We love spicy food. We love it so much, when we go to a restaurant and the menu describes something as spicy and it ends up being very tame, we get angry.
Yeah, we get that some of you can’t handle it, but some of us like to test out limitations.
Well, we certainly had an adventure of the taste buds at Jane G’s, 1930 Chestnut St. The Chinese Szechuan restaurant served up some powerfully spicy dishes that delighted and scared us at the same time.
Things did start off super-blazing, but the appetizers were flavorful and interesting all the same. The wontons in chili oil ($7) had a silky texture, bold seasoning and were very delicious. Both the wontons in chicken broth ($8) and the cold sesame noodles ($7) were comforting and upscale versions of the soup that is a staple at Chinese restaurants. The “mouth-watering spicy chicken” was aptly named, with a kick that doesn’t present itself initially but slowly creeps up and builds on the back of your tongue.
It was at this point that we were thrust into some seriously intense super-spicy combat.
Chef Xue’s spicy perfume-style stew with fish ($21) was a massively portioned spicy stew with bean sprouts and glass noodles. The fish and noodles made for a hearty dish accented by the slow spicy burn of the broth, which on its own was very formidable in the spice department. We were told that they have five levels of spiciness at Jane G’s and our stew was at level three — perfectly fine for our adventurous tastes, although you could probably talk us into level four on a dare. But we are genuinely frightened of what kind of body-wide havoc level five might wreak.
The dry pepper chicken ($14) was a giant helping of perfectly fried pieces of chicken breast tossed in a sea of hot peppers. The spice level bordered on punishing, which we loved, being the sadists that we are. Every bite stung every millimeter of real estate in our mouths with great flavors.
The dry pot chicken ($14) was the most well-rounded dish of the evening, with a less aggressive level of spicing and bright flavors, thanks to the heaping menagerie of vegetables and grilled chicken served up in a still-simmering pot.
We loved the food but at this point we could not go on any further, as the entrée portions at Jane G’s are huge and our tongues, tonsils and soft palettes were fried to the point that drinking cold water was starting to get painful. If an ice cream truck had driven by the window, we would have happily chased it down the street for some icy relief.
Best believe we will be going back to Jane G’s … once we stop sweating.