Sichuan and Hunan cuisine are often likened to each other, but the comparison is superficial. Sichuan is, of course, best known for its liberal use of chilies, but that’s to grossly over-simplify this diverse and refined cuisine. To quote the Sichuanese adage, bai cai bai wei. Translation: 100 dishes, 100 flavors. It’s a fitting phrase because they really dorun the gamut in this province. It can be a combination of sweet and spicy in dishes like ‘fish scented’ shredded pork, smoky with tea-smoked duck and even the hot and numbing of shui zhu yu, a whole fish cooked in oil and seasoned with dried chilies and unique peppercorns that induce a numbing sensation.
The preponderance of expats among the Sichuan Citizen clientele might raise an eyebrow, but what is coming out of the kitchen is pretty much the real deal. The yardstick of any good Sichuan restaurant is the classics and in most cases this restaurant passes with flying colors. The mapo doufu is thick and stewy with just the right amount of chili oil. Fish-fragranced eggplant is tender with a nice balance of sweet and savory.
The tea-smoked duck is tender and aromatic. Nevertheless, someone’s got tosay it, so it might as well be us: 30 kuai for Qingdao draft in a Chinese restaurant? With all that spicy food? Come on, that’s just cruel! South Beauty is a mid-range eatery with branches all over town. Admittedly, the chilies have been toned down to suit the Shanghainese palate, but what this restaurant lacks in spice, it makes up for in style. If you’re unfamiliar with Sichuan’s distinctive cuisine, this is a great place to start learning about it.
Yu Xin Chuan Cai comes about as close to the real thing as you can get in this city and comes with our top recommendation. Their biblically large menu is full of all the Sichuan staples and most dishes are cooked with enough chilies to kill a small horse. Don’t miss their spicy dried tofu and their dan dan mian. If it’s exotica you seek, try their stewed bullfrog or rabbit fried with two peppers.
To find more Shanghai Restaurants, and reviews please check the that’s Shanghai website.