What is it like dining in a one Michelin starred Contemporary Sichuan vegetarian restaurant set in an once old silk factory? From Farm-to-Table, Mi Xun Teahouse’s use of fresh, pure and simple ingredients is transforming numerous award winning dishes with elevated flavours to delight you for an alternative dining experience. Not only the food but also its unique dining ambience. mylifestylenews writes.
Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province is known for its spicy hotpot among countless local affluence restaurants and one-of-a-kind street eats beside its rich history. Such a luxuriant melting pot dining culture is so tempting and aplenty and always hard to make up your mind when you dine out, day or night. You need to choose wisely and it is best to have some local (foodie) advice so that you do not fall into the tourist trap. Sometimes, instead of going for the main stream kind of predictable restaurants, an alternative dining experience is always a good find, especially when it is highly recommended by those who opt for something out of the norm. Don’t worry, we are not trying to encourage you to eat some sort of deep fried insects nor some kind of earth living six feet under (that’s boring), yet an elevated classic and modern vegetarian meal can be a breath of fresh air or we rather recognized it as a clear spring from an unpolluted stream.
It is always a joy to see old buildings repurposed and loved for their original architecture that still has a lot of history to tell. The Temple House, a luxury design boutique hotel in the heart of Chengdu is renowned for its urban sanctuary abode with surprises around every corner and celebrates the city’s history through inspired modern design and art. The Temple House has sensibly used a footprint whereby not all amenities are strictly within its walls, so you can have a sense of discovery and as you step out from this luxury boutique design hotel’s cafe into the side laneways heading towards Taikoo Li Chengdu - a luxury and prominent lifestyle shopping precinct set on former temple grounds as part of the Chengdu Daci Temple Cultural and Commercial Complex, Mi Xun Teahouse is hard to be missed for its architectural exterior design re-purposed from an old temple – or the remaining walls thereof – and it has also been once used as an old silk factory to house this one Michelin starred Sichuan vegetarian restaurant.
As Mi Xun is also the name of the hotel’s signature wellness spa, the entrance has an alfresco seating area for good weather. While the locals love to enjoy the elements when not inclement, which is fenced off with some strategic boxed bamboo hedging, as it is on a pretty busy thoroughfare. The restaurant is broken up into different sections due to the house surrounding the main courtyard, and part of it is dedicated for the spa, so you are not able to walk through all the pavilions. Once you enter though, the internal space exudes a serene atmosphere to embrace, with a design that captures the beautiful traditional shiheyuan central courtyard as a point of focus and you feel like you are in an oasis of calm.
The conceptualized design has sensibly kept the front right for a more casual area where tea and snacks can be had, whereas there are dedicated sections on the other side for those who specifically wish to enjoy the Mi Xun Teahouse’s menu. Furniture is all beautiful solid woods in a rich stain with cushion foam covered seating. Wooden tabletops are simple and chic with ceramics in muted tans and browns. Gorgeous pendant lamps are slung from the old wooden beams above each dining table and a wall of traditional medicine cabinet drawers adds an eye-catching design point. Black pillars are the mainstay for the vaulted ceiling and the overall look and feel is one of a ‘ZEN’ like atmosphere.
The guiding principle for the food is sustainability and culinary excellence incorporating seasonal and regionally sourced produce to craft vegetarian dishes. This approach has also given them the honour of receiving Chengdu’s first Michelin Green Star for putting eco-responsibility at the heart of its culinary operations. Back in 2023, the Temple House hosted an “Gifts From The Nature” event on International Panda Day in collaboration with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and featured a special menu inspired by eco-friendly ingredients from communities around giant panda habitats. To continue the good cause, the talented Mi Xun Teahouse culinary team have carefully selected ingredients from these areas and crafted this seasonal “Farm-to-Table” Michelin tasting sharing menu.
Essentially a clear consommé with fungus, mushroom and Chinese herbs. The taste gave you a very healthy and hearty feeling, as well as that soothing feeling on the palate. A simple soup elevated with premium ingredients that warm your heart.
<Farm Radish & Pumpkin Sauce>
Radish takes centre place surrounded by sweet peas and then pumpkin radish sauce is poured over the root vegetables. This seasonal special was so far our least favourite dish, as all you could taste was the bland radish as the dominating flavour with the sauce adding no value to the palate. Not too impressed!
Being one of the signature dishes on the tasting sharing menu, the Ma Po Tofu was best accompanied by crispy wild rice from Canada and fragrant jasmine rice from Yunnan, topped with wild mushroom and garlic from near the border of Yunnan Province as well. The light and soft tofu was silken, with a light yet pungent Sichuan peppery taste that excited the palate. The rice and tofu were the perfect yin & yang combination and spices created some numbness that was not overpowering. The accompanying crispy rice was superb and it is such a winning dish!
<Handmade Spinach Noodle with Dan Dan Sauce>
Another signature dish with spinach noodle served with sweet sesame and peanut sauce on the side that was utterly delicious, the unique topping came with the unexpected black bean sprouts and pistachio nuts that brings the classic Sichuan Dan Dan to a different perspective to enjoy such a harmonious flavour and texture that had us wanting more!
<Wok-fried Broccolini with Sichuan Pickles>
This extra order from the main menu was quite well executed. Young and tender broccolini are used that had a crunch on the bite and nicely wok-fried. The Sichuan pickles added a little extra punch to the palate without dominating, as it was light and a tasty delight.
<Kung Pao White Button Mushrooms>
Another extra order for such an unexpected delicious dish that surprised us. The smokey high heat stir-fried white button mushroom texture was very meaty and fully absorbing the aromatic Kung Pao sauce in Sichuan pepper to give it a bit of a kick which we loved. It also offered a starchy texture with a hint of sweetness and a full flavour profile with each mouth full.
<Red Rice Noodle Sour Soup with Black Bean Sprouts & Spicy Oil>
The noodle was more like a smooth angel hair and had delicious crunchy mushrooms in it, plus the hot and sour soup, which overall created a great depth of flavour and texture. Another real find from the main menu. So enjoyable!
This fruity and unctuous dessert was very cooling and pleasing on the palate – what you may call a soother or palate cleanser after the powering peppery flavours from the main dishes that we had enjoyed.
<Rose & Peach Tree Sap Sweet Soup>
This was served warm and had some honey syrup on the side should you want it sweeter. A very enjoyable dessert that erred on the side of subtlety with a pleasant and delightful end to the entire evening.
It is clear to see why Mi Xun Teahouse has garnered recognition as the first Michelin Green Star in Chengdu. Quality ingredients are a given and hand-picked and the sustainability focus for all the produce means that the menu manages to capture your attention from beginning to end with a purity and organic, natural approach, paying homage to Mother Nature. Plating is superb with hand-made ceramics tailor-made for the restaurant, which adds to the minimalistic ‘ZEN’ design approach.
The service was discreet and attentive – they want to maintain the oasis of calm so not speaking too loudly is a good thing for such a graceful ambience, with the team ensuring that we understood every detail for each dish and its provenance, as that is such an important part of understanding how seriously they approach the simplest of ingredients and ensuring you enjoy the menu with all the knowledge at hand (some ingredients were not familiar to all of us, so this helped).
Sometimes we have forgotten how natural and basic food tastes like, because we are bombarded by the daily consumption of processed food, so Mi Xun Teahouse dining experience was a timely reminder that simplicity of ingredients that are handled with honesty can enliven the palate and reawaken interest in a simple yet palatable vegetable among many other roots, herbs and edible plants used and transformed into such a fascinating curated meal by some pairs of thoughtful good hands from the passionate culinary team. Simply remarkable!
Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Food & Beverage: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Value For Money: 4,5/5
Experience: 4.5/5
MI XUN Teahouse
81, Bitieshi Street,Jingjiang District,Chengdu, ChinaTel: +86 28 6297 4193
What is it like dining in a one Michelin starred Contemporary Sichuan vegetarian restaurant set in an once old silk factory? From Farm-to-Table, Mi Xun Teahouse’s use of fresh, pure and simple ingredients is transforming numerous award winning dishes with elevated flavours to delight you for an alternative dining experience. Not only the food but also its unique dining ambience. mylifestylenews writes.
Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province is known for its spicy hotpot among countless local affluence restaurants and one-of-a-kind street eats beside its rich history. Such a luxuriant melting pot dining culture is so tempting and aplenty and always hard to make up your mind when you dine out, day or night. You need to choose wisely and it is best to have some local (foodie) advice so that you do not fall into the tourist trap. Sometimes, instead of going for the main stream kind of predictable restaurants, an alternative dining experience is always a good find, especially when it is highly recommended by those who opt for something out of the norm. Don’t worry, we are not trying to encourage you to eat some sort of deep fried insects nor some kind of earth living six feet under (that’s boring), yet an elevated classic and modern vegetarian meal can be a breath of fresh air or we rather recognized it as a clear spring from an unpolluted stream.
It is always a joy to see old buildings repurposed and loved for their original architecture that still has a lot of history to tell. The Temple House, a luxury design boutique hotel in the heart of Chengdu is renowned for its urban sanctuary abode with surprises around every corner and celebrates the city’s history through inspired modern design and art. The Temple House has sensibly used a footprint whereby not all amenities are strictly within its walls, so you can have a sense of discovery and as you step out from this luxury boutique design hotel’s cafe into the side laneways heading towards Taikoo Li Chengdu - a luxury and prominent lifestyle shopping precinct set on former temple grounds as part of the Chengdu Daci Temple Cultural and Commercial Complex, Mi Xun Teahouse is hard to be missed for its architectural exterior design re-purposed from an old temple – or the remaining walls thereof – and it has also been once used as an old silk factory to house this one Michelin starred Sichuan vegetarian restaurant.
As Mi Xun is also the name of the hotel’s signature wellness spa, the entrance has an alfresco seating area for good weather. While the locals love to enjoy the elements when not inclement, which is fenced off with some strategic boxed bamboo hedging, as it is on a pretty busy thoroughfare. The restaurant is broken up into different sections due to the house surrounding the main courtyard, and part of it is dedicated for the spa, so you are not able to walk through all the pavilions. Once you enter though, the internal space exudes a serene atmosphere to embrace, with a design that captures the beautiful traditional shiheyuan central courtyard as a point of focus and you feel like you are in an oasis of calm.
The conceptualized design has sensibly kept the front right for a more casual area where tea and snacks can be had, whereas there are dedicated sections on the other side for those who specifically wish to enjoy the Mi Xun Teahouse’s menu. Furniture is all beautiful solid woods in a rich stain with cushion foam covered seating. Wooden tabletops are simple and chic with ceramics in muted tans and browns. Gorgeous pendant lamps are slung from the old wooden beams above each dining table and a wall of traditional medicine cabinet drawers adds an eye-catching design point. Black pillars are the mainstay for the vaulted ceiling and the overall look and feel is one of a ‘ZEN’ like atmosphere.
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The food was accompanied with some excellent high quality organic green tea, but should your palate wish to match the food with wine, a small but expertly selected wine list will pique your interest. We must say that the tea was a great match! Our vegetarian experience kicked off with an amuse bouche of Red Nut Cake and Pumpkin Cheese Nutcake and such piquant delicaies that were rich in flavour and a delicious start together with the house brand Mi Xun Tea.
Essentially a clear consommé with fungus, mushroom and Chinese herbs. The taste gave you a very healthy and hearty feeling, as well as that soothing feeling on the palate. A simple soup elevated with premium ingredients that warm your heart.
Radish takes centre place surrounded by sweet peas and then pumpkin radish sauce is poured over the root vegetables. This seasonal special was so far our least favourite dish, as all you could taste was the bland radish as the dominating flavour with the sauce adding no value to the palate. Not too impressed!
Being one of the signature dishes on the tasting sharing menu, the Ma Po Tofu was best accompanied by crispy wild rice from Canada and fragrant jasmine rice from Yunnan, topped with wild mushroom and garlic from near the border of Yunnan Province as well. The light and soft tofu was silken, with a light yet pungent Sichuan peppery taste that excited the palate. The rice and tofu were the perfect yin & yang combination and spices created some numbness that was not overpowering. The accompanying crispy rice was superb and it is such a winning dish!
<Handmade Spinach Noodle with Dan Dan Sauce>
Another signature dish with spinach noodle served with sweet sesame and peanut sauce on the side that was utterly delicious, the unique topping came with the unexpected black bean sprouts and pistachio nuts that brings the classic Sichuan Dan Dan to a different perspective to enjoy such a harmonious flavour and texture that had us wanting more!
Another signature dish with spinach noodle served with sweet sesame and peanut sauce on the side that was utterly delicious, the unique topping came with the unexpected black bean sprouts and pistachio nuts that brings the classic Sichuan Dan Dan to a different perspective to enjoy such a harmonious flavour and texture that had us wanting more!
This extra order from the main menu was quite well executed. Young and tender broccolini are used that had a crunch on the bite and nicely wok-fried. The Sichuan pickles added a little extra punch to the palate without dominating, as it was light and a tasty delight.
<Kung Pao White Button Mushrooms>
Another extra order for such an unexpected delicious dish that surprised us. The smokey high heat stir-fried white button mushroom texture was very meaty and fully absorbing the aromatic Kung Pao sauce in Sichuan pepper to give it a bit of a kick which we loved. It also offered a starchy texture with a hint of sweetness and a full flavour profile with each mouth full.
Another extra order for such an unexpected delicious dish that surprised us. The smokey high heat stir-fried white button mushroom texture was very meaty and fully absorbing the aromatic Kung Pao sauce in Sichuan pepper to give it a bit of a kick which we loved. It also offered a starchy texture with a hint of sweetness and a full flavour profile with each mouth full.
<Red Rice Noodle Sour Soup with Black Bean Sprouts & Spicy Oil>
The noodle was more like a smooth angel hair and had delicious crunchy mushrooms in it, plus the hot and sour soup, which overall created a great depth of flavour and texture. Another real find from the main menu. So enjoyable!
The noodle was more like a smooth angel hair and had delicious crunchy mushrooms in it, plus the hot and sour soup, which overall created a great depth of flavour and texture. Another real find from the main menu. So enjoyable!
This fruity and unctuous dessert was very cooling and pleasing on the palate – what you may call a soother or palate cleanser after the powering peppery flavours from the main dishes that we had enjoyed.
This was served warm and had some honey syrup on the side should you want it sweeter. A very enjoyable dessert that erred on the side of subtlety with a pleasant and delightful end to the entire evening.
The service was discreet and attentive – they want to maintain the oasis of calm so not speaking too loudly is a good thing for such a graceful ambience, with the team ensuring that we understood every detail for each dish and its provenance, as that is such an important part of understanding how seriously they approach the simplest of ingredients and ensuring you enjoy the menu with all the knowledge at hand (some ingredients were not familiar to all of us, so this helped).
Sometimes we have forgotten how natural and basic food tastes like, because we are bombarded by the daily consumption of processed food, so Mi Xun Teahouse dining experience was a timely reminder that simplicity of ingredients that are handled with honesty can enliven the palate and reawaken interest in a simple yet palatable vegetable among many other roots, herbs and edible plants used and transformed into such a fascinating curated meal by some pairs of thoughtful good hands from the passionate culinary team. Simply remarkable!
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Food & Beverage: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Value For Money: 4,5/5
Experience: 4.5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Food & Beverage: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Value For Money: 4,5/5
Experience: 4.5/5
MI XUN Teahouse
81, Bitieshi Street,
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