Janice L.

Aw guys! Whats with the low ratings here? I'm LOVING this place! 7 of us came to this place, and we were sat near the end of the restaurant (near the backyard). There are two parts to this restaurant, making it easier if you have big groups. I could tell the authenticity of the food here by the amount of Chinese/locals you see eating here. The smell of hot hot chili.... mmmmm! We ordered 8 dishes to split between the 7 of us. Cabbage, chili dumplings and four season beans came first. It took around 15-20 minutes but that's fine with me. Then came beef tendons- chewy and jelly-textured but flavorful yet spicy. Hot and spicy spare ribs cooked fried with chili smelled amazing, and tasted heavenly. It was crispy, spicy, and the sesame that it was cooked with brought out the best of the ribs. Highly recommended. The hot and spicy cold noodle (with shredded chicken and cucumber) was refreshing. The cold glass noodle was spicy and cooked to the right chewy-ness. Then came the delicious fish dish- it wasn't the water cooked fish. It's called sliced fish in homemade twin chili sauce- BEYOND!!! The fish was SO smooth and tender, fresh and just, indescribably delicious. Highly highly recommend again. The dish was HUGE, cooked with tons of fish meat and some vegetables. Not to mention, the chili had a sweet aftertaste... mmm.. The beef with chili and Sichuan pepper was alright, with a fair amount of bean spout, but also spare amount of beef- it was alright. The total we spent for 9 dishes plus 6 bowls of rice equals to around £88. 10% off cash payments!!!!! Overall, a wide range of amazing classic Sichuan food, would definitely recommend this restaurant to all my friends who LOVES spicy food. PS. VERY SPICY. VERY DELICIOUS. AUTHENTIC GOOD FOOD, and 10% off cash payments. DOUBLE THUMBS UP!!!

Andrew M.

Chilli Cool is an aptly named semi-hole in the wall type of place. It's definitely worth a visit as it serves up some delicious food (mostly Chinese I think) in generous portions at reasonable prices. At least half the dishes help support the name choice as they are absolutely loaded down with dried chillies stir fried or simmered with the dish. This isn't a place to eat daintily. Rather, one must aim to determinedly continue to stuff food done one's gullet while mopping away the chilli sweats. The heat builds gradually in the way of scotch bonnets rather than smacking you upside the face like habeneros. I'd love to tell you what I ate, but to be honest I'm not quite sure as we just pointed at the pictures that looked the tastiest and asked for those. The menu is in Chinese and the English translations don't quite always make sense. I will say the meat was tender, the veggies crunchy and fresh, and the sauces bursting with flavour. And of course the plethora of chillies adding all the spice you could want. Service is okay but requires a bit of confidence and assertion as they will tend to ignore you unless you make yourself noticed. The bathrooms are possibly the dingiest dirtiest place possible so avoid if you can. Overall, it's a good place for a meal (especially after a day of drinking) but not somewhere I'd consider worthy of a trek on its own accord.

Luiz H.

Chilli Cool - Pics @ The London Foodie I first learnt of Sichuanese Cuisine when reading Fuchsia Dunlop's book "Sharks Fin and Sichuan Pepper". Fuchsia is an engaging writer - it was great fun reading about her adventures as a Westerner living in Chengdu, and learning about Sichuan and its cuisine. I have bought both her cookery books which are also very good. After reading a positive write up by Mr Noodles of Eat Noodles Love Noodles (this is his favourite Sichuanese restaurant in London), I decided to try Chilli Cool last week. Mr Noodles is a real authority on regional Chinese cooking, and his blog is an excellent source of information on the subject. Dr G and I arrived and headed to the wrong entrance of Chilli Cool - there are two: one for the Sichuanese hot pot restaurant on the left hand side, and another for the a la carte menu on the right. We were directed to the correct entrance (a la carte), and were soon seated. The staff's level of English isn't great, although I found them to be efficient and polite. The decor was simple and with no frills, and the lighting was strong and bright. One unnerving aspect of the restaurant is how greasy the floor was - I could hardly stand on one spot without sliding away. If you can put that to the back of your mind though, you are in for a culinary experience. The menu is well laid out and contains many pictures of the dishes to assist ordering which I found very helpful. Following the recommendations of Mr Noodles, we ordered a selection of dishes from the menu. We started the meal with the less hot "Sea Spicy Shredded Pork" @ £7.80. This was utterly delicious, with the slivers of pork, julienned bamboo shoots and black fungus making for a sensational combination of flavours. The sauce was rich and very flavoursome (I believe this to be also translated as "Fish Fragrant Sauce"), and despite the name, it has no fish ingredients - it is sour, sweet and spicy and made from ginger, soy sauce, garlic, chinkiang vinegar among other ingredients. We also ordered "Sliced Beef Sichuan Style Lavishly Topped with Chillies and Sichuan Pepper" @ £8.80 (Also known as "Boiled Beef Slices in a Fiery Sauce" - shui zhu niu rou). This was another rich and delicious dish, and one of the highlights of the evening. The beef was coated in flour and then boiled in stock and soya sauce giving it a silken texture. The addition of finely julienned celery and spring onions to the rich sauce made it hearty. It was fiery but bearably so. It was about zero degrees outside but I was pouring with sweat - a perfect dish for this type of weather. To accompany the meat dishes, we ordered some plain steamed rice @ £1.50 a portion, and two of my favourite Sichuanese vegetable dishes - "Dry Fried Green Bean with Minced Pork" @ £6.80 and "Sea Spicy/Fish Fragrant Aubergines" @ £6.80. The greens were dry fried until tender and slightly wrinkled, and tasted delicious with the minced pork, Shaoxing wine and soya sauce. This was a simple but very satisfying dish. The aubergine dish was the better of the two though - the fish fragrant sauce was complex and bursting with flavour. I have made this dish many times at home but have never managed to come close to the richness and concentration of flavour of Chilli Cool's version. We also ordered their "Chengdu Dan Dan Noodles" @ £5.80. I have tried this dish at several restaurants but Chilli Cool's was I think the most authentic. It was seriously spicy and delicious with a generous helping of "Ya Cai" a type of Sichuanese preserved mustard green, and a rich sauce made from an assortment of spices. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, and it cost only £44. We ordered enough to feed 4 or 5 people as the portions were rather generous. Verdict - Authentic Sichuanese cuisine in Central London at very reasonable prices. A must for anyone who appreciates this type of cooking. Delicious fish fragrant aubergines, sliced beef and shredded pork and charming service. Highly recommended.

Chrissy H.

*Avoid at all costs* Went for dinner here as we saw okay reviews for hotpot. Arrived straight from an uber and prebooked half an hour before arriving. We turned up and the waitress looked confused when we said we had a reservation. She told us to wait a few mins whilst another table left. We saw a fridge area with meats and veg on shelves. And a table with sauces laid out. None of us had been there before hence we didn't know if it was a buffet. We looked at each other then said we needed to make sure we boiled everything thoroughly in case we got food poisoning as the ingredients didn't look fresh. We didn't leave as it was raining heavily and we were hungry. We were finally sat down at our table and the first thing we all said was...the floors feel super oily, sticky and dirty...anyhow....We wiped our cutlery and asked for a menu as we had no idea how it worked. It was a buffet for £22 and as guessed, we help ourselves. The mix of sauces didn't taste great (because maybe I'm crap at mixing sauces?). The broth was half spicy, half mild. The mild side didn't bubble much so we cooked our food mainly on the spicy side. After a little while, we all commented that everything was extremely salty. Hence I started *washing* the food on the mild side. The waitresses were not friendly and looked extremely busy. They kept walking in and out of the restaurant. We assumed their kitchen or second half of the restaurant must've been next door/nearby. Paying around £30 each in the end. We all vowed to never go back as the quality was so bad and 3 out of the 4 of us ended up with diarrhoea which continued to the next day...meaning that the food/sauces must've been contaminated in some way. Avoid at all costs!!!! I would give it no/negative stars if I could...

Qype User (thegru…)

Crucial to the whole experience of eating in Chilli Cool is to go in a big posse of ravenous bellies. This way you can sample a decent spread. An experienced memeber of our gang actted as Sherrif, taking control and ordering a plethora of exciting plates. And out they came, one after the other, veiled in a chilli laced fog of inviting aromas. Thank goodness someone kept track of what was what, because soon after my first bite I sank into a chilli induced trance as flavours I didn't even know existed befuddled my poor brain. First out of the kitchen was sliced Pigs ear in sesame sauce, followed in quick succession by beef and ox tripe in chilli sauce, sea fragrant aubergine, hot and chilli crispy pork intestine, sea spicy shredded pork, sliced beef Szechuan style lavishly topped with chilli & Szechuan pepper, stir-fried pork and green beans, mini-lamb skewers fried with chilli & chilli powder, and stewed beef tendon. I won't even try to go through all nine dishes individually, because there isn't space. And because the whole experience blended into a whirlwind of new tastes and textures as I dug into one plate then another eager to pile as much into my gob as I could. It was like feeding burgers to a starving man, I just couldn't get enough. The chilli heat was as intense as anything I've eaten while the Szechuan peppercorn induced numbness added whole new layers of dribbley fun to the experience. Highlights were the pigs ear, served cool, it was chewy, porky, hot and cold at the same time, with helluva chilli kick that rose up from the back of your throat after your first nutty bite. Crispy pork intestine was full of texture and flavour,a crispy exterior giving way with a crunch to a meltingly porky morsel inside. The beef tendon wibbled and wobbled in my chopsticks like a giant beefy jelly baby, and incredibly satisfying to eat But for me, king of the table and as luxurious as a Raja's palace, was the sea fragrant aubergine. Eating it was like having your mouth massaged by soft silk-gloved hands. Hands covered in chilli. Once the smooth rich fleshy aubergine slices were messily finished, it was all I could do not to thrust my face into the oil and slurp it up. I made do with pouring it over my rice (and liberally down my shirt). If like me you are new to the cuisine this is a great place for an intro. Don'e be frightened by the offal, dive in and try it out. Order liberally and widely and be prepared for an assault on the senses. Oh yes, make sure you don't wear a white shirt. That's very important. Mine looked like I had executed some messy gangland hit by the end. Not that I cared. I was replete with a full belly and the fading whiskey warmth of a lot of chilli.

Qype User (thelon…)

Chilli Cool - Pics @ The London Foodie (http://www.thelondonfoodie.co.uk ) I first learnt of Sichuanese Cuisine when reading Fuchsia Dunlop's book Sharks Fin and Sichuan Pepper. Fuchsia is an engaging writer it was great fun reading about her adventures as a Westerner living in Chengdu, and learning about Sichuan and its cuisine. I have bought both her cookery books which are also very good. After reading a positive write up by Mr Noodles of Eat Noodles Love Noodles (this is his favourite Sichuanese restaurant in London), I decided to try Chilli Cool last week. Mr Noodles is a real authority on regional Chinese cooking, and his blog is an excellent source of information on the subject. Dr G and I arrived and headed to the wrong entrance of Chilli Cool there are two: one for the Sichuanese hot pot restaurant on the left hand side, and another for the a la carte menu on the right. We were directed to the correct entrance (a la carte), and were soon seated. The staff's level of English isn't great, although I found them to be efficient and polite. The decor was simple and with no frills, and the lighting was strong and bright. One unnerving aspect of the restaurant is how greasy the floor was I could hardly stand on one spot without sliding away. If you can put that to the back of your mind though, you are in for a culinary experience. The menu is well laid out and contains many pictures of the dishes to assist ordering which I found very helpful. Following the recommendations of Mr Noodles, we ordered a selection of dishes from the menu. We started the meal with the less hot Sea Spicy Shredded Pork @ £7.80. This was utterly delicious, with the slivers of pork, julienned bamboo shoots and black fungus making for a sensational combination of flavours. The sauce was rich and very flavoursome (I believe this to be also translated as Fish Fragrant Sauce), and despite the name, it has no fish ingredients it is sour, sweet and spicy and made from ginger, soy sauce, garlic, chinkiang vinegar among other ingredients. We also ordered Sliced Beef Sichuan Style Lavishly Topped with Chillies and Sichuan Pepper @ £8.80 (Also known as Boiled Beef Slices in a Fiery Sauce shui zhu niu rou). This was another rich and delicious dish, and one of the highlights of the evening. The beef was coated in flour and then boiled in stock and soya sauce giving it a silken texture. The addition of finely julienned celery and spring onions to the rich sauce made it hearty. It was fiery but bearably so. It was about zero degrees outside but I was pouring with sweat a perfect dish for this type of weather. To accompany the meat dishes, we ordered some plain steamed rice £1.50 a portion, and two of my favourite Sichuanese vegetable dishes Dry Fried Green Bean with Minced Pork £6.80 and Sea Spicy/Fish Fragrant Aubergines @ £6.80. The greens were dry fried until tender and slightly wrinkled, and tasted delicious with the minced pork, Shaoxing wine and soya sauce. This was a simple but very satisfying dish. The aubergine dish was the better of the two though the fish fragrant sauce was complex and bursting with flavour. I have made this dish many times at home but have never managed to come close to the richness and concentration of flavour of Chilli Cool's version. We also ordered their Chengdu Dan Dan Noodles @ £5.80. I have tried this dish at several restaurants but Chilli Cool's was I think the most authentic. It was seriously spicy and delicious with a generous helping of Ya Cai a type of Sichuanese preserved mustard green, and a rich sauce made from an assortment of spices. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, and it cost only £44. We ordered enough to feed 4 or 5 people as the portions were rather generous. Verdict Authentic Sichuanese cuisine in Central London at very reasonable prices. A must for anyone who appreciates this type of cooking. Delicious fish fragrant aubergines, sliced beef and shredded pork and charming service. Highly recommended.

Seo Young M.

Not the cheapest place to eat but one of the best quality Chinese food I've had in London! CASH ONLY

Simin L.

This is probably the best Sichuan restaurant I have been in London, very tasty, big portion and reasonable price. but it's a bit out of way, so can't go there often.