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| - I've been to this Szechuan restaurant on numerous occasions. Their chef is from Szechuan, and their extensive menu encompasses both authentic and Americanized dishes. The sizable square-shaped interior includes good lighting, booths, lazy Susans, and traditional Chinese artifacts.
The flavors of their Szechuan specialties are far more compelling than the Americanized items. These dishes often include meat, innards, or fish served in red chili pepper and a pool of tongue-numbing hot oil. The propensities of these dishes can be so intense that I often counteract with an order of light tasting vegetable or non-spicy items to lift the taste buds.
For appetizer, I recommend the Beef Tendon in Spicy Sauce ($6.95). The strips of shaved tendon came with firm textures seasoned by hot oil. The same tongue numbing effect can be felt with an order of Fuqi Feipian ($6.95), another chilled dish prepared with beef shank, heart, and tripe.
For main entrees, my favorite is the Mao Xue Wang ($15.95), a dish stacked with red chili, hot oil, pork blood, intestines, luncheon meat, tripe, and bean sprouts. The Water Boil Fish ($10.95) can be a good choice too due to the thick cuts of fish filets and light tasting ingredients that work in contrast to the heavier spicy oil. Their Ma Po Tofu ($7.95) was fresh, spicy, and addictive too.
Dishes that I like to order to accompany the numbing flavors are the Spicy Cabbage stir-fry ($6.95) and Tea Smoked Duck ($12.95). The sweetness of the cabbage tends to outweigh the peppers in it. The duck's tea smoked flavors had the same effect, but the meat can also appear leaner and boney than expected. I was disappointed in the Xiao Long Bao ($???) due to its thicker skins and ground pork that needed more seasoning. The much anticipated juicy effect was nonexistent.
The dishes that I don't recommend are the Cumin Lamb ($13.95) and Water Boiled Pork Kidney ($9.95). The composition of the lamb stir-fry with cumin, chili, and sesame was spot on, but the meat was cut too small for me to fully enjoy it. The Water Boiled Pork Kidney ($9.95) also fell into this category for the thinly shaved kidney that tends to lose its ways and chewy texture.
I had mix results with the Americanized dishes. In particular, both the Walnut Shrimp ($12.95) and Orange Chicken ($8.95) failed to stand out. The flavor on the deep-fried chicken with orange slices and sweet and sour sauce fell flat. I'm not sure why they use sweet and sour sauce, and a hint of spiciness would have made it more dynamic. Additionally, the House Foo Young ($10.95) that came with eggs and a mix of seafood and meat was delicious, but the thick savory gravy made it too salty in the end.
Lastly, the Dan Dan Noodle ($5.95) was not made wit the right sauce. The Spicy Wonton ($5.95) was too skimpy and the rice plates such as Shrimp Fried Rice ($7.95) and House Fried Rice ($7.95) were pretty ordinary without the wok tossed airy texture.
Service can be wildly inconsistent depending on the individual server that I was assigned to. Overall, the Szechuan items were tasty and enough to bring me back for more. They also have a lunch special menu but prospective diners should consider their water boiled dishes, meat items, cold plates, and stir-fried vegetables in order to get a decent fare. 2.5 stars. I hope to visit their Chandler location to see if they are any better.
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