The Chi Xiao Mian Chinese restaurant is a promising new establishment in the Vinohrady district of Prague. However, do not expect another bistro offering “sweet and sour chicken” or “three-flavored fried noodles.” Chi Xiao Mian’s menu focuses on authentic dishes from the Chinese province of Chongqing, known for its spicy and bold cuisine. Many people consider the province to be the home of one of the most famous styles of Chinese cooking, Szechuan cuisine.
As an amuse bouche, we received crisp pickled vegetable sticks, which were mildly spicy. A pleasant start.
From the appetizers, we chose a cucumber and garlic salad with chili/garlic sauce for 89 CZK (approx. 3.80 EUR). The salad was refreshing, and the cucumber had a nice crunch.
For our next appetizer, we chose a dish with the mysterious name “Misty Egg”. It turned out to be braised egg jelly with shrimp and pork. The appetizer cost 129 CZK (approx. 5.50 EUR).
The main dish “Hot Pork” contained minced pork, chicken broth, egg noodles, seasonal vegetables, red chili, and Chongqing mustard leaf. All this for 249 CZK (approx. 10.50 EUR). A perfect combination of flavors.
For my main course, I chose “Yellow Strips”, which again was minced pork, this time complemented by yellow peas, vegetables, red chili, and Chongqing mustard leaf for 269 CZK (approx. 11.40 EUR). If I praised the previous main dish, I was thrilled with this one. The combination of yellow peas with minced meat in a strong broth with noodles was great.
Steamed shrimp dumplings for 209 CZK (approx. 9 EUR).
For drinks, we ordered a pot of green tea for 89 CZK (approx. 3.80 EUR) and fruit lemonades.
We visited the restaurant during a trial run, but I did not encounter any problems other than slightly difficult communication in Czech with the staff. The service was quick, the food was excellently seasoned. Although some people label the dishes from the Chongqing province as some of the spiciest in the world, neither of the two main dishes seemed extremely spicy to me.
If you want to taste authentic Chinese cuisine, the Chi Xiao Mian restaurant could be the right place for that.
Bon appetit!
More information can be found by clicking on the link on the map:
