Wok on the mild side

From its signature delicacy, marinated tofu cubes with mushrooms and nuts, to the refreshingly delightful iced cherry tomatoes and the aromatic lotus soy-sauce fried rice, the teahouse's balanced offerings are light yet tasty and prepared with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

The tofu dish is one that's representative of Sichuan cuisine and is typically made with tofu and minced pork. Xu designed a mushroom sauce to replace the pork and soften its spiciness.

"Vegetarian cuisine has its limits, so I had to change the way I cooked to ensure the dishes are always flavorful and tasty," he says.

"For example, we never used extracted vegetable juice when making nonvegetarian dishes, but now I use that method a lot." Xu also uses vegetable oil in his cold dishes.

In another traditional Sichuan noodle dish with a pepper sauce, Xu uses sesame sauce, minced preserved vegetables and minced nuts to replace the pork. Spinach juice is added to the noodles to improve the color and nutritional value.

Bamboo mushrooms in green Sichuan pepper sauce is a must-try. Xu boils the bamboo mushrooms, peanut sprouts and other mushrooms with green Sichuan peppers to bring out their special, numbing flavor.