Chengdu
Chengdu is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a population of 21 million, it is the fourth most populous city in China. UNESCO declared Chengdu a city of gastronomy in 2011.
Sichuan cuisine is renowned for its fiery and bold tastes, particularly the pungency and spiciness resulting from liberal use of garlic and chilis, as well as the unique flavours of Sichuan pepper.
Chengdu is also the name of my favourite restaurant in Paris. It is modest for its style and prices. But its cuisine is always excellent.
When we returned to Paris some 3 ½ years ago, Ken and I began what became our traditional Monday lunches. What better way to start the week.
With Ken, lunch starts a little after 12 noon (he is always late), and often continues through to 6.00pm.
And it was not long before we zeroed in on Chengdu as the location for our lunches. Chengdu is located at 16 Rue Volta in Paris’ 3rd arrondissement. Thus, it is in the heart of the oldest Chinatown in Paris, which may date back to World War 1.
I usually eat mapo tofu or aubergines à la sauce Yuxiang or dandan noodles. Ken often goes for riz sauté à la sichuanaise. But we have tried many dishes, and they are all delicious.
Ken and I occasionally invite a special guest to join us for lunch. And our favourite such guest is Peter Jarrett, who hails from Canada, a fellow member of the Commonwealth, and is always great company. All three of us used to work at the OECD.
So last Monday was a sad occasion. It was the last time that I would share a Chengdu lunch with both Peter and Ken, as we will be leaving France in a month’s time, and Peter flies off soon to Canada for a sojourn in the cottage country. To mark the occasion, I offered Peter a jar of the famous Australian Vegemite.
Since Peter and Ken are my best friends in Paris, I painted their portraits for my recent exhibition. Photos of these portraits are included here.