MÁLÀ PROJECT

In doing my research for this article about Málà Project, I discovered that the word Málà is a portmanteau of the Chinese characters for “numbing” and “spicy”—it all makes sense. If you don't like spice,  Málà Project is not the place for you. If you do like Spice, consider how much. I ordered my dish dry pot "mild spicy" aka the lowest spiciness level and still found my eyes watering at times. So don't try to be a hero here. Heed your server's warning and order accordingly.

That said, kicking back at a table for two in this brick walled, plant clad, hole-in-the-wall Sichuanese restaurant is such a fun date night out—be it with a friend or an actual date date (though maybe not your first date unless you're prepared to tear up in front of your new Tinder friend).If the weather's right, start the night by stepping out back to their little backyard and have a cocktail under their hanging lights. Then, take your seat and order some dim sum to get you going. There is quite the variety! For the adventurous, there are items like Husband & Wife Lung Slices and Fried Pepper with Thousand Year Old Egg. For the people who are comfortable not eating outside of the box, there DanDan Noodles and Dumplings are great choices. Then there's the main event, the dry pot. Now, this is my first time experiencing dry pot and it's so fun. You see, you sift through their menu and pick three-to-five items, depending on your hunger level, along with the spiciness (you've been warned) and then they all get mixed together and placed down in front of you. It's so fun!