Forum Topic

Si Chuan restaurant - any good?

In the mood for spices and not tried this, but Hungryhouse reviews not the best.

Colin Murphy ● 6317d22 Comments

Where is this restaurant Colin?.....can't say i have seen it.

Ellie Rose ● 6317d

It's in Churchfield Road - down the market end but not only have I never tried it, I have never heard anyone mantion they had eaten there I don't think.

Sara Nathan ● 6317d

Some interesting comments on it at http://www.dimsum.co.uk/food/sichuan-invasion.htmlThe point about the % of Chinese customers is very valid - always a good sign of a good Chinese restaurant. Also if Dim Sum is only served at lunchtime, which I understand should be the case.David Archer will be pleased to spot an aside of praise for Thai Nice (assuming he didn't write it himself as "Richard"). A lot of abuse and rebuttal about Acton per se.Apparently this Si Chuan has been in being since at least 2006!

Dan Filson ● 6317d

Did you try it and would you recommend it?The reviews on the site Dan found were good if unspecific but the posters were such ignorant wallies, it was difficult to take them seriously.

Sara Nathan ● 6316d

Did you try it  - No, not yetand would you recommend it? - No, not yetBut of all the restaurants in Acton this is the most likely to tempt me from my armchair, as a dim sum restaurant that is competent is well worth a visit.

Dan Filson ● 6316d

Not you, Dan, Colin...he was the one who said he might...don't you (Dan) eat out round here at all?

Sara Nathan ● 6316d

Er, W4 and West End, I confess.

Dan Filson ● 6316d

Tut-tut.There are at least half a dozen fair-to-good places around here and a couple of smashing ones.Support your local businesses!

Sara Nathan ● 6316d

Sorry to be slow Dan but just read this. Not sure why Thai Nice got a mention on a website about Chinese restaurants and dimsum (although we do have dimsum on our menu!) but its all good. Not..I'm not 'Richard'. (If I was I would have laid it on with trowel..lol.) Nice to know that some people take the time to leave nice comments.

David Archer ● 6316d

Tried Si Chuan a couple of years back.  I tend to eat most things and thought I would branch out. I normally enjoy ethnic spicy food rather the the anglicised version. The waiter did suggest that the dish I choose was more suited to a Chinese palate and tried to encourage me to change my order.  I should have listened as I found I loathed the dish -way too salt.  So my advice would be - do be led by the staff

Jill Williams ● 6316d

I had a spicy beef with bean curd melange, but I found it quite bland given I was expecting something a bit tastier, but the table in my hearing were very enthusiastic about their meal.

Colin Murphy ● 6316d

Do they have chicken and cashewnut, Sezchuen style? Used to be my favourite when we went to similar places in chinatown.

Sara Nathan ● 6315d

Standard Anglo-Sino food with a page of chef specialities. Probably worth another go, otherwise it'll eventually become a pound shop.

Colin Murphy ● 6315d

I've had a few takeaways from here and really enjoyed it.  I lived in the States for a while in the 70s and have a real taste for what they refer to as Szechuan food, which I occasionally crave the taste and texture for (it's hard to explain) so coming back to England in the early 80s was a bit of a blow (some Chinese food would be uniformally grey and grey-tasting.  If they said Sechuan it usually meant they dumped some Tabasco on top).  But Si Chuan is among the best Chinese food I've had over here.  It's not always consistent -- I had a great diced chicken and cashew nuts dish (that may be the one Sara was talking about) and loved it, but the third time I had it, it was very different and not nearly as good.  Still, definitely worth a try.(And no, I don't know the owners)

Adam Kimmel ● 6315d

I was in Palo Alto, California, 1977-79. Were you there?Never had Szechuan but what was really strange was that there was NO Indian food at all - felt very strange. Now of course there are Indian restaurants on both coasts - don't know about in between.

Sara Nathan ● 6315d

No, I was an East Coast person -- New England and New York City, but with a couple of years in Illinois.  In NYC, on East 3rd Street, there was a row of Indian restaurants, but I never tried any of them.  There was also one on 2nd or 3rd Avenue called "The Ghandi", with a statue of the man himself in the window.  That was just after the film came out.

Adam Kimmel ● 6315d

The nearest I got was a - very bland - one in Ghiradelli Square in downtown San Francisco: expensive and seen as truly exotic by the locals.

Sara Nathan ● 6315d

On one of my many jaunts to Oregon each year, last september i came across a new Indian restaurant opening up in Portland. As i stood outside looking at the menu in the window, the owner came out and spoke. On hearing my voice he said " Ahhhh you are from England ?.......you must know my family who have restaraunts in Southall"Still laugh about it now..............

Ellie Rose ● 6315d

Is this place still going? Is it any good? I have an urge to try a bit of Sichuan cooking and can't be bothered heading up town for it!!

Sam Salisbury ● 5172d

It's still there - but I'm ashamed to say, have never tried it.

Sara Nathan ● 5172d

Sichuan is one of the best in West London, no question, if you're looking beyond the bland, Westernised take on Cantonese food served everywhere else. Quality can be patchy, but usually excellent. They do serve all the standard Cantonese stuff, but on the chef's special menu they do properly authentic dishes like spicy crab, hot pepper fish, stewed pigs trotters, double-cooked pork, pork tripe & tongue, sichuan bean curd...no connection, just starting to feel very very hungry thinking about it.

Peter Millman ● 5172d

Thanks Peter - that could well be my Friday night sorted out ..

Sam Salisbury ● 5172d