Beauty Hunan: Oh So Spicy, Oh So Delicious

If you know me, you know that I love spicy foods. You would probably know that if you read my blog post on the Carolina Reaper. When people think of spicy Chinese food, they will typically point to Szechuan cuisine. Szechuan cuisine is known for the pungency of its food offerings, but Hunan cuisine takes that to a whole new level. Hunan cuisine implements higher amounts of chili peppers in comparison to Szechuan. As a lover of spicy foods, Hunan cuisine is hard to ignore.

In celebration of my father's birthday, my family decided to eat out for dinner in an area known as "Convoy" in San Diego. We first decided to go to a Taiwanese hot pot restaurant, only to discover that it was completely packed. The wait for a table could have exceeded an hour. After a few minutes of ponderous decision-making, we departed for a slightly obscure restaurant by the name of "Beauty Hunan."

Entering the restaurant, we were greeted with a massive fish tank filled with a variety of beautiful fishes ranging from goldfishes to silvery arowanas. After admiring the fishes in the tank, we were quickly seated. Unlike the hot pot restaurant, many of the seats in Beauty Hunan were empty by comparison. One reason for this could have been due to its relatively non-busy location. A sign of that was the fact that parking for Beauty Hunan was simple while parking for the Taiwanese hot pot restaurant was problematic. I was a little concerned about the emptiness, but that didn't deter us away from the establishment.

Ordering at Beauty Hunan was very pleasant. The menu was easy to navigate, and was abundant with many different options. The waiter was courteous and well-informed about the menu items. When asked a question about a dish, they answered kindly and accurately.

 Hunan cold dishes. Spicy beef, pork ears, and duck tongues.

The first dish we received was a combination of Hunan cold dishes. The dish consisted of spicy beef, shredded pork ears, and stewed duck tongue. The spicy beef was what I would describe little bits of spicy and oily goodness. The pork ears were a bit chewy and shared a similar flavor profile to the spicy beef. The stewed duck tongues were spicy and oily as well. However, I didn't care too much for the duck tongues because the presence of bone in the tongues was a little unpleasant. Overall, this was a very decent appetizer to begin the course.

Next came the cuttlefish dry pot and fried rice. First and foremost, let's talk about the fried rice. There is not much to say about the fried rice because it was your typical Chinese fried rice. However, it was a good complement to the overall course. The more significant of the two dishes was the cuttlefish dry pot. For those who don't know what a dry pot is, it can be described as a hot pot without the boiling hot broth. A major difference is the fact that all the ingredients come to the table pre-cooked and already in the pot. The dry pot is warmed over a heat source at the table in similar fashion to a traditional hot pot. As for the cuttlefish dry pot, it was placed over a wooden vessel with a cast iron top containing a small flame. This was a visually pleasing enhancement to the presentation aspect of the dish. Inside the cuttlefish dry pot was a wealth of ingredients including broccoli, cauliflower, chili peppers, potatoes, onions, and of course, cuttlefish. Without reserve, my family and I commenced our attack on the dry pot.

Cuttlefish dry pot. A perfect balance of flavors.

The first bite of the cuttlefish was intensely flavorful. Perfectly seasoned, perfectly spicy. The savory and spicy flavors enveloped my tongue in a pleasingly piquant hug. The saltiness and spiciness were in a perfect harmony akin to the two Chinese divers diving in the 2016 Rio Olympics synchronized diving event. The texture was pleasantly tender and similar to squid. All the other ingredients in the dish were delicious as well, but the potatoes in particular stood out. These potatoes were gloriously salty, just slightly crispy on the outside, and moist on the inside. They reminded me a little of the most decadent of potato wedges. It was hard to restrain myself from ignoring basic civility and completely devouring all the potatoes like a Neanderthal.

Boiled fish in spicy broth. An acquired taste.

The final dish served was boiled fish in a spicy broth. The first thing I noticed about this was how fragrant the dish was. The scent of peppercorn completely dominated my olfactory senses. The fish, as one could probably guess, had the strong taste of Szechuan peppercorns. This put a numbing sensation on my tongue that strangely turned sweet once the sensation settled down. The fish was moist to the point where eating it was almost as easy as chewing air. I feel that this dish might have an acquired taste because the flavors stemming from the peppercorns are profoundly intense.

For a person that has never tried Hunan cuisine, it is hard to not recommend this restaurant. It is especially hard not to recommend this restaurant to lovers of pungent and spicy flavors. Not too long ago, I was disappointed to learn that my favorite Chinese restaurant in Convoy had closed down. After learning the unfortunate news, I toiled in my search for another enjoyable Chinese restaurant that could possibly replace my now-closed-down favorite. After coming to Beauty Hunan, it's safe to say that I've found my replacement, and a very good one at that.