Jiangsu Club Elevates Destination Dining with Diverse Chinese Culinary Sensations in the Year of the Snake

(19 February 2025, Hong Kong) Jiangsu Club, a sophisticated Chinese culinary gem in Sheung Wan, has broadened its gastronomic repertoire to present a wider variety of beloved Chinese culinary traditions. This celebration of the very best of China begins with an extraordinary month-long showcase of Sichuan cuisine, featuring a collaboration between two renowned guest chefs from the province, Chef Peng Xuqing, and his esteemed mentor, Chef Hu Taiqing.

Both master chefs will be in Hong Kong to present the showcase of Sichuan Culinary Odyssey – A Harmony of Flavours and Tradition – served from 19 March to 18 April 2025. A selection of favourites from more than 20 meticulously crafted dishes will join the restaurant’s à la carte menu once the Sichuan fiesta concludes. Complementing this exquisite dining experience will be award-winning Baijiu from Luzhou Laojiao, one of Sichuan’s most prestigious producers of the traditional Chinese spirit.

Encompassing more than 30 cooking techniques, including dry-frying, stir-frying and deep-frying, Sichuan cuisine offers an endless array of aromatic and flavourful dishes. The culinary odyssey challenges the notion that this vibrant regional fare revolves solely around spice and numbing ‘mala’ flavours, inviting diners to experience its true depth and charm. One of China’s eight major cuisines, Sichuan cooking is renowned for the maxim: “One dish, one style; a hundred dishes, a hundred flavours.”

Bringing more than three decades of experience to the Jiangsu Club kitchen for the duration of the event, Chef Hu is often hailed as “the master of hot pot”. The founder of crowd-pleasing hotpot brands and an iconic figure in Sichuan gastronomy, he is deeply knowledgeable about the rich tapestry of the region’s culinary culture, from the intricate balance of flavours to the artistry of spice selection.

Chef Peng is one of Sichuan’s most talented culinary creatives. Hailing from Renshou County, just south of Chengdu, he began his culinary journey at the age of 16, honing his craft in the prestigious kitchens of top hotels. His remarkable rise and success in Sichuan cuisine have been shaped by invaluable training under Chef Hu and other distinguished culinary masters.

Among many career highlights, the 42-year-old Chef Peng has served as Executive Chef at the five-star Narada Grand Hotel Zhejiang, cooked for numerous Chinese dignitaries and shared his Sichuan cooking insights on TV food shows. His exceptional culinary skills landed him gold medals at the China Hotel Industry Professional Skills Competition for two consecutive years and the award of Contemporary Sichuan Cuisine Master from the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party in 2021.

Spice and Beyond: Rich, Multifarious Flavours of Sichuan Shine in the Hands of Celebrated Guest Chefs

The one-month-long Sichuan Culinary Odyssey – A Harmony of Flavours and Tradition showcase presented by Master Chefs Peng Xuqing and Hu Taiqing at Jiangsu Club (19 March to 18 April 2025) is testament to the many intricate flavours and diverse culinary techniques of Sichuan’s storied cuisine. In an outstanding ode to their rich culinary heritage, the guest chef duo curate a strong, 20-plus list of sumptuous classic banquet dishes, captivating homestyle delicacies, and flavourful appetisers.

By highlighting the uniqueness of Sichuan cuisine, they offer a delightful exploration of its diverse flavours. They will arrive with an amazing range of regional ingredients and seasonings, allowing for the preparation of more than 20 complex flavour profiles, including salt-savoury and ginger juice as well as tongue-tingling Sichuan pepper and numbingly hot mala. An enticing Sichuan Culinary Odyssey Tasting Menu, priced at HK$1,188 per person (2-person minimum), is also available for diners seeking an intimate journey through the province’s culinary complexities.

Among the lavish showcase, Chef Peng’s five recommendations best represent the rich, vibrant flavours of Sichuan cuisine. A must for social-media sharing, Steamed Chinese Cabbage in Supreme Soup (HK$138) is an absolute standout, a beautifully prepared and presented dish of fresh, sweet flavours in which the cabbage leaves resemble a lotus flower. Devised in the early years of the Republic of China, the dish remains a favourite at state dinners today.

Deep-Fried Sliced Grass Carp with Sichuan Peppercorn (HK$178) draws inspiration from the spicy Sichuan speciality of Dengying Beef. The chef slices the fish skilfully into translucent pieces, then air-dries and bakes them until crispy before tossing them in a secret sauce. The dish is presented at the table with a flourish, enhanced by crunchy lotus roots and lit from underneath to reflect the luminous beauty of the ingredients and the elaborate cooking method.

A deeply satisfying rural delight to accompany a bowl of fragrant steamed rice, Twice-Cooked Pork with Black Bean and Soybean Paste (HK$198) represents the homestyle flavours of Chef Peng’s birthplace of Renshou. In this classic recipe, rich, savoury fermented pea shoots and homemade chilli bean paste blend harmoniously with slices of succulent pork belly.

Zhong Boiled Dumplings with Garlic Paste (HK$98) – the crescent-moon-shaped dumplings famously recognised as part of Chengdu’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010 – are enhanced by exemplary ingredient selection and seasoning. The pork features the perfect balance of fat and lean meat, is encased in thin, plump dumpling skins and drizzled with a scarlet secret sauce for spicy freshness.

Perhaps the most renowned Sichuan street-food dish, Dandan Noodles (HK$78) is named after the type of pole used by vendors to carry their produce to the roadside for sale. A spicy sauce of minced pork, ginger, sesame paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and various types of chillies is painstakingly prepared in the kitchen and served over the egg noodles sourced from Sichuan.

Several of Sichuan’s iconic seafood dishes feature in the culinary odyssey, including Braised 8 Head Africa Fish Maw (HK$528) showcasing Chef Peng’s exceptional dry-frying technique. A unique preparation method specific to Sichuan, this creates a glossy dish without any visible sauce since its piquant essences have been absorbed by the ingredients as they cook, locking in their fresh flavours. Premium 8-head fish maw from Africa is paired with a broth infused with spices, which then thickens and penetrates the fish maw, rendering it irresistible.

A classic cold appetiser, Grilled Conch Slices with Sichuan Peppercorn (HK$188) features a secret grilled chilli sauce, delivering a rich and enticing flavour that enhances the freshness of the conch. Chef Peng’s creation for a Sichuan television station in 2021, Deep-Fried Sea Cucumber with Fish Sauce (HK$368) is an exquisite dish which sees sea cucumber stuffed with a refreshing shrimp paste of fresh shrimps, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms and ginger. Complemented by a fragrant fish sauce, it offers a delightful gelatinous texture with just a hint of spiciness. Cured Slow-Cooked Shrimps, Octopus, Squid and Scallops (HK$268) blends slightly sour and spicy tastes, with the slow-cooked seafood immersed in a glass jar with Sichuan seasonings for 2 hours to enhance its acidity and natural sweetness.

For Steamed Coral Lobster in Ginger Sauce with Dried Noodles (HK$298), a sauce crafted from fresh ginger, aromatic vinegar and chilli bean paste enlivens the sweet, tender meat of premium local crustaceans. An original creation by Chef Peng, Steamed 27 Head Dried South Africa Abalone with Sichuan Peppercorn (HK$368) showcases Sichuan’s renowned pepper flavour profile. The prized Amidori abalone is soaked for 3 to 5 days, then pressure-cooked with pork bones, pork trotters, aged chicken, duck, beef, Jinhua ham and dried scallop for 4 to 5 hours. Infused with Sichuan peppercorns soaked in white wine, it delivers a subtle numbing spiciness balanced by an exceptionally tender texture.

In Steamed Fresh Leopard Coral Grouper with Pickled Cowpea in Homemade Sauce (HK$588 regular serving; whole fish market price), long beans are pickled in a traditional Sichuan earthenware jar, then combined with peppers and turmeric to create a fresh and spicy fish dish. Grilled ‘Lin Jiang’ Fresh River Eel with Sichuan Peppercorn (HK$368) sees sliced boneless eel cooked with more than 10 Sichuan spices.

Meat lovers can plump for the likes of Chicken Tofu Pudding with Bamboo Fungus (HK$198), a classic clear and flavourful soup originating from Dazhou in northeast Sichuan with chicken cooked slowly so its tender texture resembles the softest tofu. Another highlight is Deep-Fried Sautéed Ginger Duck with Sichuan Peppercorn (HK$298), where precise control of the wok heat during frying with ginger and Sichuan peppercorns gives the duck meat its appealing colour, aroma and flavour. Twice-Fried A4 Kagoshima Wagyu Beef with Artichoke and Sichuan Peppercorn (HK$488) is a fragrant, spicy dish with beef slices marinated in a secret sauce for 12 hours before frying with artichoke, fresh chilli and peppercorn.

Desserts include the popular Brown Sugar Glutinous Rice Cake (HK$68), whose moreish combination of crispy exterior and soft interior is enriched by a luscious brown sugar sauce; and Steamed Glutinous Rice with Brown Sugar wrapped in Lotus Leaf (HK$68) – a speciality of the south-eastern city of Luzhou – recognised as part of Sichuan’s intangible cultural heritage for a cooking technique that delivers incredible softness and sweetness.

Savour Selected Aged Baijiu from the Cultural Heritage Cellars of Famed Sichuan Producer Luzhou Laojiao

To accentuate the diverse charms of Sichuan cuisine, Jiangsu Club partners with centuries-old Baijiu distiller Luzhou Laojiao for perfect pairings with the region’s standout dishes. Founded in Luzhou in 1324 by Baijiu pioneer Guo Huaiyu, Luzhou Laojiao has preserved the traditional brewing techniques of China’s famed fermented-grain white liquor for more than 700 years across 24 generations. Renowned for its cluster of historic cellars dating back to 1573, it was named among the first group of National Intangible Cultural Heritage selections, showcasing Baijiu’s pronounced aromas and powerful taste to the world.

Three exceptional Baijiu labels are recommended to complement featured delicacies on the Sichuan Culinary Odyssey – A Harmony of Flavours and Tradition menu. Encapsulating the skills of the brewing masters, Guojiao 1573 Classic (HK$2,380/500ml) reveals elegant cellar aromas and a sweet, clean and harmonious style. The delicate fragrance and mellow beauty of this Baijiu show best when chilled to 3-7°C.

Luzhou Laojiao Tequ 60s Tribute Edition (HK$1,200/500ml) was brewed as a salute to the era when Baijiu was highly prized. Crafted in the same historic brewing workshop as the 1960s original, it recreates the rich flavour profile of the brewing heyday, with expressions of papaya, lychee and aged dried beef. For a crisp and refreshing pour to complement spicy dishes, Luzhou Laojiao Century Blend (HK$1,480/750ml, pictured left) opens to rich floral notes alongside fruity honeydew and citrus, and lingers on the palate in a wash of smoky herbs.

Jiangsu Club’s impressive interior design is inspired by the traditional Chinese courtyard. A refined sapphire colour palette studded with intricate design elements imparts an air of understated luxury. It is the perfect setting for all gatherings, from business lunches or dinners to social or family get-togethers and festive celebrations. Up to 132 diners can be comfortably accommodated within its 5,500 sq. ft space, with the main dining area seating up to 32 people and 8 private dining rooms each catering to parties of 4-20.

Conveniently located at 2/F, Alliance Building, 130-136 Connaught Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, Jiangsu Club is just one minute from Sheung Wan MTR Station Exit C and a 10-minute stroll from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal. It opens daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

For enquiries, please call (852) 6230-8973, email reservations@jiangsuclub.com or visit https://book.bistrochat.com/jiangsuclub. For more information or menus, please visit https://linktr.ee/jiangsuclub/.

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