While most everyone I know was watching the Oscars several Sundays ago, The Astronomer and I tucked into Shufeng Garden in Monterey Park to numb our tongues and burn our throats. Who cares what frock whatsername is wearing when there are Sichuan delights to be had. Hashtag truth.

My lovely friend Pam, the blogger formerly known as Daily Gluttony, pointed me to the original Shufeng Garden in Rowland Heights this past summer while I was researching the Food Lovers’ Guide to Los Angeles.

Even though Shufeng Garden’s cooking was on par with my favorite Sichuan spots in town, namely Lucky Noodle King and Yun Chuan Garden, sheer distance kept The Astronomer and me from returning for more. Fortunately for us, the restaurant opened a Monterey Park branch a few months back, adding another solid tongue-numbing option to our rotation.

For me, a Sichuan meal isn’t complete without a bowl of dan dan mian. An expertly made version never fails to leave my tongue tingling and my heart singing; the noodles here came through on both fronts.

Every chopstick-full flooded my mouth with an intense wave of heat, spice, and savoriness.

My favorite dish at Shufeng Garden has got to be “Zhong’s Dumplings,” pure pork parcels hit with fiery chili oil and Sichuan peppercorns. The wrappers possessed a wonderful chew, while the filling was meltingly tender.

Also fantastic was the “Shufeng Spicy Chicken,” deep-fried morsels prepared with classic Sichuan flare. Plenty of dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns meant a hefty dose of numbing and spice.

The final dish for our party of two was the house special “Intestine in Chili and Wild Pepper” spooned over steamed rice. Swimming in the thick, chili oil-slicked sauce were slabs of silken tofu with chewy bits of intestines. This dish was the most intensely numbing and spicy of the bunch and required copious amounts of rice to mellow out the avalanche of hotness.

Like I said, who cares what frock whatsername is wearing when there are Sichuan delights to be had!

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Shufeng Garden
18459 Colima Road
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
Phone: 626-839-7589

There’s more to eat in Monterey Park on Gastronomy:

• Beijing Pie House – Monterey Park
• Boiling Point – Monterey Park
• Bollini’s Pizzeria Napolitana – Monterey Park
• Dean Sin World – Monterey Park
• Elite Restaurant – Monterey Park
• Hot Pot, Hot Pot – Monterey Park
• Kam Hong Garden – Monterey Park
• Mama’s Lu – Monterey Park
• Pearl’s Restaurant – Monterey Park
• Qing Dao Bread Food – Monterey Park
• Sam Woo Barbecue Shop – Monterey Park
• Taihei Restaurant – Monterey Park
• Yun Chuan Garden – Monterey Park
• Yun Chuan Garden – Monterey Park
• {swoon} Fan Tuan at Huge Tree Pastry