Feast

4A Yorktown Square
facebook.com/tasfeast

What seems like an eternity ago we flew to Sichuan Province in central China so Jess could hold a panda bear. No, really. At the time it was the only place in the world you could do it, so away we went.

Sichuan food is the hottest in China and packs a most intriguing mix of flavours that you simply can’t find in any other Chinese cuisine. It’s really difficult to stop eating Sichuan food. I remember sitting in a tiny bistro in Chengdu, tears streaming down our cheeks and constantly doing that air-sucking-in move in an attempt to quell the furnace in our mouths, while concerned non-English-speaking waitresses looked on and occasionally topped up our lemon-scented warm water drink, the only thing that alleviated the fire. But we kept shovelling the food in because our taste buds wouldn’t let us stop. Sichuan food is an agonising yet delicious culinary juxtaposition for the senses.

One of the few pandas left in China not dead from falling out of a tree.

Not all Sichuan food is hot but even in the mildest of offerings those amazing flavours shine through. It’s not just Sichuan peppercorns (red and green) that give this cuisine its va va voom, but a unique blend of chilli bean paste (doubanjiang) and other chilli-based products that combine to knock the rest of the world’s popular flavours out of the park. After our trip to China we spent years trying to find authentic Sichuan food elsewhere, but failed, even in Singapore. That’s until we found Feast, a teffiic little place tucked away in Yorktown Square.

While Pachinko might be our favourite all-round dining experience in Launceston, and Firestorm Tacos the best value for money, the award for best single dish goes to Feast, for its Sichuan grilled fish (barramundi).

It came on a sizzling plate with a burner underneath and was easily enough as a main for the both of us. This isn’t quite clear on the menu, by the way. The dish is listed for $45, which makes you think it’s a single serve (and it would be worth every cent) but it’s a whole freaking fish loaded with toppings and with potato and cauliflower pieces deliciously submerged in a chilli oil that’s the kind of deep red colour you don’t see in nature, but should.

If van Gogh tried to paint this dish, he'd run out of red.

We happily picked at the fish for quite some time, slowly devouring every morsel of perfectly cooked genuine Sichuan goodness. It had some heat, but even by Australian standards it wasn’t remotely challenging, spice wise. We chose an eggplant dish to veg it up a bit. Also superb.

On an earlier occasion we’d ordered takeaway (falling for the very trap I alluded to regarding serving size – we ate leftovers (gladly) for three days afterwards). The Sichuan fish fillet with pickled mustard greens is a soup-like dish with chunks of fish and lots else besides. We also tried the braised minced pork and a spicy chicken dish, and custard dumplings for dessert. All delicious, all quite like nothing you’ll find in a conventional Chinese restaurant. I can’t wait to try the lamb ribs.

Edit: The evening before writing this we got the same grilled fish as a takeaway. It comes in an aluminium tray that you can whack in the oven for 10 minutes when you get home. It held up really well.

It’s kind of funny to see that they have dishes like honey chicken and sweet and sour on the menu too, presumably because generations of Aussie fanciers of Chinese tucker demand it. Don’t waste this opportunity. Ask your server for good examples of Sichuan food and have the discussion about heat. There will be plenty to choose from even if you’re not into the spicy stuff.

The wine list is good though it’s easy to rack up a big bill here. Lots of the dishes are made to order, which means you’re up for a half hour wait (in the case of our fish). To us that’s a bottle of wine’s worth. It would have been rude not to order another bottle to have with dinner.

Regrettably Feast’s website is a mere Facebook page with the odd photo of random pages from various iterations of their menu. You’ll get an idea but the only real way to know what’s on offer is to make a booking and see for yourself.

Finally, check how many people each dish will serve – it’s easy to over-order here. You might think that an individual listing on the menu seems pricey, but chances are it’ll be enough for two.