With the popularity of Malatang, yet another Sichuan restaurant opened in Sunnybank, this time at plaza, at the spot which used to hold Cafe Di Luna. Having constantly been hearing about Queen V's Sichuan Cravings, I decided that today was the day to satisfy them once and for all, so off we went.
Arriving at roughly 12.30pm on Saturday, i.e. peak period at Sunnybank, the store was still half empty. There was a slight confusion when the staff didn't greet us at the door and we were left to wonder whether or not just to seat ourselves. Thankfully this was resolved somewhat quickly
We were given a menu that consisted of seven variations of noodles, most of which were spicy. I found it interesting that rice wasn't on the menu at all.
Of course it wouldn't be Malatang without a selection of DIY food to pick to be cooked. There was quite a selection of meats, veges and offal in the fridge, and the skewers sold for $0.60 each, with a minimum of 20 skewers.
What I didn't really like about Sichuan Gourmet though was the fact that their skewers were tied together with rubber bands, making it impossible for us to have individual skewers of a certain kind. Another issue was also the fact that some of the food started falling off the skewers and so it is possible that you could pay for an empty skewer that tied up in the bundle.
First to come out was the Hot and Sour Potato Noodle. I ordered this mild, but it was still amazingly spicy, I dare not think how hot medium or very spicy would have been. The chickpeas and veges gave it some crunch and texture, whilst the noodles were yummy and elastic with considerable bite. Though the flavours could have been enhanced with some meat in the dish, I appreciated the relatively clean and sharp tastes.
Our main event was no doubt the spicy malatang, which I also asked for mild, but tested my limits of heat tolerance. Compared to other malatang that I've had, the ingredients generally weren't as fresh, and the spice was so strong that it overpowered any natural flavours that they would have originally had. I also found the beef to be quite overcooked and dry for my tastes which was a little disappointing.
Taste: 6/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 6/10
Environment: 7/10
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