Right in Aman Suria, there’s a corner restaurant serving up probably what can be termed, the hotest hot pot in Malaysia.
From Wikipedia:
Sichuan pepper (or Szechuan pepper) is the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum (most commonly Z. piperitum, Z. simulans, Z. sancho and Z. schinifolium), widely grown and consumed in Asia as a spice. Despite the name, it is not related to black pepper or to chili peppers. It is widely used in the cuisine of Sichuan, China, from which it takes its name.
Sichuan pepper has a unique aroma and flavour that is not hot or pungent like black or white pepper, or chili peppers, but has slight lemony overtones and creates in the mouth a kind of tingly numbness (caused by its 3% of hydroxy-alpha-sanshool) that sets the stage for these hot spices. It has an alkaline pH and a numbing effect on the lips when eaten in larger doses. Ma la (Chinese: 麻辣; pinyin: málà; literally “numb and hot”), a flavor common in Sichuan cooking, is a combination of Sichuan pepper and chili pepper.
We begin our dinner in a chaotic manner after taking our seats. One thing to be said, there are a lot of workers running around this place and EVERYONE is very busy looking but service is horribly poor. I recommend going for the buffet. Plus is turns out to be slightly cheaper too. The beef and pork go well in the hotpot. Yee meen also works, as well as assorted mushrooms and meat balls (pork or fish). The frozen tofu is highly recommended and do begin your meal with the cold cucumber starter (with chili of course).
After the eating started, the heat was a bit too much so the camera went unused. A word of advice (or rather, a lot of words), bring lots of tissue, be prepared to sweat, plus drink lots of water. It is definitely hotter than you think!
Jin Shan Cheng
2 Jalan PJU 1/3A, Block K
SunwayMas Commercial Centre
Petaling Jaya
