The Hungry Chilli, Halifax
I found myself alone downtown today at lunchtime and had a hankering for something spicy. I wandered into the Hungry Chilli, a little hole-in-the-wall place on Blowers St. It is totally unpretentious, with maybe 8 tables jammed into a room with virtually no decor. The menu is printed, but many sections have handwritten items scrawled on the bottom. No matter, the dishes sound great. I order a lunch combo or Numbing Hot Chciken and Sweet-Sour Beef, with rice and a salad roll. The salad roll was just OK, but the two main items (hope I got the names right) were fabulous. Spicy-hot, but not overpowering, and very, very tasty. The lady serving me stopped me as I was just starting to tuck into my lunch and grabbed a spare fork on my table. "No! Chilli peppers there! Very dangerous!!!" She used the fork to move a couple of smallish, dark pieces of chilli to the side of the plate. But there were more hidden underneath the chicken, and now of course I had to try one. It wasn't all that hot for me, so not only did I eat the ones that came along but also the two she had pushed aside. When she collected the empty plate I said "It wasn't all that dangerous!" She looked at the plate and replied "Oooh, you brave!!" Great fun, and recommended if you are in the mood for good, spicy Asian food in a bit of a rough and ready atmosphere. Nice people.
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May be the best Chinese restaurant in the city (certainly the best Szechuan) - if you're not afraid of the real thing. No red sauces here unless it's pure chili oil. Don't be afraid to ask for authentic and they will up the heat levels to incendiary level. The Ma Po Tofu is superb but they are a bit shy to let you have it with the Szechuan Pepper - mine was sent back for adjustment and returned in seconds black with sz pepper - just right. I asked the owner if she were eating this how would it differ? She replied 3 x the chili oil, 2 x the Szechuan Pepper. Must go back and have another go.
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