| rev:text
| - Ever since I had one of the best meals of my life in a little Szechuan place in SF's Chinatown, I've been looking for a similar experience here in Phoenix. I think I just found it.
I've been waiting for this place to open ever since I saw the "Coming Soon" sign and finally got to try it tonight. As I walked in, there was a whiteboard menu at the door entirely in Chinese (good sign). As my wife and I sat down, we noticed we were the only "gringos" in the place (another good sign).
The menu was massive, but fortunately, thanks to Yelp, I knew they had what they called water boiled fish, which in SF they called fish in chili oil. I ordered it while my wife ordered orange chicken and some potstickers.
The potstickers and orange chicken came out quickly and at the same time. The pot stickers were crispy outside, juicy inside, but there was a sizable pool of oil in the bottom of the dish. I think they need to drain them better.
The orange chicken was battered and fried in a neon orange sauce. It was also stone cold. We quickly got the waitress' attention and she quickly took it away and promised to make us another one.
A few minutes later, they brought out another orange chicken and the water boiled fish. The chicken was hot (this time) and crispy, but the sauce was overly sweet. Pretty average although the portion was more than generous.
The fish, on the other hand, was phenomenal. Perfectly poached talapia fillets in a spicy chili oil broth with cabbage, onions, and peppers. The fish literally melted in my mouth. It was every bit as good as what I had at Z&Y in SF. This was the dish I was looking for ever since that trip.
My wife, upon tasting the fish, decided I had made the better order and offered to trade but it didn't matter because, despite being just $10.95, the bowl is more than enough for 2 people.
Overall my impression (based on my experience and other reviews) is that this restaurant is kind of leading a "double life". The front of the menu is "American friendly", consisting of somewhat generic versions of familiar dishes, while the back is the "real menu" with great authentic Szechuan dishes.
Major bonus --- they deliver!!!
|