As odd as it may sound, I preferred Chuan Wei Xuan’s stellar Sichuan Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens ($24.90++) to the more popular mala fish. While the Mala fish is nice & spicy, I find the complexity of the pickled mustard greens far more intriguing.⠀
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As you might expect of pickled mustard, it’s equally sour & salty, almost like a more intense pickle. The sour & salty mix thoroughly flavours the soup, as well as the mild tasting fish fillets. Sour & fish might not sound like the best combo, but balance that out with a good hit of salinity and it’s perfect. There’s something about a dish that’s salty & sour that compels you to devour it, and this Sichuan Fish definitely will compel you to finish it with relish.⠀
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The soft, delicate slices of fish are backed up by sliced mushrooms and chunks of mustard greens, and the best way to savour this is to have everything all at once. Fish, broth, pickled mustard greens and shrooms combine excellently to form a savoury symphony of fab flavours. Sichuan may be known for its spice, but its tangy elements rightfully deserve some love too.
Popcorn chicken is good, but it can be better. That’s right, Chuan Wei Xuan has taken the bite sized deep fried chicken snack and made it even better. The Sichuan Spicy Popcorn Chicken ($18.90++) turns the heat up to eleven, along with your satisfaction.⠀
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Little shreds of chicken are battered and deep fried along with a whole lotta Sichuan chili peppers. Surprisingly, it isn’t overwhelmingly spicy, instead possessing a mild yet insistent heat. Most of the chili is expressed through its pungent & peppery aroma, meaning that you smell the heat as opposed to having it burn your tongue. Just as well, as you’re able to taste & appreciate the mastery required to avoid overcooking the tiny bits of chicken, and to savour the chicken, groundnuts, Sichuan chilies & garlic all coming together in the hot oil.⠀
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While your money could arguably be better spent on larger, more substantial dishes, there’s no denying that this hot little number is straight poppin’.
If you didn’t have fish while dining at a Sichuan restaurant, did you even have any Sichuan food? Fish in a spicy and sour broth is a cornerstone of Sichuan cuisine, and Chuan Wei Xuan’s Fish Filet in Hot Chili Oil ($24.90++) is a solid ass cornerstone.⠀
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The chili oil isn’t purely chili oil. Instead, it’s a chili oil powered sour broth similar to a tom yum, but oilier and spicier. The supple boneless fish filets floating in the spicy broth have hoovered up an incredible amount of spice & sapidity from the chili broth, and each bite of fish is absolutely bursting with spicy, feisty peppery notes. The inexplicably addictive spicy soup is bulked up by the inclusion of tofu slices & glass noodles, giving you more excuses to experience pain & pleasure from this savoury soup.⠀
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Spicy, peppery, tongue numbing and supremely satisfying, Chuan Wei Xuan’s Fish Filet in Chili Oil is simply irresistible.
The Sichuan Spicy Garlic Sauce With Boiled Pork ($13.90) seems to be utilising the same chili at first glance. However, the spicy sauce is notably less violent than the chicken, and seems to be more sour. I reckon they took that same chili and added more vinegar to it, and served it with the poached pork belly slices. The pork belly had most of the porky odours boiled out of it, and as expected of boiled meat, it’s kinda tasteless. Thus, thoroughly bathing each slice in the chili is a must before consumption. ⠀
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While the pork is decent it its own right, I much preferred the stellar chicken with its painfully addictive chili sauce/oil. Now, thanks to this restaurant, I’m starting to understand how some people feel pleasure with pain.
I’m not big on Sichuan cuisine, but I always look forward to a visit to Chuan Wei Xuan. Their absurdly appetising 口水鸡 (Steamed Chicken with Chili Sauce, $13.90++) ignited my desire for spicy Sichuan cuisine, and it’s always on my table along with a bowl of rice every single time.⠀
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This 口水鸡 lives up to its literal translation of saliva chicken, as this poached chicken dish is guaranteed to get your mouth waterworks going. The chili oil scintillatingly spicy, and it hurts so good. The chili oil is gloriously garlicky and stunningly sapid, slightly sour and numbing, thanks to the abundance of Sichuan peppers used in the cooking of this dish. The chilled chicken is remarkably tender, with porcelain, supple skin, and the chicken acts as a sponge to soak up the violently spicy yet supremely savoury chili sauce. It’ll hurt you and you will love it, believe me.
Another dish that was a great surprise!
I don’t know how they made potato taste so good. It’s like all the best parts of a Rosti combined!
Must must try!
Doesn’t look that special but it taste so so good.
It’s like potato chips on steroids. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Ace.
The taste was 10/10, one of the best lzj I’ve eaten, just that the bits were a little small.
It’s just the right amount of spice and numbness.
Was really craving for Si Chuan Boiled Fish and found this after researching via google.The place was empty when we were there on a Sunday lunch. We were a bit skeptical but the restaurant was clean and the staff were friendly.
Ordered a Spicy Boiled fish, a dish of fried chicken chunks which came with a lot of dried chillies and peanuts plus a plate of Long Qing vegetables.
To our surprise, the dishes were up to mark.They serve generous portion and total bill was about $45 with drinks.
Definitely a place to go to if you have cravings for Si Chuan delights.
My favourite place to bring my friends for lunch when they are visiting my house. It is kind of my secret food spot to impress other people! The must orders are 水煮鱼, 辣子鸡 and 麻婆豆腐! One tip when ordering the 水煮鱼 is to add ingredients such as noodles, lotus roots, potatoes and whatever you like. I would say that their spicy dishes are much better than their non-spicy ones.
