location: 133-47 roosevelt avenue, flushing, ny
cuisine: szechuan
price: $$
worth it: ish
cleanliness: B
times visited: 2-doug, 1-jen
meal: dinner
diners: 3
menu:: dan dan noodle, szechuan pickle, crispy beef with spicy sauce, fish fillet with fresh peppers, chicken with pickled peppers.
jen’s review: 3 forks - requires more research
overall a nice experience. the chicken was superior - pickled peppers made the dish - though i wish there had been more of them. the spicy beef was also very good, but in no way did it have a sauce. the beef was in thin strips, deep fried, then tossed in some kind of excellently spicy and flavorful dry seasoning blend - added bonus of chinese celery, always a favorite. the pickles were also excellent - the toasted chili oil was a clear improvement over other szechuan pickle brines i have tasted. the fish preparation was really excellent (soy, ginger, scallion, also a favorite) but the fish was unevenly cooked - making this a disappointing dish. finally the dan dan noodles, which i begin to believe i do not understand. it had excellent flavor but the noodles were hopelessly overcooked to my way of thinking.
in summary, i would say i am not running back to szechuan house but i am prepared to continue the important scientific work required to make a fuller assessment. one thing they do better here than any szechuan place i can think of, is the artful use of szechuan peppercorns - which i find some restaurants use indelicately to the point of unpleasantness. i get the numbing thing and the unique flavor - but szechuan house is treating this key ingredient to their cuisine intelligently and to great effect.
p.s. not spicy
Doug’s Review - 3 1/2 Forks - Definitely more research required.
First off, the service and room are definitely nicer than average for a small Flushing restaurant. The woman who helped us searched on her phone to find a picture of the fish dish. There is even a decor motif to the china. I have to say the preparation of said fish had a nice flavor. The soy used was tasty, and rich. Seriously, I commented on the quality of the soy sauce. Sadly, the fish itself was clearly Swai which is a cheap fish that comes frozen from Southeast Asia. In some ways it is a “get what you pay for situation”, but for fish I would rather pay more and get better fish. The chicken was really good. I wish there had been a few more of the pickled red peppers, because they were delicious. The beef was a new taste for me. Interesting, but not sure I would order it again. Definitely very flavorful and it had a crispy crust. Said crust did kind of make it impossible to identify what meat we were eating. Love the Chinese celery. Always. The pickles were delicious. Could have eaten three plates. Mostly cabbage, but definitely good. We don’t understand Dan Dan Noodles. I know they are super popular, but the noodles are virtually always too soft for me. Also it needed a touch more meat. For this visit I would definitely say 3 forks.
I am going to give them another half fork for the meal I had there last week. Oh my goodness that Ma Po Tofu. The best. Seriously never tried better. A rich meaty sauce topped pillowy soft tofu with just the right touch of funk and peppercorn. They added just a bit of fermented black bean which not everybody does, but they really accentuate this dish. Not particularly spicy for sure. The Pressed Tofu and Celery was also really good. With the same fragrant toasted oil flavor that was on the pickles. On that day they were also giving free plates of white beans, choy sum, and dried chilis that were really salty and delicious. The Dumplings in Chili Oil (should have ordered the Wontons in Spicy Sesame Oil) were good, but not great. For me, skins were a little bit thick, but the filling was tasty and the fragrant oil was enjoyable. I think I should have taken Jennifer’s advice and not ordered fish, as they only seem to have Swai, (they call it sole or just fish) and Tilapia which are not our favorites. What we have had there definitely invites more research, but we need to return to further cement our opinion. Get the Ma Po Tofu, and maybe ask for extra spicy if that is your jam.
Disclaimer #1 - When Jennifer says “not spicy” she means not as spicy as we think it should be. There was SOME spice, but not a lot.
Disclaimer #2 - I think we may be hard to please in general with Szechuan food. We don’t love Szechuan Peppercorns, a lot of garlic, or a lot of oil on a dish which all can be trademarks of the cuisine.
Guest Reviewer - Our friend John A. His take - “We pounced on every dish like hungry hyenas. It was delicious.”