ANTS CLIMBING TREE
Sichuan Sensation
Cheng Du 23 may be the best Chinese restaurant in North Jersey
I
WRITTEN BY ESTHER DAVIDOWITZ | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MITSU YASUKAWA
t’s Monday night and Cheng
Du 23, a Sichuan Chinese
restaurant in a strip mall in
Wayne, is hopping. There
are young couples on dates.
A big family with grand-
parents and grandkids.
There’s a group of work
colleagues. Most everyone is Asian,
including my dining companion, a
Chinese-American food lover who
resides in Wayne. He comes here
about once week.
After two recent meals at Cheng
Du 23, I, too, will be making frequent
visits. I’ll be taking friends and family
with me to ensure that they, too, get
to experience what may be the best
Sichuan restaurant in North Jersey, if
not the best Chinese restaurant.
Make that the best authentic
Chinese restaurant. Sure, Cheng Du
offers Americanized Chinese dishes,
dishes that most Chinese people
never eat — e.g., cream-cheese
Wayne
CHENG DU 23
6 WILLOWBROOK BLVD.
973-812-2800, CHENGDU23.COM
stuffed crab rangoon (Chinese people
don’t eat dairy; most are lactose-intol-
erant), thick-shelled egg rolls (the
Chinese eat thin-shelled spring rolls),
chicken or beef with broccoli (broc-
coli is not an Eastern veggie). But
if you’re here to eat the real deal,
ignore those dishes and go for the
“authentic Sichuan” grub (you’ll find
the real Chinese eats on the menu
under “Authentic Sichuan Cuisine
and Chef’s Specials). And there’s
quite a lot to choose from.
As far as the look of the restau-
rant, it’s typical of Chinese restau-
rants here: a big mural depicting
GREEN STRING BEANS WITH PORK
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MAY 2019 WAYNE MAGAZINE
Chinese landscape, big fish tank
(here stocked with bright orange
koi) and a Buddhist altar (there
are two tucked in a corner with
fresh oranges as symbolic offerings).
There’s no bar, but you can bring
along a bottle of wine — or do what
most Asians do, drink strong tea with
your meal.
Consider starting your meal
with xiao long bao ($8), aka soup
dumplings or juice buns. “I come
here for this dish alone,” my dining