The menu is a simple one-pager littered with snacks and small plates to start, while sharing mains, barbecued items and carbs load up the rest of Madame Ching’s offerings. It is worth noting that dishes are Chinese-based but often delivered with a twist—some brilliant and some not. We began our meal with General Son’s chicken, a twist on the classic General Tao’s chicken. Named after the head chef Son Pham, the crispy snack features hearty chunks of chicken thighs, deep-fried and coated with a sprinkle of Sichuan peppercorns, adding a numbing sensation while heat pierced through the palate from the bite-sized chicken.
Hamachi crudo seemed like an outsider from the menu. The soy sauce gelee and black vinegar tare were punchy, but overpowered the richness of the fish; the micro cress of red shiso alone would have been enough.