Makansutra August Dinner @ Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant (Kitchener Road)

The first Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant originated in Beijing, China, where it gained renown for its authentic Sichuan dishes and was patronised by top government officials.

When the first Singapore branch was opened at Plaza PARKROYAL in 1996, many were very receptive of it. Partly because of the spicy si chuan dishes. But of course, not all the dishes here are spicy! There are delicious cantonese food here too. Those that are spicy, are truly authentic si chuan dishes.

Thanks to Makansutra, I had the chance to taste some of their signature dishes during the August Makansutra dinner!

Cold Appetizer Combination Roasted Chicken, Chilled Chicken with Spicy Bean Paste, Mushroom with Wasabi, Crispy Roast Pork, Preserved Fungus with Chilli Padi. Andrew said this restaurant has the best Chilled Chicken with Spicy Bean Paste (口水鸡, Kou Shui Ji).

I didn’t have enough Kou Shui Ji to compare. My usual kou shui ji fix is a chinese eatery near my office. But Sichuan Dou Hua’s rendition is definitely much better. Tender and moist poached chicken is doused with intense sichuan chilli oil which is full of flavours and indeed drool worthy!

Sichuan Dou Hua Restaurant takes pride in boiling a bowl of goodness. Double-boiled Shark Cartilage Soup is full of collagen, so it’s a favourite among the ladies in the table!

 Stir-fried Prawn with XO Sauce, Garlic and Almond Flake. The prawn is succulent, the pepper crunchy, the dish is colorful and the taste is brilliant.

I am so glad we had Steamed “Bading” Fish in Cantonese Shunde Style instead of a sichuan spicy fish soup. The variety of ingredients don’t overpower and we can taste the freshness of the fish. I guess this is to prepare us for….

Roasted Crispy Chicken and “Chong Qing” Diced Chicken with Dried Chilli. The Chong Qing diced chicken is furiously spicy! It is a fiery concoction of dried red chilli, Sichuan peppercorns, and fried chicken. Addictive but it really made me sweat! I had to rub white sugar on my sausage lips, drank tea, ice water etc.

Then, we had Braised Homemade Beancurd topped with Pork Belly, perhaps to calm my numbing tongue! The homemade beancurd had a pretty spinach top which was silk soft and smooth.

Last main course before dessert was Sitr-fried Mee Sua in Village Style.

It’s my first time eating Honeycomb Cake with Chrysanthemum. It got its name from the honeycomb pattern on the cake. Love the caramel taste in the cake!

Come to Sichuan Dou Hua, of course must eat their dou hua (beancurd) since it is part of the restaurant’s name! Homemade Bean Curd with Wolfberries is very smooth and soft!

Each of us paid $52 for the dinner which I think is very reasonable because the food here is very good. 

The Kitchener Road branch currently has a dim sum buffet for $25. This promotion is available only for lunch (11.30am to 2.30pm) and valid till the end of August.This dim sum promotion needs a minimum of 4 per table. 

If you have UOB credit or debit card, one dines free (with every three paying adults). We were told that tables are fully booked for the weekends, it should be easier to get a table on weekdays.