Not that there aren’t high-end Chinese restaurants, because there certainly are, all over the country, but few are destinations for a comfortable but cool night out.

You may be surprised the hang was so great, because here in America we are used to purely functional, brightly lit, quickly served-and-cleared Chinese dining. Málà Project’s new Bryant Park location has a hip but welcoming vibe So as you can see, it was an all around good time-and I’ve barely even mentioned the food yet. Plus, the staff encouraged us to linger, the bartender even buying us drinks as we chatted with him about the mala (chili and Sichuan pepper) rim he adds to one of his craft cocktails. We weren’t the only ones who took advantage of that vibe, as a big table of Asian diners next to us were there just as long as we were. This Midtown branch is in a business district and is busier at lunch than dinner, our waitress explained during one of several fun conversations we had with her. That might have been obnoxious of us had we been at the always-busy East Village location, but we were checking out the newer location of Málà Project near Bryant Park, and it was a mellow Monday evening.

My friend Carla and I recently dined at Málà Project, catching up over drinks, appetizers, main course and digestif-and leaving some four hours later. New York’s Málà Project serves up Sichuan food like you find in Sichuan, but it does so in a distinctly worldly style, where the atmosphere, service and cocktails are as important as the food. These jelly noodles are sometimes prepared rather dense and firm and cut in thick pieces, but, in my opinion, the best are like Málà Project’s-wobbly, airy noodle-like pieces that play so well with a classic Sichuan cold-dish dressing (photo above). Sichuan has numerous liangfen dishes made from sweet potatoes, mung beans, chickpeas and other peas and beans. These are liangfen, which is the term for cold noodles that are made not from wheat but rather from rice or bean starches. They are an enigma, at once hot and spicy and light and cooling. When you manage to capture these slippery guys with your chopsticks, they slither down your throat so easily. Have you ever been to a Sichuan restaurant and seen a bowl of something that looks like big fat noodles but on closer inspection is actually jiggly strands of jelly? Ranging from translucent to opaque white or yellow, they usually glow with a chili-oil sauce and fresh and crunchy garnishes. Great Sichuan Restaurant Recipes: Tears of Joy or Heartbreak? A Controversial Jelly Noodle

Black bean noodles not spicy