A few months ago, JAY wrote an article on the opening of a new Sichuan restaurant called Mala Tang, located in Arlington. Upon his recommendation, I went there for dinner a couple weeks ago. The restaurant validates parking, so feel free to use the parking garage if you drive in. The inside of the restaurant consists of a U-shaped dining space with a central bar. Mala Tang does have outdoor seating as well, but the hostess told me they weren’t doing hot pots outside on the night I visited. I’m not sure if that meant they never do, or if some issue prevented it on the night in question. About ¾ of the tables were full when I arrived, and it only got busier.
After looking at the menu, I decided on chrysanthemum tea and a hot pot. They offer two levels of spiciness for the broth: mala or mild, and I chose mala. I’m a fan of spicy food, but I dislike having what feels like a nuclear reaction in my mouth. Mala turned out to be the perfect choice. The level of heat in the broth was exactly what I look for in a dish labeled as “spicy.” A few chiles and pieces of scallions were floating on the broth when it arrived at the table. A thin film of red chile oil washed over the spices. With the hot pot came 1 small and 3 tiny bowls. The small bowl contained house-made soy sauce, which tasted amazing all by itself. The tiny bowls had slices of a miniature green hot chile, Chinese barbecue sauce, and spicy bean paste. The server who brought my food told me to mix the contents of the tiny bowls with the soy sauce according to my preference. After trying each, I added the barbecue sauce and bean paste to the small bowl. The green chile proved a too hot for my taste.
While I was busy customizing my soy sauce, the server was placing trays of food on the table. I ordered chicken, bamboo shoots, button mushrooms, and house-made noodles to go with the hot pot. I didn’t realize that rice came with the hot pot, hence the noodles. All the food came thinly sliced and there was a ton of it. Really, it was enough for three people. The flavor the broth imparted on the food was spicy, but almost floral. The soy sauce was less spicy, but with almost a garlicky taste. Oddly enough, both went very well with my tea. Bright yellow, it tasted delicately floral with a peppery note at the finish. The selection of meats is fairly standard, but they also offer a variety of seafood. The vegetable list encompasses familiar (potato) and strange (lotus root) choices. If you visit Mala Tang, I have two suggestions: 1) bring someone to share the food and 2) try at least one vegetable that you’re not familiar with.
-TKW
Editor’s note (JAY):
I’m hosting the September Food Blogger Happy Hour at Mala Tang on September 7th.
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