Moko Mall’s new hidden gem impresses with their take on the Chinese region’s chilli-spiked sharing dishes
Sichuan cuisine is getting more popular as ever, as our passion for mala (numb and spicy) and tolerance for the fire it imbues are burgeoning. Located at Moko Mall in Mong Kok, Chuan Palace is the latest addition to Kowloon’s lifestyle arcade, and we were particularly thrilled with some of its hottest spicy offerings.
At first glance, Moko Mall seems a tricky location to get to from public transportation. The arcade can be a maze to get through, but a quick elevator ride can take you to the fifth floor with a wide entrance that welcomes you into the Sichuan restaurant. Unlike most Sichuan stablishments were the interior mimics the cuisine with shades of flame-red, Chuan Palace goes for a more sophisticated look with cool colour tones, from Prussian blue carpeting and matching banquettes around the perimeters of the restaurant. Dark wooden tables are evenly spaced out across the main dining room. A brightly-coloured mural of a dragon and phoenix forms the focal point of the establishment, adding a traditional touch to the otherwise contemporary interior design.
Chuan Palace is not just a Sichuan restaurant but one that doubles as a dim sum restaurant. The a la carte menu is designed and crafted by executive chef Lee Chi-Kwong, whose previous tenure covers Sichuan mala havens such as San Xi Lou and Golden Valley. The restaurant’s dim sums are designed by chef Chan Sai-Fai, previously at Macau’s Jade Dragon and Wing Lei Palace.
We began our meal with snacks such as Chinese yam with pickled plums. Mountain yam was cut into small cubes and marinated in a fruity vinegar flavoured with preserved plums. The cooling starter not only warmed up our palate for upcoming dishes, they also worked well as a palate cleanser to rinse off the numbing heat sensation between courses. Deep-fried duck blood was a playful twist on salt-and-pepper tofu. Bite-sized morsels of duck blood jelly is a staple in Sichuan cuisine, and at Chuan Palace they were battered and deep-fried with a five-spice salt sprinkle, a perfect snack to nibble on while we waited for our main dishes to come.