Szechuan Restaurant replaced Cheung's Garden on 16th Avenue Northwest in the Crescent Heights area. While most of the Chinese food served in Calgary (and in the West, in general) is either Cantonese or Mandarin, Szechuan Restaurant is one of the only places (or at least the best) in Calgary where one can enjoy an authentic Sichuan meal. Those who can't handle spice, be fore-warned! You will definitely be sweating, or maybe not-so-glamorously dashing to the bathroom to attend to your draining sinuses. The prices are more than reasonable and there is ample parking. What more could a spice-seeker ask?
The food is consistently delicious every time I go there. Unless you really know what you're getting yourself into, I suggest you order your dishes to be 'medium spicy'. My favourites at Szechuan Restaurant are (in order of appearance on the menu):
- #31 - Szechuan Dan Dan Noodle
- #70 - Boiled Sliced Beef in Hot Sauce (or alternatively 46, which is the same, only with fish)
- #79 - Hot Chili Pepper Chicken (with bones)
- #85 - Spicy Kung Po Chicken with Peanuts
You can of course order the traditional meat dishes here such as shredded pig's ear (#13/14), beef tripe, pork blood (#100), etc. There's something for everyone! =)