This Sichuan restaurant is located at Alexandra House in Central, focusing on offering the regional Chinese cuisine in a modern and upscale setting for diners. The eye-catching red shiny lacquer wall and the marble reception station greeted us on arrival, and after checking our booking, the well-dressed staff brought us to our table in the main dining area.
Continuing the bright red tone inside, our table is a circular velvet seats, spacious and comfortable. There are also private rooms and another section in which several large tables are available for bigger groups. The overall ambience showed a luxury premium offering diners a sense of prestige while also relaxing.
After ordering two mocktails, the staff duly served us the appetizers. The Chilled Jellyfish 涼伴海蜇 ($198) was dressed with Chinese mustard oil, with plenty of sesame on top as well for enhanced fragrance. Underneath was some shredded fennel to freshen the palate. A nice dish to start our meal.
For the hot dishes we ordered three, starting with the signature Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐 ($258). The silky soft tofu was cooked with hand-chopped Angus beef, with also Sichuan peppercorn and chili bean paste. Spicy but very tasty, I finished two bowls of rice just having this dish.
The Fish Fragrant Prawns 魚香蝦球 ($368) had some large prawns which were crunchy in texture, cooked with garlic and ginger paste, with some onion, and pickled chillies as well. Not spicy at all, the richness and fragrance of the paste made this dish a good choice for someone who could not take too much chili.
We had also pre-ordered Tea Smoked Duck 樟茶鴨 ($1,288). Served with steamed buns, the duck was beautifully smoked with tea leaves to give amazing fragrance, with the meat tender and not tough. On the side there were Sichuan pickles, Sichuan pepper salt, and sweet sauce as condiments. The portion was big, and we ended up packing half home.
For dessert I had Osmanthus Ice Jelly 桂花冰粉 ($98). A traditional dish to cleanse the palate on the spiciness, the transparent jelly was added with syrup plus some osmanthus, together with candied strawberries and blueberries.
My wife had Tangerine Peel Cake 陳皮蛋糕 ($128). An interesting one, the cake had rich tangerine peel flavours, with poached pear on top and dusted with some Pu Er tea caramel crumbs. After finishing the staff also brought us a complimentary fruit platter as well.
Service was very good, and I liked the way the staff came to check with us remembering my name in the conversation. The bill on the night was $3,023. While the price was quite expensive, the food quality, service and dining experience was very good. Yes, it might be a bit leaning on Sichuan food for foreigners, but still very good nevertheless.
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