How does Chef 1996 present Sichuan cuisine beyond mala hotpot?

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Chef 1996 presents Sichuan cuisine through dishes that emphasise precise, delicate numbing heat and lighter, regional flavours rather than the typical mala hotpot experience.
Chef 1996, a private-room restaurant in Chaoyang, Beijing, reframes Sichuan cooking away from the common “mala hotpot” stereotype that many diners in Malaysia associate with communal spectacle and overwhelming numbing heat. Instead, it highlights controlled “mala” sensations and shows Sichuan’s range through regional ingredients and textures, including tingly, spicy offal preparations and refreshing steamed beef dishes. The restaurant opened in 2023 and entered Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants at No. 52 in 2026 as the first Sichuan restaurant to do so.
The restaurant’s “mala” is portrayed as precise, tingly heat rather than a wall of sensation
In many settings, mala hotpot is defined by numbing heat and a strong, communal “spectacle” of spice. At Chef 1996, the signature fuqi feipian (husband and wife offal pieces, including beef tongue and tripe in spicy numbing oil) delivers numbing heat as a tingle—described as like “little needles dancing across the tongue”—with spice that is precise and almost delicate. This presentation shifts the focus from an all-encompassing burn to a more fine-grained balance of numbing and flavour.
Sichuan is shown through lighter, summery dishes such as steamed Shandong Wagyu with celtuce
A standout dish at Chef 1996 is steamed Shandong Wagyu beef served with celtuce and Chinese celery, accompanied by an erjingtiao pepper sauce. The dish is described as “incredibly fresh and summery” and “light” in a way the diner had not associated with Sichuan cooking before, directly challenging a narrow idea of what Sichuan should taste like. By pairing Sichuan pepper sauce with ingredients like celtuce and Chinese celery, the menu positions Sichuan cuisine as capable of freshness and restraint, not only intense heat.
The menu blends sharp Sichuan tang with soft textures in fish preparations
Chef 1996 also presents Sichuan heat through braised topmouth culter, a freshwater fish served with rice jelly, pickled chillies, and pickled ginger. The flavour profile combines sharp, tangy spice with soft, pillowy textures, creating contrast rather than relying solely on heavy, hotpot-style intensity. This approach keeps the “spicy and numbing” identity present while changing how diners experience it through layering and texture.
It is part of the Meizhou Dongpo group and ties its identity to 1996
Chef 1996 is positioned as the showpiece of the Meizhou Dongpo empire, which has over 100 locations across China and the United States. The restaurant’s name references the year Chef Dee Liang and her husband opened their first location in 1996; the Beijing restaurant itself opened in 2023 and reached Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants at No. 52 by 2026. By pairing this regional-cuisine branding with dishes that move beyond mala hotpot, the restaurant frames Sichuan as a broader culinary tradition.

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How does Chef 1996 present Sichuan cuisine beyond mala hotpot?

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