Every dish was literally exploding with flavor - in the best way! The highlights included the…read morefried chicken with whole chilis (seriously not to be missed), the mapo tofu, and the seasonal pea shoots. We tried the fried noodles with beef, which was tasty but almost too rich. We definitely needed steamed rice to balance out the intense flavors and extreme spice! In addition to the great food, the service was excellent (though the proprietress is much friendlier than the proprietor, they are both very nice and attentive), and the atmosphere was cozy (if a bit smashed in the tiny restaurant!). Highly recommend this place if you can handle the heat!

The Chongqing Szechuan Restaurant on Elgin street is a real gem amongst restaurants in the Soho…read morearea. To be fair, I'm not a big fan of Szechuan food, as I do find is all overly spicy, and just trashes my taste buds for about four days. However, if I'm feeling adventurous, or more to the point, want to give a visiting friend an experience of crazy hot food, then I will always come to Chongqing Szechuan Restaurant. The menu is very similar to all the other Szechuan restaurants in the area, serving a variety of dishes like; deep fried chicken with whole dried chilies, and ma po tofu. However, what makes this restaurant great, especially in Mrs L's opinion, is that I have an identical menu but entirely vegetarian and mock meat. They are essentially exactly the same dishes, but using vegetables or meet supplements. The preparation is exactly the same. Beyond the food, we also come for the great service. The manager/owner Barbara (or Ba-ba-la!) is an absolute hoot. She always refers to me by name, and if she doesn't know your name she will just call you "Lady", even if you are a guy. There are a lots of reviews that criticise the service, and whilst Barbara is delightful, she can be a bit scatty. Just give her a break, she is running the front of house pretty much single-handedly. As a special treat, she often finishes our meal off with a round of complimentary drinks. The restaurant itself is very small, probably only able to seat 15 as an absolute maximum. If you do want to come, make sure you book. This also serves as a quick check to see if the restaurant is in fact open, and sometimes it randomly closes for holidays. I do thoroughly recommend a visit, the food is great, albeit tear-inducing hot, the service, whilst a bit varied in quality, is always friendly. I am sure you will have a good time (unless of course you are made of stone).

Absolutely marvelous Szechuan food. Off the touristy beaten path - this is clearly a loved locals…read morespot. Portions are huge and fairly priced. And when they say spicy - they mean spicy!! I got the mala niurou. It was divine.

This place was recommended by our friend who used to live in Hong Kong and we were excited to try…read more What an amazing Sichuanese food experience we had while visiting HK. We visited twice on our 4 day trip! We loved everything we tried here and they have a dedicated vegetarian menu to cater our dietary needs. Dan Dan noodles and Ma Po Tofu is my fav when it comes to Sichuanese cuisine and they were flavor bomb here. Loved the peanut sauce twist to Dan Dan noodles. The egg fried rice looked so basic but it was spot on - one of the best we ever had. The vegetarian dumplings in chilli sauce were perfect to start with. The service was quick and it was easy to get the dinner reservation. It was nice to find a restaurant open till late.

This place is often recommended as a place to go for Sichuan food. On the positive side the dishes…read morethat say they are spicy are spicy and you do get the 麻辣 taste. On the negative side is the price and the taste. The food really is pretty average. If you have been to Sichuan and had Sichuan food there you will definitely not like this place. Perhaps it is more suited for a western or Hong Kong pallet. A number of people I have talked to say that you can't really get good Sichuan food in Hong Kong and based on my experience so far (not just here) I would have to agree with that statement. Don't order the 紅油抄 pretty disappointing.

Amazing I had an incredible dining experience at this restaurant. From the moment we walked in,…read morethe staff was welcoming and attentive without being overbearing. The ambiance was warm and inviting--perfect for a casual dinner or even a special occasion. The menu offered a great variety of dishes, and everything we ordered was packed with flavor. I personally love the seafood there

For being at a central HK location, a buffet that includes beer & at $22US a pop, this place is…read moredamn good for its taste and value. Oh, might I add FREE WiFi. Avoids the damn lines, get there at 6:30pm as we only had to wait 5 minutes for the elevator queue & zero wait to be seated at a booth on a Friday night. Keep in mind: everything is in Chinese. Even the Scranton Menu is 100% Chinese. So you gotta bring a friend who can speak/read Chinese or utilize google translate. When you get to the host stand, you let them know your spice level & you are offered a whole chicken or a half chicken. Don't matter you change your mind in terms of wanting more chicken as this too is unlimited so get more if your heart so desires. Once seated, you get your sauce (garlic, chili oil, dried chili's), drinks (soda, Coconut water, beer, juices..) random foods out for grabs like dumplings, & tofu skin rolls etc. Then once the chicken pot hits the table, wait for it to cook a little more then you are free to grub. Please have in mind the chicken is a whole damn chicken meaning feets, skin, bones ALL that is in the pots. The chicken is really tasty with Schezwan flavors: Spicy & Numbing. Once you've had enough of the chicken, ask the server to pour in the broth to get the hot pot started. Then order your hot pot goodies! Must orders: fish skin (I know sounds gross! I too was weirded out when my friend ordered it, but you gotta get it. Dunk into boiling broth for 10 seconds & consume), beef balls, corn, instant ramen, collagen, sliced meats (lamb, pork belly, beef), Chinese veggie and any other thing that tickles your fancy. I loved it as I have never in my life eating anything like this before in terms of the flavors & style! Hope y'all enjoy it as much as I did!

Even though only been a few years since their debut on Ashley and now newly minted Kimberly Hotel…read morelocation, Chuanxi (川熙樓) feels like it's been around forever. The makeover has resulted in a serious boost in decor, contemporary takes on Sichuan classics, and an overall high caliber operation. This is one of the neighborhood's tastier Sichuanese options, making it a great option for spice lovers. The menu is composed of really great options across the board, all which I've sampled has been excellent. For starters, their pepper bone fish soup (鮮椒無骨魚) has a beautifully clear broth and tasty chunks of fish. Another quality execution on an old classic, sauteed string beans (孜然四季豆) is crispy and full of flavor while the mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) is nothing short of fantastic. While the noodle dishes like dan dan noodles (擔擔麵) or scallion oil noodles (蔥油麵) haven't been as impressive, they are still better than most other places in the area. I've remained a fan of their tofu fried rice (豆腐炒飯), though their take on foie gras fried rice (鵝肝炒飯) actually blew me away. There were hints of smokiness and the foie gras essence was noticeable with every bite. Their marinated shredded lamb (京蔥拌羊肉) is also a surprise, no major bouts of gamey flavor but definitely A-game execution. A few other favorites include their spicy eggplant with minced pork (魚香茄子), poached eel in hot oil (沸騰土鱔魚), mala fish in oil (麻辣冷鍋魚), and poached beef brisket (水煮牛坑腩). My mouth is already watering. Their hot pot has been legendary, but I still haven't had it. The weather as of late feels a bit too warm for this, but that doesn't seem to stop people from ordering it. I suppose it's just that good. Service is most definitely next level, it's expected in places like this. What should also be no surprise are the prices, it's not backbreaking but would never be deemed affordable. Most dishes are a minimum $120HKD and any of the hot meat dishes noted above are in the $200 range. With 4-5 dishes, expect to pay around $1,200+. Quality Chinese is not cheap out here, but that's the way the climate is in Hong Kong's food (and rent) crazy world.

I tried the boiled whitefish in chili sauce and it was spicy and delicious as I expected. Also had…read morefried rice and it was fairly typical and also very good.

I'm in and out of Hong Kong on a pretty regular basis, and one of my favorite places for fine…read moredinning is Hutong, especially for Peking Duck. In a city where duck is available on every other block (in some areas, every few feet!), Hutong stands out. I can vouch for their claim of having the best Peking Duck in HK. That's one flex statement that's likely true. Ok. Let me share with you my most recent experience at Hutong, HK. One this occasion we kept it simple. For an appetizer we ordered the dim sum platter which had eight different types. Each one was absolutely delicious. Loved them. We also got the Flaming Peking Duck, and it was perfect. I can confidently say that it was the best I've ever had. Take a look at the pics and video and tell me it doesn't look delicious! We also ordered the chef's veggie fried rice, which is one of my longtime favorites on the menu; excellent. You come to Hutong not only for the fabulous northern Chinese cuisine, but you also come here for the upscale fine dining experience. It's a much more refined environment than say the New York Hutong, which I recently reviewed. At the NY Hutong people wear pretty much anything, but in Hutong HK people dress nicely, which adds to the atmosphere. Love it. With its incredible views of Victoria Harbor and HK Island, it's a 'wow-factor that never gets old. it's a place you shouldn't miss while in HK.

I booked voucher for the aqualuna cruise on the traditional junk boat along with meal at hutong…read more The food was delicious, and the window view was amazing overlooking the harbour. My favorite was probably the appetizers and the fish. Usually cod is cooked with miso at fancy restaurants in the states, so this was a lovely change of flavor!!! Service was fast, and they cleared our plates quickly in order for us to head to our boat on time. Well rounded staff all around. We also saw some people ordering the Peking duck being carved and served table side.

Visited Sichuan Paradise while on a business trip to Hong Kong. The local business team took me…read morehere as one of their favorite places and I couldn't agree more with their choice. Easily accessible by MTR and a short walk, we were greeted by a very friendly and accommodating staff who quickly set us up with a hot pot and took our order which was nearly 1 of everything offered with the hot pot. Crispy fish skin, frog, lamb, beef, pork, fish, dumplings, 4-5 different types of bean curd, vegies, meat balls.........we had so much I don't even remember it all. The hotpot itself was split between a standard non-spicy vegetable broth and a fairly spicy broth. While not the spiciest I have ever had, the spicy broth had a good amount of heat to it and for those who want it even spicier, they can always add additional heat with some of the spices found at the sauce station which had a variety of 15-20 different traditional Asian flavors. This is one of my local co-workers favorite places to dine and I quickly found out why. I can't wait to return to Hong Kong to visit Sichuan Paradise again. As much as I like to explore and find new places to dine, this will be a regular for me whenever i am in town.

I don't understand the magic of Sichuan peppercorns. How the hell is it able to transform flavours…read moreinto a completely new explosive experience? How am I picking up on these flavours when I can't even feel my tongue? How am I suddenly able to not just tolerate...but ENJOY spicy food? There's only one word for it: magic. And all of this can be YOURS for a shockingly low price of HKD $110! That's what a 4 person set + one lunch set cost for each of the 5 of us. The 4-person set itself was more than enough food for 5 of us, and I had leftovers to take home for dinner. See, the Dan Dan Noodles included in the set doesn't mean one noodle dish to share, it's 1 bowl for every person in the set! 4 bowls of spicy, flavourful, chewy noodles! On top of that, there was: Jellyfish and Cucumber: To cool down your palette. 3 Layer Pork: Some weird chilled pork roll with a spicy/sour sauce and a mound of garlic...something in the middle (puree?) Don't let the notion of spicy/sour/garlicky/cold pork rolls turn you off. This was pretty good. Spicy Boiled Fish: The visual representation of Sichuan cuisine: a giant pot of chilies, oils, and spices. Submerged in all that red are pieces of flaky white fish, flat rice noodles, and veggies. Good, but damn, this left my tongue swollen and made me a mouth breather. Wontons: This was loaded in the peppercorns and their oils, which means one bite renders your tongue numb. The second bite makes you appreciate pork in a whole new way. The flavours were so intense. This was definitely one of my favourites. Kung Pao Chicken: I'm not sure what this was, but it wasn't Kung Pao Chicken. It had chickens, cashews, and was way too saucy to be a traditional Kung Pao. The sauce was sweet, spicy, and sour. The cashews had a hint of a spice I can't really put my finger on...cinnamon? Still, very delicious, and something unique. Fried Pork Cutlet Noodle/Century Egg and Tofu: This is the additional solo lunch set we ordered. The pork was marinated in Chinese rice wine, and it was a fantastically strong flavour. Century Egg and tofu made another great palette cleanser. They've got the AC jacked up high but the weird thing with this kinda spicy food is that it doesn't really warm you up. You just feel your mouth burning while your arms are cold. At least when you're in a state of conflicting temperatures, you can relax on their super comfy pillows. All I know is that after the meal, my mouth was on fire, my nose was running, and I was sweating profusely. Never felt better. (55/100) - 2017

Came here for lunch earlier today, around 1pm, party of 2. Our order was: pork wontons in spicy…read moresauce, and we did the 3 set meal with the fried eggplant, Beijing style minced pork noodles, and the XLB. Total cost was $194 HKD including the service charge. Pros: - really tasty food, a user-friendly menu especially if you're a tourist or expat, food comes out quickly and the tea is really good paired with the food. - fast and friendly service, English menu available - festive interior with lots of paintings, lanterns hanging from ceiling - great air conditioning , recommend you don't get a seat behind the fan units or else you won't feel it - decent portions for the price of a fancier sit down restaurant with tablecloths (but I'm writing this from the point of view of an American tourist , it might be considered more pricey if you're a local ) Cons: - Google maps isn't great when it comes to Asia and restaurants on different levels /floors - this place is under a few escalators - the 2 soup dumplings were squished into a tiny serving dish, so it was really hard to get them out without having the soup leak. But that's my only complaint Overall, I 10/10 would come back here for food if I'm in the mid-levels area. Delicious, fast service, good Chinese food. - May not be as "authentic" if you're looking for the really intense flavors of Szechuan cuisine etc, but I feel like it's pretty obvious from its appearance and location that this is for expats/tourists. There were definitely a few white people here, but there were also locals here , so that's promising to me. I really don't think it's fair to fault the place for being more westernized, it's in a neighborhood that serves a lot of international expats anyway.

One of the best restaurants in Hong Kong, as well as a very friendly and welcoming staff. Every…read moretime that I am in HK I always enjoy the dishes and ambiance of this restaurant. Most of the dishes are from Szechuan. I never have been disappointed. Dr. Erick J Mann, PhD Professor of History and Fulbright Scholar