Mapo tofu noodles – a different spin on a more familiar dish

I’ve been sizing up the new Chinese Bistro along Regent Street for a while now – the restaurant popping up on the quiet thoroughfare (just over the road from City Creek) in recent months. I finally made a brief stop by last week and early impressions are promising. The large menu is primarily built around noodle dishes, many spiked with telltale Sichuan flair, and what’s this – mapo tofu noodles? Color me intrigued.

In lieu of the more commonly employed rice, the dish relies on thick noodles for a starchy base. Large chunks of medium-firm tofu, jade-green bok choy, and seasoned ground pork sit atop. A thinner oil lies beneath, replete with all the flavors of the more familiar preparation; sichuan peppercorns provide that unmistakable tongue-numbing envelopment, with garlic and chili doing their thing for balance. The finished result offers moderate heat that shouldn’t trouble most. Chilli oil is hangs out on the table for those wanting to amp things up.

I could personally stand a little more oomph across the peppercorn and chili dials, but then again, I suspect I’m not representative of the average luncher. I’m the guy more than happy to return to the office furiously perspiring, smeared liberally in chili oil. It’s a state I find myself in more often than not, come to think of it.

Chinese Bistro’s setup is a fast and friendly one, and easily suited to a brisk lunchtime stop-in should you be looking for something more exciting around the City Creek / Regent Street area. The alacrity of the ordering is underlined by the self-service kiosk next to the counter, as well as our server asking, “Is fifteen minutes ok?” when we also opt to try a side of the fried chicken wings. Of course, it is. Of the various styles afforded, we go with the spicy-cumin flavor. “Good choice”, we’re approvingly told. Indeed it was.

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Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you!  I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC.  I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City  dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.

I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV.   Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune.    I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand.   What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.

Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.