i've never been to china, so i can't talk about authenticity. but i've been to many a chinese restaurant recommended by chinese acquaintances in california and this is up to that standard. it is where i have had many a delicious family-style dinner with friends and soon-to-be friends. i've given and received many hugs inside and in front of this restaurant and we continue to arrange meet ups here (sometimes twice a week!). nothing on the menu has let me down, honestly. so imagine my surprise when i realized that i have never written about magasasa before!
if any danes stumble upon this bog, they will probably be thinking, "chinese food? not too crazy about it. it's so oily and everything is fried." well, maybe at the chinese restaurants YOU go to. in general, the tolerance to spice and, er, exotic textures is pretty low in this country. i admit that there is a certain grease factor to most of the dishes we order here, but i never get an MSG headache or feel sick after eating at magasasa (as i have experienced at another chinese place... but that's a story for another post).
melt-in-your-mouth aubergine and pork belly. one of my favourite parts of a meal is eating the rice that has soaked up all the sauces and flavours; and this was certainly no exception! the shrimp was spicy and the grilled peppers were great as usual. as soon as the rice pot on our table is empty, it is wordlessly snatched up and replaced with a steamy batch. service isn't all smiles and small talk, but it is very efficient. i accept this in asian restaurants, it happens everywhere.
there is a bit of a routine when we converge on this restaurant. someone always orders the grilled peppers. there is always a bag of asian groceries sitting under the table that someone has bought on the way. someone is asking what is not spicy. we all rant about being a stranger in a strange land... and of course we talk about other things too, right? when i am eating here with my friends, i feel like i am somewhere else; a sort of place between places. not china, not america, and certainly not denmark.
magasasa
istedgade 4
1650 københavn v
Opslag
6 kommentarer:
Your hands were probably shaking after those blinking peppers, last time I had them they were super hot! Magasasa is brilliant though, and even better when they have some of their duck left! Emma
Wow their food looks divine! Do they use msg? I can't have it so how many Chinese places I ever go to is very low. I have this great Chinese vegetarian cookbook... back in Australia... damn it!
<3 magasasat
@emma: those peppers were not spicy at ALL for me! either those 'brunches' with eva have dulled my spice sensors or i didn't hit the chili jackpot. :P
@bri: i can't confirm for sure, but i usually get a nasty headache and dizzy spell after ingesting msg. didn't happen here!
What a beautiful post! You are making me sad I can't go tonight, but hope to make it up later on this week. Am dying for those peppers.
I know I sound crazy, but the blackness over the dish, makes me think that it is over cooked or something. I know I am wrong, but I guess it's the sauce. I always get this feeling when it comes to Asian food. But they all taste good all the time. Nice pictures though, hope u enjoyed it there. thanks for giving me the opportunity to comment too.
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