Underwhelming Kung Pao Chicken — expected more

I was looking forward to Kung Pao Chicken here based on the reputation. The reality was disappointing. The bold and numbing character that makes this dish special was muted — either from shortcuts with fermented black bean or from scaling up production at the expense of quality.

Chinese cuisine encompasses eight major regional schools with distinct ingredients and techniques. The a street stall in Chengdu setting I was hoping for wasn't quite there either. Shaoxing rice wine was available but not suggested appropriately. I've had much better versions elsewhere. Two stars because the dish concept is sound; the execution let it down.