Comfort Sichual Cuisine in Allston
10:00 AM
The common stereotype is that if the restaurant serves huge portions they cannot be of a great quality. Mala in Allston is an exception. You're going to leave this place happy, well fed and (most probably) with a packed lunch for the next day!
MaLa is an authentic Sichuan place that offers amazing customized dry hot pots and other Chinese delicacies. And if you didn't know, ma in Chinese actually stands for fiery chili peppers, while la - for tingly Sichuan peppercorns, that is the base of Sichuan cuisine.
The atmosphere is super casual, you can probably even show up in your yoga pants - no judgments here! Especially, because after a hearty dinner it will feel nice to have some stretchy clothes that can cover up your belly easily :)
The menu is pretty large, with a lots of choices and some vegetarian options as well. For an appetizer I tried lamb skewers from the BBQ menu - tender and juicy meet marinated in some garlic-y sauce came perfectly cooked and accompanied with a side of chives. At 1.75$ it's a bargain. I think I could come back just for those BBQ skewers sometime (and I don't live nearby - that's how good they are!).
Then, came Szechuan Dan Dan noodles (7.50$) - a famous Chinese street-food staple. They were full of flavour, with a definitive sour note and a good amount of ground meat. Noodles were cooked perfectly, not too soft or soggy, not too hard.
Obviously, I could not go without ordering a Szechuan special boneless chicken with peppers (thanks to Bourdain's recommendation - 18.95$). It's basically half small pieces of fried chicken and half red chilli peppers - it's hot, spicy, tingly, and yummy! I especially enjoyed the leftovers on the next day when chicken absorbed all spicy oils and became less dry.
Finally, the main dish was dry hot pot (in contrast to classic hot pot, this resembles a stir-fry), that could feed 4 people on its own. I went with Mala Special, which means you can select any meats and veggies for your dish as well as the level of spiciness. You can select 3 (5.50$) or 6 (8.50) veggies for you pot, as well as small (3.95 each) portion of meat/seafood or large one (7.99$). I chose medium spicy and ordered small portions of beef and shrimp, shiitake (small mushroom), napa cabbage, bok choy, tofu puff, lotus (that is one of my favourites - crispy and delicious - don't miss it!), and seaweed. I also selected clam that never appeared (or was it chopped?) but I was still happy with the result. The spices in this dish are very interesting - they don't make you sweat, but somehow just make the flavours more intense and bring everything together.
The service was fast, polite and semi-attentive, so overall, I had a great experience! Will definitely be back with a large group of friends to try more of their dishes!
Address: 129 Brighton Ave, Allston, MA 02134 617.254.1839
Hours: Daily, 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: (617) 254-1839
Website: allstonmala.com
MaLa is an authentic Sichuan place that offers amazing customized dry hot pots and other Chinese delicacies. And if you didn't know, ma in Chinese actually stands for fiery chili peppers, while la - for tingly Sichuan peppercorns, that is the base of Sichuan cuisine.
The atmosphere is super casual, you can probably even show up in your yoga pants - no judgments here! Especially, because after a hearty dinner it will feel nice to have some stretchy clothes that can cover up your belly easily :)
The menu is pretty large, with a lots of choices and some vegetarian options as well. For an appetizer I tried lamb skewers from the BBQ menu - tender and juicy meet marinated in some garlic-y sauce came perfectly cooked and accompanied with a side of chives. At 1.75$ it's a bargain. I think I could come back just for those BBQ skewers sometime (and I don't live nearby - that's how good they are!).
Then, came Szechuan Dan Dan noodles (7.50$) - a famous Chinese street-food staple. They were full of flavour, with a definitive sour note and a good amount of ground meat. Noodles were cooked perfectly, not too soft or soggy, not too hard.
Obviously, I could not go without ordering a Szechuan special boneless chicken with peppers (thanks to Bourdain's recommendation - 18.95$). It's basically half small pieces of fried chicken and half red chilli peppers - it's hot, spicy, tingly, and yummy! I especially enjoyed the leftovers on the next day when chicken absorbed all spicy oils and became less dry.
Finally, the main dish was dry hot pot (in contrast to classic hot pot, this resembles a stir-fry), that could feed 4 people on its own. I went with Mala Special, which means you can select any meats and veggies for your dish as well as the level of spiciness. You can select 3 (5.50$) or 6 (8.50) veggies for you pot, as well as small (3.95 each) portion of meat/seafood or large one (7.99$). I chose medium spicy and ordered small portions of beef and shrimp, shiitake (small mushroom), napa cabbage, bok choy, tofu puff, lotus (that is one of my favourites - crispy and delicious - don't miss it!), and seaweed. I also selected clam that never appeared (or was it chopped?) but I was still happy with the result. The spices in this dish are very interesting - they don't make you sweat, but somehow just make the flavours more intense and bring everything together.
The service was fast, polite and semi-attentive, so overall, I had a great experience! Will definitely be back with a large group of friends to try more of their dishes!
Address: 129 Brighton Ave, Allston, MA 02134 617.254.1839
Hours: Daily, 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: (617) 254-1839
Website: allstonmala.com
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