To get to the SoCal branch of the exceedingly elegant Mountain House restaurant (the other locations are in NYC, Boston and Miami), turn south from the 60 Freeway on Nogales, and then down a small street to a parking lot behind a block-like structure that runs contrary to the numerous open-plan shopping malls of Rowland Heights and the City of Industry.
You enter the plaza through a number of walkways from the parking lot into a culinary landscape that’s a bit like the wonders found down alleyways in Hong Kong. There are restaurants seemingly everywhere. Some are open, others are under construction.
The assortment is worthy of a small city — Ishi Sushi, Chili House, Lao Ma Jou Hot Pot, Gui BBQ, Tasty Garden, Beijing, Stew House, Eat Joy Food, Lobster Bay (“Best food, good food”) and behind a massive slatted door, under a carved wooden sign that looks eldritch, is Mountain House — a Szechuan destination unlike any other in the SG Valley.
Or, at least, unlike most other hot spots adjacent to the 10, the 210 and the 60.
In recent months, Monarch has opened in Arcadia, Array 36 in Rosemead and Mountain House in Rowland Heights — all of which are the polar opposite of the humble mini-mall dumpling shops that dominate the local scene. These are serious, hyper-designed, special occasion restaurants, with little (or no) seating for groups under eight or 10 persons, an abundance of private rooms and spaces — and serious world-class wine lists. This is not the world of Tsingtao!
It’s also not the world of egg drop soup, egg rolls and egg fu young. To eat properly here, it’s best to assemble a posse of heavy forks, good eaters who aren’t going to emit a loud “ew!” when confronted with a tureen of pig trotters soup, or some pickled chicken feet. And who have a strong constitution for the wonderful world of seriously peppery Szechuan cooking.
There’s a section of the (relatively) brief menu headed “Ma-La Szechuan.” “Ma-la” is the result of bringing two Chinese characters together — one meaning “numbing,” the other “spicy.” It’s a fine example of understatement. I’ve eaten ma-la dishes over the years that left my mouth first on fire … and then numb, as if my taste buds had gone on strike to protest being so harshly tested. It took days for my taste buds to return. For a while, I thought I was going to have to do my job by smell alone.
Ma-la is made by combining Szechuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, cloves, garlic, star anise cardamom, fennel, ginger, cinnamon, and salt and pepper, most often simmered in oil into a fiery sauce that’s not for the faint of taste. It supposedly originated in the 19th century night market of Chongqing, as a way to cover the taste of lesser cuts of meat for workers on their way to the docks. Which makes its use at a high-end Szechuan restaurant a curious evolution — from the bottom to the top, so to speak.
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Mountain House consists, in part, of small dining “islands” — tables that sit separated from other tables by wooden structures that turn this “house” into an indoor “village.” Walking through the door, it’s a sight to behold; don’t be surprised if you and your guests are tempted to take a stroll around the restaurant, like a tourist in a very small, very ornate city — a city dedicated to fine dining.
Since the Mountain House doesn’t take reservations, you need to apply (as it were) on an iPad-like device when you get there. And patiently wait; the place is busy all the time.
While you wait, the menu demands some perusal and consideration. First off, all four of the “Szechuan special street food” dishes cry out to be ordered. You can begin on the mild side with the dumplings in mushroom chicken soup; moving up to the boneless bo-bo chicken tidbits, served in a challengingly spicy sauce; segueing to the dumplings in chili oil; and finally digging into the Yibin style ran noodles, aka Yibin ranmian, aka Szechuan Burning Noodles — a name that defines the fiery sauce in which these spaghetti-like noodles are tossed.
There are a dozen cold dishes, including the requisite Szechuan pickles, and a plate with a trio of creations, running from poached chicken and bamboo shoots to duck tongue. There’s pepper beef tongue, too. And Szechuan numbing chicken — which gets you a serious hit of ma-la, without having to commit to any of the 16 larger ma-la entrées.
I did, and the ma-la prawns left my mouth on the edge of pepper overdose. The ma-la chicken stew pushed me over the line.
It’s wise to balance the ma-la dishes with more traditional options, such as the wonderfully satisfying fried rice with Szechuan peppers and bacon … and the perfectly (and immodestly) named “Incredible” fried rice with beef.
There’s a menu section headed “Modernist Cuisine.” Though what makes crispy sizzling tofu and grilled beef rib “modernist” puzzles me.
There are peach resin rice balls and sweet drunken jelly for dessert. But they don’t satisfy as much as a large pot of chocolate fudge ripple to cool the system.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email [email protected].
Mountain House
- Rating: 3 stars
- Address: Pearl Plaza, 18888 Labin Court, Rowland Heights
- Information: 626-986-5555; www.szechuanmountainhouse.com
- Cuisine: Upscale Szechuan Chinese
- When: Lunch and dinner, every day
- Details: Exotic soft drinks; no reservations
- Prices: About $50 per person
- On the menu: 12 Cold Dishes ($7.95-$16.95), 4 Szechuan Street Dishes ($9.95-$15.95), 5 Soups ($14.94-$29.95), 12 House Signature Dishes ($13.95-$45.95), 16 Ma-La Szechuan Dishes ($22.95-$31.95), 14 Modernist Dishes ($15.95-$35.95), 12 Traditional Dishes ($15.95-$34.95), 4 Rice & Noodle Dishes ($15.95-$19.95), 9 Vegetables ($14.95-$15.95), 5 Desserts ($6.95-$9.95)
- Credit cards: MC, V
- What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.