The best thing I ate all week: Double Skin from Great China

In an effort to write here more regularly I’ve decided to commit to at least one post per week where I share one of the best meals or dishes that I ate in the past week. This may be a meal I cooked, but just as often it’ll be something someone else cooked for me or in this week’s case, a dish from a restaurant. I’ll still share recipes I’ve created, and my experiences cooking and eating but the idea is to write more consistently and this seems like a good way to start. Let me know what you think, and I hope if nothing else this weekly post inspires you to eat better–it’ll certainly force me to make sure I get at least one special meal each week!

So, without further ado, the best thing I ate all week: Double Skin from Great China.

Double Skin, it tastes better than it looks.

If you haven’t heard of this dish I don’t blame you–I certainly hadn’t until I had it at Great China a couple years ago. In fact, Great China is the only restaurant I’ve seen it on the menu and after a half-hearted attempt to learn more about the dish online it appears it’s not a very common dish, at least at American Chinese Restaurants. But ever since I had this at Great China it’s joined the rotation of the family order. According to the Great China menu, Double Skin contains “mung bean noodle, carrots, cucumber, egg crepe, calamari, shrimp, sea cucumber, onions, mushroom, pork.” There are three main reasons I love this dish: it’s a showstopper, it’s refreshing, and it’s texturally fascinating.

When first brought to the table, the dish is unassembled in it’s component parts, with mung bean noodles piled in the center and the various ingredients (beautifully julienned) fanned out in a rainbow around the noodles with sauces in a separate dish on the side. The server then pours the sauce (a mixture of soy and mustard sauces) over the plate and tosses the ingredients together. The whole thing is a bit of a spectacle. I like to think of it as the Chinese version of TexMex restaurants where they make the guacamole at the table. The pre-mixed presentation is gorgeous and then you get a little bit of a show while the server makes sure every bite is a perfect melange of ingredients and sauce.

Now, about the flavors…they are awesome! I’m a sucker for all things mustard and the mustard sauce is a winner. To be clear, this isn’t like the mustard you’re putting on your hot dog, it’s more of a nasal heat that you might associate with horseradish or wasabi. The mustard simultaneously provides warmth and brightness while the soy sauce provides that salty, umami deliciousness. Together they enliven your palate and are mouthwateringly delicious so each bite leaves you wanting more. Meanwhile, the core ingredients are a wonderful combination of savory, fresh, and rich ingredients and a wide variety of textures. Texturally the dish is a roller coaster ride with slippery mung bean noodles, chewy mushrooms, crunchy carrot, crisp cucumber (both land and sea varieties) and buttery crab chunks and silky egg ribbons. This all leads to a dish that is satisfying yet refreshing.

As a result, Double Skin is a great way to start a meal at Great China or serve as an intermezzo between phases of the meal. Compared to the pork dumplings that came just before and the roast peking duck that came after (two of my other all time favorite Great China dishes), the Double Skin was a light playful treat that provided a break from rich, heavy or saucy dishes often associated with standard Chinese fare. I’ll definitely be getting this the next time I am at Great China and I suggest you do too.