I’m a little surprised no one has blogged about Spicy Szechuan. Spicy Szechuan has been around for a long time. They serve a variety of Shanghai, Szechuan, and Cantonese dishes. The restaurant is very clean and tidy. The reason that I’m introducing Spicy Szechuan because it is a gem. Its definitely not at the same level as Shanghai River, Shanghai Wonderful and Top Shanghai Cuisine. But, Spicy Szechuan makes up in many ways like better value on above average food quality and no line ups.
First, the tan tan noodles comes in a chili oil, broth, peanut sauce, ground peanuts and dried shrimp in a medium thickness sauce. I had to add chili oil because it was not spicy enough. The tan tan noodles here do not come with ground pork but I still enjoyed the noodles.
Next, the shredded fried roll (also known as mantou) and steamed mini pork buns (also known as xiaolongbao) are infamous Shanghainese dishes. I tore open the shredded fried roll to make sure that the bun looks like shredded dough inside. This would determine if this dish is authentic. Lightly dip the shredded fried roll into the condense milk before eating it. The condense milk completes the dish. As for the steamed mini pork buns, be very careful retrieving the it from the steamer. The steamed mini pork buns are full of flavorful pork juices. The juice is the essence of the dish. If you are able to retrieve steamed mini pork buns successfully then lightly dip it into the vinegar before eating. The vinegar enhances the steamed mini pork bun’s flavors.
Next, the Shanghai pan fried thick noodles. I’m not sure if the Shanghai pan fried thick noodles is really a Shanghainese cuisine because I could not find this dish in Shanghai. In any case, Shanghai noodles are thick wheat noodles with a slight oily sheen. It will require very little oil in stir frying. The most popular combination is served with pork, cabbage, and spinach. The spinach seems to be missing from the photo but I can assure that the spinach is in the dish. I didn’t get a chance to mix the dish before taking photos. The Shanghai pan fried noodles was only average here.
Finally, I want to introduce deep fried pastry with mince pork dish. I haven’t seen this dish at other restaurants before. Maybe I haven’t looked hard enough. The deep fried pastry has a sesame top crust. The pastry is crisp but very soft and light. Gently hold the pastry and fill the open with the mince pork. I really enjoy the combination of both items because of the taste and texture.
Five Loaves Rating:
Value: 8/10
Quality: 7/10
Overall: 7.5/10
Verdict: Great value and above average quality makes Spicy Szechuan a gem!
