Hunan Chilli King

Known to be the spiciest culinary region of China, Hunan cuisine is on a spice chart of its own and any of the 170 plus items at San Gabriel’s Hunan Chilli King is not to be taken lightly. But the appropriately named house special Spicy Over Spicy ($9.99) exceeds the Scoville scale for a capsaicin-laced mouthful. The Sichuan pepper topped dish—stir fried with crunchy green beans and radish—is a dry, enduring heat, unrelenting to any drink known to man. The only diversion is the bizarre ma la or numbing sensation created by the pile of Sichuan peppers that builds with each bite.