I have never been to Tianshui, but this year the city has shot to fame because of its northwestern take on malatang. And the big chain Zhangliang has brought it down to Singapore as an option. I was naturally curious to see what the big fuss was about.
The first thing that surprised me was that there was no broth. It wasn't the dry version either; your selection of items gets blanched and a thick red sauce is brushed onto it. The local chili is the key, as it's bright red but not overly spicy. I'm not sure how authentic Zhangliang's rendition is, seeing how they didn't provide the wide noodles that apparently are supposed to go with this stuff, but it was nice in that it was a smoother and earthier taste without being overwhelming.
There was a ton of garlic at the bottom of this plate though, which is why I can't eat this for a weekday lunch. But it is a nice change from the usual broth. Oh, and separately one nice surprise today was the fact that Zhangliang now has fresh green bamboo shoots in its spread. Either that, or I just never noticed it before.
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