The Sichuan, London, UK

Address: 14 City Rd, London EC1Y 2AA
WWW: http://www.thesichuan.co.uk/

Summary: Some very good dishes, some not so good but still worth going

OK, I have to admit we have become somewhat snobs when it comes to Chinese food. We had the good luck to visit China several times, and simply love the food! We also have the good luck to have Chinese friends who constantly educate us on Chinese food both in the UK and in China. So, having read all the reviews, we had very very high expectations for this restaurant.  Did they deliver? Well with some dishes yes, with others no. But, they do definitely deserve other visits. 

In this first visit, after a long walk in drizzling rain, we entered with a very warm reception, but definitely wanted some warming food too. So, we ordered jasmine tea (4 pounds) and soups to start with - Sweet and sour soup (3.80 pounds) and Won Ton Soup (4 pounds). There was an initial mixup with the soups, and we had them after a bit of delay. The Sweet Sour soup tasted good but let us down unfortunately as it had very cold parts - we assume they microwaved it, which is not a very good sign. The Won Ton soup, on the other hand, was great. Actually, one of the best I ever had! The dumplings were delicious, the broth was very very tasty.

Next came our vegetables - Dry-Fried Green Beans (8.50 pounds) and Stir Fried Chinese Broccoli (9.80 pounds). These were no where near what we expected. The green beans were not salty and they did not have this dried crinkly texture, which we love so much. The Chinese broccoli - overcooked and soggy and not enough garlic and salt. 

But our disappointment vanished when the boiled fish with sizzling chilli oil and peppercorn (22.80 pounds) came! This is one of my favorite Sichuan dishes. I remember the first time I ate it was in Mandarin Wok in Champaign-Urbana. My time in United Stated also marks  the beginning of my culinary adventures. And this fish in chilli oil was a staple I came constantly back to. In Beijing, I discovered other fish cooked in oil and vinegar, but Sichuan  is always the best. And the one we had in The Sichuan was very good too! And it is a huge quantity, which can easily feed three or four people. 

So next time we go, we will order Won Ton Soups, and Sichuan fish and some rice! And there we will have the perfect meal. For the other items in the menu, I do not have the same enthusiasm.