we had a tongue-tingling good time which got a big thumbs up from everyone.
On another visit, I discovered that this eatery is owned by four individuals — two local Chinese and two who hail from Hunan. This includes Cai Jiao who manages this place. The young woman studied International Business at Stamford College in Petaling Jaya, before she decided to go into business. The kitchen is manned by cooks from China and the dishes use ingredients imported from China. Their clientele includes a mix of locals and mainland China residents missing a taste of their homeland.
During weekdays, the eatery is relatively quiet and filled with smaller groups of people. It’s a no-frills joint with wooden tables and chairs, while menu pictures and posters advertising their specials in Mandarin decorate the walls.
Sichuan cuisine features bold flavours from the abundant use of chopped raw garlic, chilli peppers and Szechuan peppercorns. The heat in the Sichuan dishes is relatively tame here, making it a more pleasant experience for newbies to the punchy flavours of the cuisine.
Ordering is also easier for those who don’t speak Mandarin, as their menu is peppered with pictures of each of the dishes. If not, Cai Jiao, who speaks English, can guide you on what dishes to order. Contrary to popular belief, not everything on the menu is tongue-numbing. As Cai Jiao explains, it’s the same in her hometown, since a typical meal also includes non-spicy dishes to balance everything out.
Their signature dish is the tender boiled fish cooked in a special water or shuizhu style. Almost every table sports a large white platter filled with thin fish slices with a light broth flavoured with soybean paste. A layer of oil coats the surface, which is filled with Sichuan peppercorns and chilli peppers. Underneath the fish and freshly cut coriander, expect to find silky noodles to enjoy with the broth which gives your tongue a slight tingling sensation. The water cooked style gives the fish an extremely silky texture.
The eatery also excels in well-executed home-style dishes, like the simple omelette with tomatoes. The tangy chopped red tomatoes pair so well with the fluffy omelette for a satisfying meal. Equally addictive is a new menu item of fried eggplant with chillies. Each piece of the eggplant has beautifully caramelised edges with a sweetish tinge that one cannot stop eating until everything is gone. Since we wanted to balance out the spiciness, we also ordered a baked chicken in salt. Unfortunately it’s a letdown as the meat is a bit dry.
There is also an array of cold dishes — sour and spicy shredded seaweed, marinated cold cucumber with garlic, coriander leaves with black tree mushrooms, homemade beancurd skin or even shredded pig’s ears. We sampled the crunchy black tree mushrooms, which is given a punchy flavour with a tangy sauce, a topping of fresh coriander, and chopped raw garlic and chillies.
You can also order boiled crescent shaped dumplings filled with minced pork and vegetables, a staple food of Northern China. These dumplings are made locally in a factory. You can also buy them frozen at the restaurant. Pair them with noodles or douse the dumplings in a hot chilli oil sauce for a satisfying meal.
If you love super numbing hot dishes, go for the lamb with cumin and wild mountain pepper shredded beef. Both the dishes were items we ordered for my first meal here and had us reaching for a cup of hot Chinese tea to soothe our tongues.
Prices are also reasonable with the cold dishes starting from RM8 onwards. Their signature tender boiled fish is RM32 for a small portion, while a large portion is RM75. No wonder the name of the place means simple food in Chinese, as you find that their cooked dishes definitely remind you of a well prepared home-cooked meal.
Cu Cha Dan Fan Restaurant China
No. 6A-2, Jalan 14/20, Section 14, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-79320362.
Open daily: 11am to 3pm, 5pm to 10pm.
