Small Bite: Chef Chang’s on Back Bay

the “Bashu-flavored” chicken; Photograph by Chelsea Kyle.

When the owners of Chef Chang’s took over the Wine Cellar’s Mass. Ave. space in August, they opted to keep the fondue spot’s festive frescoes of the French countryside. It’s a bit of cognitive dissonance to dine on the fiery, deeply flavored dishes of the Sichuan province and northern China while gazing at views of Provence, but it’s a quirk that only makes the place more charming.

Kick off a meal with the Shaanxi-style “hamburgers” ($7)—palm-size flatbread sandwiches filled with sweet-sour ground pork—before moving on to the judiciously spiced “Bashu-flavored” fried chicken ($17), stuffed into a cornucopia-shaped basket. Chewy, cumin-laced Xinjiang-style flat noodles sautéed with beef and vegetables ($13) will offer some relief—and more warmth on a freezing night than a crock of Gruyère could ever hope to.

30 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, 617-236-1888, chefchangsonbackbay.com.

Chef Chang’s festive dining room; Photograph by Chelsea Kyle.