A poster at the entrance to Tianping
Lu’s Chili Makes You Ruddy,
Shanghai’s second branch of the
wonderfully named Sichuanese
eatery following the original outpost
on Dongzhuanbang Lu, declares
that the post-’90s generation owner
has two dreams. One, as a student
at Shanghai Theatre Academy, is
to become a star of the stage and
screen; the other is to serve the best
tasting chuanchuan (traditional
Sichuanese skewers) in town.
We’re not sure how he’s doing with
the acting, but he might just have
achieved his other goal.
Don’t be fooled by the changing
room mirror-like spotlights that
decorate the store front – Chili
Makes You Ruddy is a basic affair
once you’re in the door, but it offers
some highly authentic, brilliantly
spicy food at bargain prices; little wonder it’s already become a favourite with the nearby Jiaotong University student population.
The waitstaff will encourage you
to order through a web app on your
phone, but they have old-school
ordering sheets for you to mark up
too; either way, note that the menu
is only in Chinese, though there are
a handful of pictures. On one side of
the paper menu there’s a good range
of noodle dishes – the lightly spicy
braised beef (红烧牛肉面, 25RMB at
lunch, 18RMB for a smaller bowl at
dinner) being a particular highlight
with hunks of beef atop a bed of
chewy noodles and lipsmacking (if
oily) broth. Get a small bowl at dinner
with one of the side dishes (try
the delicious potato slices, 土豆
6RMB, which are served cold and
slathered in a punchy chili oil) and
you can walk away satisfied for
under 30RMB.
On the other side of the
ordering sheet is the chuanchuan
selection for which the restaurant is
becoming known (only available in the evenings). You choose your
spiciness level (微 light, 中 medium or 重 strong) and then tick off ingredients from a list that includes everything from beef tongue (牛舌), shrimp (基围虾) and spicy beef ( 麻辣牛肉) for 3RMB a stick, to ten different types of mushroom (all 1.5RMB each) and vegetables and squashes such as cauliflower (花 菜), aubergine ( 茄子) and pumpkin (南瓜). The result is a rather unglamourous bowl of wooden sticks afloat in a shimmering bowl of chili oil, but the ingredients are fresh
and the spice levels authentically
fierce.
You’ll want to have a cold
drink ready (a large Tsingtao is
12RMB), but this is a pleasingly
rustic, good value Sichuanese experience.
By Jake Newby
