MáLà Project

I have no idea why something that appears to be a little chain of four restaurants in NY is on HN.

For those who can’t translate this, má là is the pinyin phonetic spelling of 麻辣, which is the “numbing spicy” sensation from eating Sichuan pepper or various parts of the related sanshō tree.

Funny to see this on HN. MaLa Project is easily in my top 10 restaurants in NYC. They do authentic and really fantastic Sichuan "dry pot" (aka stir fry). If you're into Sichuan-style cuisine, which leans heavy into layering multiple strong flavors together with spiciness and unique "numbing" from Sichuan peppercorns, it's really hard to beat this place anywhere in the US. It's one of the few places I genuinely miss since leaving New York.

They're on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list, and deservingly so. For my money, their food is better than some Michelin-star places.

I never realized they had such a unique and nostalgic website. I guess that's why it ended up on HN.

From the about page

> MáLà Project is a restaurant brand founded with a mission to deliver joy through neo-Sichuanese cuisine.

So bad it’s good.