The last time I came to Plenty of Clouds was about 6.5 years ago, and now that I am back in Seattle am starting to slowly get around to revisiting a lot of the places I went to previously. I recall my impression of Plenty of Clouds being that it was really good, but that the portions were a bit on the small side. I was pleased to find that the food is still good, and they are working with what feel like more filling portions nowadays. They recommend for two people to share one small dish, one large dish, and one noodle/rice dish. We were particularly hungry and so went for two small dishes, one large dish, and one noodle/rice dish. We ended up actually leaving the restaurant stuffed with a small amount of leftovers, which is almost unheard of for two people with major appetites. My husband is vegetarian, so we ordered off their second menu, which seems to be a collection of all vegetarian-able and also gluten free dishes on the menu. I simultaneously like that they had a separate menu (making us not have to comb through the regular menu to figure out what we could eat, and dislike that it's combined with the gluten free menu (it's a totally separate diet? confusing to randomly have gluten free but meat containing items sprinkled in?). We had the strange flavor cauliflower and eggplant, the chickpea curd (the fried version), the mapo tofu, and the yibin noodles. Each of us had a cocktail, the sour not sorry for me, and their version of a hot toddy for him. The favorite was definitely the chickpea curd, which I recall liking a lot at our previous visit. It's still a lovely bowl of textural goodness, combining the crisp outside with the silky inside, a lovely flavor of chickpea, the crunch of the peanuts, and the spicy tangy sauce. I could eat multiple bowls of that stuff and nothing else, frankly. The strange flavor cauliflower and eggplant was also excellent. I am not sure what the "strange flavor" was, because it didn't taste strange at all, just perfectly balanced and refreshing, again with a wide variety of textures (crunchy cauli, tender eggplant) to tickle the palate. The mapo tofu was fine but is far from the best version of this classic dish. The sauce was a bit one note for me, and lacked the textural variety that most of the other dishes had, and without the usual thickness of a mapo tofu sauce it just ended up feeling like nicely flavored tofu in a lackluster broth. It came with a heaping bowl of delicious white rice, which you definitely need. The yibin noodles were quite good, super savory and very satisfying. I liked the version we had where the pork is replaced with mushrooms, which adds a nice chewiness and savory note to the dish. Cocktails are really good, and I actually want to try some of their NA drinks the next time I visit. Service is great, fast and attentive. One last thing I noticed is that the dining area becomes very oil-smoky througout the course of the evening. It's an effect of having an open kitchen without a powerful enough extractor--the cooking fumes from the woks just spread through the air and does honestly put a bit of a damper on the experience. If you have sensitive airways you might want to visit at an off hour to avoid that, and you will definitely need to wash all your clothes and your hair after leaving if you come during peak hours. Between the two of us, having the above dishes and two cocktails, our meal cost $150 after tax and tip. Not too bad for a nice meal, and while it may not be in the budget for a weekly date night, I can definitely see this making its way back into our regular rotation. read more

This review is for their food truck that is located in Ballard. Plenty of Clouds has a resident food truck at Cloudburst Brewing on Shilshole. It is great to come here because you can enjoy good beer, food and they have a large outdoor space if you want to bring your dog along too. We ordered the garlicky cucumbers which were great. It came with large chunks of cucumber drenched in garlic and chili oil. The sichuan pork dumplings were also very flavorful. For entrees, we ordered the cold noodles and sesame noodles. Both of these have a lot of sesame with the difference being one was served hot and one is served cold. I enjoyed the sesame flavor and the addition of pickled greens in the dishes. The noodles themselves were also cooked well. Everything we ate here tasted really good. I would definitely come back here. read more

Plenty of Clouds - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Loved our experience at Plenty of Clouds! Everything that hit the table was a winner but a specific shout out to the Dry Fry Chicken, Pork Dumplings and Strange-flavor Cauliflower and Eggplant. When we arrived at the restaurant we were a bit early for our 7:45 reservation, but our server set us up and got us situated very quickly. Try the baijiu flight if you want a uniquely Chinese experience, chu yeh ching chiew was our favorite. Love the setup and the mood lighting but the service was the true star! read more

Plenty of Clouds - Dry Fried Chicken - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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This place was pretty good. Came here on a Wednesday evening and had reservations. Service is good as the staff was very friendly and welcoming. We got seated right away and food came out at decent pacing. We ordered the wonton. It was good, flavorful. As well as the yibin noodles and twice cooked pork belly. Both were good, but not great or anything too exceptional. The pork belly was a bit salty though. Everything had a nice Sichuan heat. We also ordered a couple mocktails. Everything came out to $88 which seemed a bit expensive for the quality of food we got. But it was overall pretty enjoyable. read more

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After hunting for a place to eat Friday night while the Mariners played Game 1 of the playoffs -- you can imagine how busy the city was. We ended up at Plenty of Clouds. Food was good, nothing crazy or wow, but definitely worth a try if you've never been. I'm sure they get compared to Din Tai Fung a lot, and honestly, that's pretty accurate. What's wild is that Din Tai is actually cheaper! Dan Dan Noodles: Okay, wouldn't get them again -- 3/5 Wontons: Delightful with a slight tang -- 5/5 Cucumbers: Fresh and topped with a peanut garnish that really elevated the dish -- 5/5 Green Beans: Solid, with minced pork adding great flavor and balance -- 5/5 Parking sucks -- but I'm assuming that's just Seattle in general. Two hours cost me $11, a nice reminder to never complain about parking in LA. The place itself was cool -- service was great, and our server was super friendly, even recommending some fun things to do around the city. Overall, a nice spot with proper decor and a great ambiance inside and out. The open kitchen adds to the vibe. Sad to say, though, it's definitely on the pricey side -- and that's coming from someone who lives in LA. read more

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We ordered the twice-cooked pork belly, charred onions, doubanjiang, jasmine rice and dan dan noodles, pork (substituted with mushrooms), mala, pickled long beans, ya cai. Red lantern (non alcoholic drink) and a beer to pair with the entrees. Waitress provides friendly service and was knowledgeable about the menu items. Dim ambience, good place for a small, intimate group of 2-4 people but I can imagine them accommodating for larger groups. read more

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Plenty of clouds is a good fusion spot with good food and atmosphere. I came on a Sunday evening for a birthday celebration and was seated within 10 minutes. The restaurant air quality that day seemed a bit smoky but over didn't bother me too much. My friend and I ordered pretty much most of their recommended items and family styled everything. The staff was very attentive about allergies- as one of my friend had a very severe peanut allergy. The staff made sure we were aware of what items had peanuts and which were safe for my friend to eat. Overall a great place to come with friends for some fusion Chinese food. Not the most authentic cooking wise, but still a fun play on Chinese food! read more

Plenty of Clouds is a cute and cozy Chinese restaurant in Capitol hill. Dim lightings, open kitchen and friendly staff with exceptional service. We had a reservation thru' Resy so not sure what would be normal wait times but place was packed before and while we dined. Food is not your stereo typical Chinese food. There were a lot of Chinese patrons at the restaurant too which means it must be authentic rt? I didn't care about the Dry Fried Chicken (not in pics) was a little too dry for me but the rest was phenomenal. The food has no additives just good ole' spices. Loved the crunchiness of the peanuts in the cucumber and the peppery Beef. The Pork Fried rice (not pictured) is spicy but has flavor. The mains come with rice and dishes aren't too small, perfect for sharing. The spritzer was fresh and the guardian lion mocktail was yumm, I liked it better than the cocktail :) The treat is a rice crispie with peanuts & choco chips, good to snack on but not sure if it's worth that price. Definitely adding Plenty of Clouds to our visit often list! Food flavored to please your senses and won't give you the uncomfortable feeling. read more

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Everyone's been talking about this spot lately, so I finally went to check it out. It's a trendy Sichuan-style restaurant--cooked by an American chef, which made me curious. The vibe was great, and luckily the weather was perfect so they kept the windows open, which helped with the smoky air from the woks. Still, it was a little hazy inside. As for the food: it was definitely unique. Since it's Sichuan, there was plenty of spice and Sichuan peppercorn. The twice-cooked pork belly was nicely stir-fried with crisp vegetables, though it didn't quite live up to all the rave reviews I had read. The dry-fried green beans were a bit bland for my taste. Our favorite was the strange-flavor cauliflower--served cold, layered with flavor, and surprisingly addictive the more you ate it. The Yibin burning noodles were flavorful but overwhelmingly heavy on the peppercorn; after a few bites, my mouth was so numb I couldn't taste much else. Service was very casual but friendly, which matched the atmosphere well. Overall, it's worth a stop if you're near Capitol Hill, but I probably wouldn't drive across town just for it. read more

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Our waiter was probably one of the nicest people I've ever met. So coodos for awesome service. We ordered the dry fried chicken with way too many chilies, the cucumbers, the green beans, and the beef short ribs. The dry fried chicken with way too many chilies and beef short ribs were delicious. No questions on taste - both were delicious. The beef was crunchy on the outside but tender on the inside and the gravy was well balanced. I was a bit surprised with how literal the title on the chicken was. I thought the name was in regards to the flavor or spice but no, there were in fact way too many chilies physically present on my plate to pick around lol. The flavor profile was simple but the chicken was perfectly crispy. The small plates were a bit underwhelming. The cucumbers were a bland, almost like they were t pickled long enough. This is also probably a personal opinion but it also looked like my cucumbers were mangled and the size was widely inconsistent. We tried the green beans and it tasted like I bit into a bottle of perfume. The waiter was nice enough to ask of we'd like to swap the green beans so we tried the chickpea curds (apparently there's an option to get them fried so that's what we tried). It had a mild texture and was a little airy. We decided to try their version of a rice crispy treat. The taste reminded me of trail mix. It was sweet adjacent with strong nutty flavors ultimately it didn't feel very dessertie. The inside of the restaurant was very cute. The outside seating is probably really nice in the summer, however, now that the weather is turning and it's pretty chilly and windy when the sun starts going downn its not very comfortable and they don't have heaters. read more

If you like noodles, this place is definitely worth checking out. We ordered the sesame and Dan Dan noodles respectively, along with the Sichuan pork dumplings, and everything was super delicious. The only caveat I had was that I wish they had brought out our dumplings first and then the noodles, but instead everything was brought out at once which was fine but makes for an overwhelming dining experience. The dumplings also could've used more chili oil as it was all on the bottom of the dish. I did enjoy the drinks we had, they were very good too. read more

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Outstanding from the moment we walked in. I will never take great service for granted and they have it. We were sat outside, perfect night for it. We started with the chickpea curds,clean,fresh and light. My partner had the dry fried chicken and I had the tofu mushroom fried rice. We shared the green beans which were out of this world. What a lovely experience, we'll be back. read more

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Came here for restaurant week and had a great experience. Large portion sizes, unique flavors to their dishes and overall nice ambiance to the restaurant. Would totally come back here with a large group to be able to try their other dishes! read more

Plenty of Clouds - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I've been here a few times and always have a wonderful experience. The staff is absolutely lovely, welcoming, and attentive. We walked in for dinner on Monday with a group of 6 and got seated immediately. The menu is meant to be enjoyed family style and there are lots of great options to choose from. My group loved the dumplings, dan dan noodles, and short rib the best. There's decent street parking around here and a paid garage attached to the building if you don't want to hunt for a spot. read more

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Food is pretty tasty, portions are large. This is a place where I would recommend going in a group and trying 3-5 dishes to get the full experience. The server guided us through the menu and described the flavor profiles of each dish. read more

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I honestly wanted to love this place even more. The service is super warm and friendly and the ambience is great for an intimate or casual dinner. I usually love all kinds of Asian food and was confident to like this very much. We tried the Chrisanthem salad, fried tofu with rice and the dan dan noodles.. I don't have a lot of experience with Sichuan cuisine but whatever we tried felt a bit dry and too salty. Wish I could give more stars but this probably wasn't up my alley. I would definitely recommend trying them once though to check it out. read more

Considering it's in Capitol Hill where there's so much good food, this is very mid for the price point. Probably won't come back

This place slaps. Service, food and vibe are all turned up here. If you haven't had Sichuan cooking this is a great place to start! The food here can be served family style and I would recommend that as all the dishes are fantastic. We ordered the green beans, tofu, chickpea curd and dumplings. The wait staff helped me navigate the gluten free options which were abundant and made it so we could share the most dishes at the table. The tofu was spicy and had that "electric citrus" spice you get from Sichuan cooking. The beans were cooked perfectly and the curd offered a good cooling effect. The other non gluten free dishes were praised by the rest of the table as well. The space is cozy and i expect on a hot summer day it may be a bit much but when we were there it was a warm and welcoming space. Definitely worth a visit if you're on the hill. read more

Plenty of Clouds - Not Your Ma-Po's Tofu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I'm literally obsessed with their house made noodles - so fresh and chewy Moreover, the vibe is perfect for a date or a cozy hangout What I ordered- Cucumber salad Sesame noodles with mushrooms They have a whole menu for vegetarian/vegan so basically this place is a gem for vegetarians like me read more

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This is definitely a more Americanized version of real Sichuan food. If that's what you're looking for then this will do the job, but don't expect anything too authentic. The ambiance is great and the seating is perfect for large groups at a nice space. We ordered family style and got a variety of dishes -- pork dumplings, greens, garlic cucumbers, mapo tofu, dry fried chicken, rice cakes, mushroom tofu fried rice, and sesame noodles. Out of everything I think I liked the sesame noodles and garlic cucumbers the best. Since I have a peanut allergy, it was a bit disheartening to hear that they fry peanuts in the same oil as the other fried food, so a few of the items I couldn't even eat. Not the best place for people with allergies. Service was decent overall, and portion sizes varied per dish -- the appetizers were quite pricey for their size, but some of the entrees were more generous. I probably wouldn't come back, but it was worth trying this time! read more

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My friend and I were walking around the area trying to find a place to eat when we came across this restaurant. Despite being a Friday around 7pm, we were able to get instantly seated with no reservations. There's a variety of seating options which some offer great view of the kitchen to see how the cook is making the food. Service was great! We couldn't decide what we wanted to order and our waitress was patient and kind helping us decide. The Dan Dan Noodles and Dried Fried Chicken which comes with a side of rice are definitely popular items as we saw a lot of other people get them. We also ordered the cucumber which was an excellent refreshing addition while the spice was getting to us. We all agreed this was an excellent choice and will be our go to for Sichuan food if in the area. read more

Plenty of Clouds - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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We love this place! This is one of the first restaurants we ever hit up upon moving to the city, and we were so excited to close the loop recently for the Chinese Lunar New Year this year. We've tried a good portion of the menu at this point, and you really can't go wrong. I also suspect they stopped putting as much numbing sauce in their dishes as they used to, and that's a bit sad, unfortunately, but the dishes are still delicious nonetheless. We've only been to the Cap Hill location and cannot wait for our next visit! Service has been excellent each time we've gone, and they were gracious enough to take us in when we were running a little late as well, which is a big plus for us. Parking is all-street parking, but there's usually something available nearby, regardless of how busy this area gets. I highly recommend this place for most occasions, dates, friends, and family, it's a cool place! read more

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Interesting place with authentic Schezuan entrees. Waitress informed us that it was a family style restaurant with large portions and we ordered accordingly. Some of the items we ordered was green salad, cauliflower and eggplant sauté, pork chow mein, shrimp fried rice, Schzechuan style chicken with hot peppers and Chinese greens Most of the items were mediocre at best taste wise. The spicy Schezuan style chicken was very bland even though it was supposed to gather the aroma from the numerous red chilies but chicken itself was bad and almost had no taste. Chow mein and fried was just ok and Chinese greens was just boiled and they failed to add any flavor Go try some other place if u want to have Chinese..this place is mediocre at best. read more

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We got a few dishes here but overall weren't too impressed by the food. The food definitely could've used more flavor overall. The service was very good & it was very easy to get a table here. read more

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Food was so good, staff are excellent and experienced. Love all the food selections and delicious food

The food was all quite tasty and we had good sized portions even with the small plate. It wasn't particularly spicy, but I have a decent spice tolerance. I really liked how most of the menu could be made vegetarian! The drinks were interesting and ok, but not my favorite flavors overall. The server was very helpful and attentive and it was a nice and modern ambiance. We'd definitely go back for more food! read more

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Some of the most friendliest staff I've ever had when it came to acknowledging my food allergies and helping me find dishes I could eat. Not only do they have a dedicated allergy menu, they talk over allergy severity and how their kitchen will/can handle and prepare everything. With every order at the table, there was constant communication around what foods are celiac friendly, gf, vegan, etc. The food was AMAZING! Large portion sizes and flavors to die for! We couldn't get enough of the Dry Fried Green Beans and the Peanut Cucumber appetizers. The main portions left em wanting to come back and try more. Excited to come back again to get the Ma-Po Tofu. read more

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Delicious spicy dishes. Really enjoyed the green beans. The bar has tasty unique cocktails too. We were here in Seattle for my better half birthday weekend. Definitely recommend. read more

This is a Sichuan restaurant but I thought the mala numbing flavors could've been stronger. It's more of an Americanized Sichuan restaurant. I will say the dishes were very very salty so I was drinking lots of water. If I were to rank the dishes from my favorite to least favorite) it would go... 1. Beef short rib - meat was very tender. I liked the crunchy lotus root and the mushrooms 2. Dried fried chicken - the textures were great's the chicken was super crunchy and tender but it was way too salty. I think I would rank it higher if it was less salty. 3. Dan Dan noodles and dry friend green beans tie - Dan Dan noodles had a lot of whole peppercorns that I kept biting down on that were bitter. I liked the pickled green beans in the noodles the most cause it reminded me of the pickled green beans my mom makes. The dry fried green beans were just okay, nothing too special. I think they could've been fried a litttle longer to achieve more of a "blistered" green bean texture. Overall, it was good if you want to satisfy your savory craving and get Sichuan food without going too far. Otherwise I'd say Chengdu taste in ID does really good authentic Sichuan food and is my usual go to for Sichuan food. read more

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I was very disappointed coming to a Sichuan restaurant and the food not being remotely spicy. The waitress was selling me on how spicy they can make the food and how you can order dishes extra mala spice. My friend and I came during Seattle Restaurant Week and did their deal of one small, one large (entree), and a drink or dessert. We spit the smalls, the eggplant and dumplings. The pork dumplings were standard, nothing too special. The eggplant dish lacked flavor. For my large, I got the sesame noodles. The noodles were okay but really wish they had more spice. Despite waiting a bit for our food, it came out cold which was also disappointing. The waitress wasn't the nicest and barely check in on us. I had to ask her for water despite every other table having water on them already and shocked she didn't recognize sooner. The silver lining to this meal was the drink, slipper spritz. Overall, I wouldn't recommend to come here if you want to fulfill your Sichuan food craving. read more

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I didn't walk away amazed by the food though the service and ambiance of the place was good. I think I'd be back to give it a second try and try different menu items - especially because it's a great spot to go for a date or with friends - good vibes read more

Great service. Excellent food. Different than other Szechuan I have had. There were 4 of us and we all got different things and shared so had quite a variety of tastes. Portions were generous so we had to get some boxes to take some home. The twice cooked pork belly was amazing. The beef short ribs were good. The chickpea curd salad was delicious. read more

Try this Szechuan restaurant for the first time during SRW. The food exceeded my expectations. We ordered strange taste cauliflower and eggplant (a winner !) chickpea curds (light and refreshing) short rib in black bean sauce (piping hot and amazing) and sesame noodles (good texture but way too salty). The service was excellent! Ambience good. Quiet enough for conversation. We will come again! read more

Food, ambiance, and service was really good. I was able to make a prompt reservation online and seated quickly. Parking is a little difficult, however. Outdoor seating for small groups and open kitchen style restaurant. Food: not blown away traditional Chinese food. It was more aesthetic dishes than traditional. Still really tasty and served family style. Pork Dumplings: really good and easy to share amongst a group. Came in a 6ct I believe. 4/5 stars (because it's not as good as Dough Zone or DTF). Twice-Cooked Pork Belly: really good dish with a lot of flavor and a lot of meat and side of rice. Good sharing dish. 5/5 stars. Dry Fried a chicken: although it was fine and the chili peppers added a nice spice, could've done without. Chicken was too dry and crunchy. Everyone's least favorite dish. 3/5 stars. Dan Dan Noodles: always a go-to anywhere and plenty of clouds delivered. It's a smaller portion than the entrees provided but it was enough to split amongst three people. 5/5 stars. I would return soon and try more dishes. read more

I don't think this place should call itself a Sichuanese restaurant. Nothing tasted authentic at all, and I hated the mapo tofu (my favorite dish in the world, lol) with a passion. I couldn't even finish 25% of it. I think it could be good if you're not looking for something authentic, but for my friends and I, it really did not slap. read more

Wow! Best noods ever! Best noods and best service! Our server, Marcela, made our dining experience so wonderful and memorable. 10 out of 10, highly recommend. Will be eating again soon! read more

Came here on a Sunday evening and there was plenty of seating and finding street parking wasn't too bad. My friend is vegan so we wanted to check this place out and it was really delicious and flavorful! I don't know about you but when I think Sichuan food I think super spicy. There were plenty of non-spicy options and I would say none of the four items we ordered were spicy. We had the spicy eggplant, Chinese greens, mushroom and tofu fried rice, and the grandma potatoes. My favorite was the spicy eggplant though it was served cold (but heating it up for leftovers the next day was *chef's kiss*!) The grandma potatoes was really interesting, almost tastes like mashed potatoes with a chili flavor to it mixed with crunchy mustard greens. It didn't taste Chinese at all so I would say it did not pair well with the rest of the dishes we ordered but still tasty. Overall great place, everything is tapas style and almost everything can be subbed out to make it completely vegan. Overpriced in my opinion but that's characteristic of Seattle I guess! read more

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Service team was genuinely friendly and the food was delicious. We had the chickpea curds, pork dumplings, beef short ribs, fried chicken with red peppers. It was all delicious. read more

What a great experience! We walked in and the person who greeted us also suggested a menu. It all sounded good and we had one vegan guest so we just over ordered intentionally. So glad we did. The meat dishes (pictured) were addictive. The chicken looks spicier than it is, unless you want to eat the chilies. We had so many vegan dishes that were fantastic. If you want spicy vegan Chinese food, this is your place. read more

Plenty of Clouds - Cumin Lamb and Dry Fried Chicken - Asian Fusion Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Plenty of clouds has some amazing eats, and they were able to do pretty much everything on the menu vegetarian. Walking by, we were entranced with the smell, and honestly everything here was quite good. The only thing I would avoid ordering is the Dan Dan Noodles, since they didn't have a particular peanut flavor, and felt like regular noodles covered in chili oil and soy sauce, with a strange flavor I couldn't quite put my finger on. The fried rice is a must, we were able to get the shrimp version, vegetarian with mushrooms. The mapo tofu was perfectly spicy and had a ton of mushrooms as well, and as a mushroom lover I was happy. The green beans contained sichuan, which can be a mouth numbing spice, which isn't for everyone. I really enjoyed it with the fried potatoes. read more

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