Original Cuisine

An offshoot of one of California’s most admired Chinese restaurants, this clean, efficient East Valley eatery really brings the heat, specializing in the one-two punch of ma la ‘ dried red chilies and tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorn, an acquired taste for sure. For more nuance, start with mapo tofu’ silky cubes of tofu, bathed in a gravy-like sauce of chili oil, doubanjiang (spicy fermented bean paste), Sichuan peppercorn, garlic and ginger. It’s absolutely off the charts, releasing subtle sweetness and layers of controlled heat.