On the outside, it looks like a dingy Chinese take-out spot. They’re fine and they look wonderful. The restaurant has only limited spots for reservations, and most diners come through walk-ins. The Salt Cod Fried Rice was delicious - but it tasted very similar to other Salty Fish fried rice cantonese dishes I've had before in Chinatown which are maybe half the price of this. But once you walk in and they walk you to the back...viola! It was in the most flavorful broth and had peanuts and sweet potato mixed in. The also come with a few potatoes, which are really good with the Worcestershire sauce they're cooked in.- Chongqing Chicken Wings ($11)These are ridiculously spicy, but great. When it appeared on Orchard Street in 2012, Mission Chinese Food was slightly unreal. On the plus side, it was 6pm on a Thursday and there was no wait, and most of the tables inside were empty. Prepare the base. Another great carb option is the salt cod fried rice--helps cut the spice a bit. I don't know.In any case, whatever Danny Bowein doesn't nail in "authenticity", he certainly does in conveying the "feel" of Sichuan in the atmosphere and his mad matter twists and innovations. And sure, it happens to cost probably 3 times as much as comparable dishes in Chinatown, but again, it's just excellent food, so pay up and enjoy it.It's a cool, funky atmosphere inside, and as long as you don't mind hipsters, it's a really fun time to come here for a meal. Braise 1/2 cup chili oil, or as needed 15 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup fermented black beans 1/3 cup Chili Crisp Food was sub par and you walk out stinking like chinese food bc of their open kitchen. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, For a Perfect Fried Egg, Do as the Spanish Do. It's just that good, that I don't mind suffering and happily sweating profusely throughout the entire meal.For tonight's feast, I went with all new stuff or stuff I didn't try the first go round:- Griddled Lamb Meatballs ($8)Incredible. Those were the dishes I enjoyed the most, though everything else was pretty decent as well. It was just a clumsy bowl of san bei.I wouldn't hold these dishes up to the standard of "authentic" Asian food, because clearly concept is the entire point here. Andrew D. asks: What is ma po tofu and where can I try some? You're transformed into a dark, red-lit room with chairs hanging from the ceiling. I've not been too impressed with their noodle dishes in the past, but I think the egg egg noodles are definitely worth getting. We wanted to revisit Mapo Tofu, probably the most popular tofu dish on the planet. When the wait is not 2 hours. 1/4 cup fermented black beans Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok. It's more hipster Chinese. Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. The bacon and catfish were really delicious, and this was probably the spiciest of all the dishes. I expected tongue-in-cheek dishes with some of the culinary finesse you'd expect from such a hyped restaurant, but everything, dish for dish, was disappointingly one-note.To add insult to injury, the Twin Peaks-themed bathroom was not really Twin Peaks-themed! 1 teaspoon cornstarch slurry 4. Tucked away in an inconspicuous location, this LES hotspot features fun and fiery dishes such as Kung Pao Pastrami and Thrice Cooked Bacon. Crank the heat up to high and get the chili oil almost smoking hot. Once I asked a group of non-Chinese friends who had experiences of real Chinese food: “What is your favourite tofu … -Broccoli beef brisket with smoked oyster sauce, flavorful but nothing special-Thrice cooked bacon which comes with rice cake, tofu skin, and bitter melon, once again good but not nothing special -Red braised eggplant, was my favorite of the ones we ordered although I've had better eggplant dishes at chinese restaurants. Although a little salty, all were very good dishes and very flavorful. As for the recipe below, it is Bowien’s take on Mapo tofu, which hooked me on his cooking when I first visited Mission Chinese at its dimly lit San Francisco location. 1. Stayed for no wait time on a Thursday for lunch.I loved the decor and ambiance -  the lighting, the paper lanterns and chairs hanging from the ceiling, and the dragon. Oh well, maybe if I was a bit buzzed for this meal I would have enjoyed it more.Now, our table of 3 did our fair share of ordering, figured I should really try it all before passing judgement. T h e A b s o l u t e B e s t. 1. What we ate: pork/eel dumplings, crispy pig ears, pickled vegetables, combination fried rice, cumin lamb and mapo tofu (SPICY! 7. From The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook by Danny Bowien and Chris Ying. The Mapo Tofu was okay and not as spicy was I assumed it would be. Combine the reserved mushroom liquid, doubanjiang, and tomato paste in a medium bowl. I'm sure many will love this, but I think I prefer Famous Sichuan and Hot Kitchen's versions. Don't forget to try the Pina Coladas as well! View menu and reviews for Mission Chinese Food in New York, plus popular items & reviews. I came here at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, and still had to wait an hour before getting in. But, since it was finally brought over to NYC, I felt like I needed to give it a shot. Because they are sweet. Only afterwards did I realize there was catfish in that soup, yet no Mapo tofu nor coddled egg. The sauce is so epic; I like to mix it with my rice in the end despite my usual dismissal of high sodium and high carb foods. I've never been to the downtown location as I heard the wait times were ridiculous but after this experience, I'm not sure if I would recommend anyone to.The food, while plentiful, is extremely salty. 2 ounces dried whole shiitake mushrooms Maybe it's the potatoes that dampen any complexity that rice wine and sesame would add, but flavor-wise this dish was both too salty and too dull. Cover and braise over low heat for 2 hours. I've always felt Sichuan as a province is a bit crazy--far away from the governing eye of Beijing and the Westernization of Shanghai. Albeit there are more chili peppers than chicken wings on this plate don't let the little red devils confuse you (unless you think it's cool to spit fire). The classic recipe consists of silken tofu, ground pork or beef, fermented broad beans and soybeans (doubanjiang), fermented black beans (douchi), and Sichuan peppercorn, to name a few main ingredients. Hubby claims the meat is tender, I remember it as tough...Let us know what you think after you try it out. Like, it would be inhumane to feed this to a small animal on account of sure, irreparable damage to its kidney function. I only ordered the Mapo Tofu and Salted Cod Fried Rice with a side of beer as recommended by other reviewers. Famed Chinese chef Yu Bo’s mapo tofu takes the spicy, hearty and pleasingly numbing dish and kicks it into a higher gear. Add the aromatics back to the pan, along with the fish sauce, mushroom powder, Sichuan pepper and 2 cups of the base and bring to a simmer. Let's see... in a nutshell this is definitely not what you would call "authentic" Chinese food. Mapo tofu, the authentic way (麻婆豆腐) Tender tofu cooked in an aromatic and spicy sauce, accompanied by minced meat, Mapo tofu is one of the most popular ways to prepare tofu in China. Add 2 T vegetable oil and swirl the pan, then add ground … The giant dragon that snakes its way across the entire ceiling is awesome. Add the soy sauce and allow the mushrooms to soak for at least an hour, or until they are completely rehydrated and soft. Finish with a drizzle of Sichuan peppercorn oil, a sprinkling of ground Sichuan pepper and a scattering of cilantro and scallions. It was like eating the Dead Sea. (At this point, you can cool and then refrigerate or freeze the sauce for up to 1 month.). Hot, spicy, scorching…those are just a few words to describe the heat that comes from Mission Chinese Food’s Mapo Tofu. MAPO TOFU - seriously the best i've ever had... epic!KUNG PAO PASTRAMI - bold spicy flavor... love!really impressed with the menu so far and need to come back to try some of the seafood and drinks! Even as the room filled, it didn't feel that cramped. Menu, hours, photos, and more for Mission Chinese Food located at 2234 Mission St, San Francisco, CA, 94110-1812, offering Dinner, Chinese, Lunch Specials and Asian. Mission Chinese Food’s chef, Danny Bowien, advises serving leftover sauce over sautéed Chinese long beans or eggplant. The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook is a personal look into Bowien’s life. As for the recipe below, it is Bowien’s take on Mapo tofu, which hooked me on his cooking when I first visited Mission Chinese at its dimly lit San Francisco location. Can't afford glassware?Anyway, so we ordered the following, and I've ordered it from "best" to worst: + Salt Cod Fried Rice - $12.50: decent, but I can get comparable in Chinatown for the much cheaper+ Thrice Cooked Bacon- $12.50: barely any bacon, chewy rice cakes, it was edible+ Chongqing Chicken Wings - $11: super spicy fried wings, pretty good if you can get over the numbing spiceMy recommendations ends here... :( - Smashed Cucumbers - $4: somehow all I could taste was spice, I was hoping that the garlic and and sesame paste would bring some complexity, but nope- Mongolian Long Beans - $12: ehh, too greasy- Spicy Buckwheat Noodles - $10: mushy noodles with a bad sauce- Mapo Tofu - $12.50: the namesake, nothing special, covered in oil and not much else flavorwiseSo you can see, we ordered at least 2 items each per person, thinking that the more we order, the more likely we are to like a dish. 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