Chilli is conquered by the simple mind over matter formula

Someone said that "Chilli is not so much of a food as it is a state of mind. It's addictions to it are formed early in our lived and the Victims never recover".

Chilli, spice, heat and some fire perhaps comes in different shapes and sizes and I have to say the mind of the individual will find one spice or chilli hotter than their friends. A scale that each of us hold to our own minds inception which will allow us to begin but also will determine the stopping point.

An acceptance of a kind invitation has lead me with some fine chilli eating companions to Sichuan House Seafood, located in Richmond. Sister restaurant to that of Sichuan House, Melbourne. Owner Peter Lin Hu, a true lover of not only food but takes great pride in what his restaurants deliver.

It was with great warmth we were welcomed into his restaurant as if it was like his home, combined with large gatherings of family it was as though we had been adopted.

Peter explains to us that Sichuan cuisine has been the number 1 cuisine ranked by foodies for more than half a century even across in Chine. However a lot of us don't know that their are 2 types of Sichuan food; Chongqing and Chengdu.

The typical dish in Chongqing is the Chonquin chicken, and the dishes tend to be somewhat heavily spicy, salty and oily. The Chengdu style (Chengdu being the capital city of the Sichuan province) are spicy and vary in flavour and taste. Mapo tofu, fish flavoured eggplant and ant clim tree are a few selections from this style.

With this mind set, we choose not to select our dishes but have those who know Sichuan better to order for us, to make it even more so adventurous.

Black fungus in fresh chilli sauce, appears to the mind as a not so hot dish although listed as a 2 chilli ranking. These cured black mushrooms served cold, have soaked up every inch of chilli possible, so much though it's heat isn't that where it creeps up on you, it's the type that comes out and smacks you in the face. Chilli sweats begin as you devour but fear not, accompanying dishes come to sooth that heat down.

Steamed free range chicken in a spicy sauce which holds a 3 ranked heat level is not shy to tell you it's hot. Although I must admit, once you have had the mushrooms and this, your lips are so numb that your not quite sure which one is setting your face on fire.

The delightful cooling agents of the salted cucumber in sesame and the seasoned beef shank slices were a blessing to some on the table, while the others still continued to stay strong and fight that chilli heat. The cucumber was flavoursome and light and being the fan of the sesame flavours at the moment a true winner for me. It withdrew the heat straight away with the salt absorbing the heat. The beef subtle in flavours and dried. A slight refresh before the second round comes our way.

A serving of juicy tea smoked duck, tender and immaculate. A definite crowd pleaser for any one. Soft scented tea flavour is hinted through the golden skin and has seeped ever so lightly into the meat.

The  Barramundi in a spicy sauce was tasty. Hot sure, but the fish didn't seem to collect as much heat as to that of some of our chicken dishes. Perhaps the style of cooking and preparation. The flesh was delicate and cooked perfectly, coming away from the bone beautifully. The spiced sauce of which it sat in was the holder of the heat, so a small hint for those who have a weakness, don't pour as much as your friend over the top. You may end up in pain.

Now if you're one that wants to put their pants on fire then the dish for you is that of the Deep fried marinated chicken with baked chilli. Wow mama it's intense, but so yum.

Tiny chicken ribs are coated and fried in something like the KFC original coating, but better. Each rib hidden away under the mountain of backed chilli, allowing that heat to soak into these little bite sized gems. It's sure to get every sense of yours going, the nose, the eyes, the sweats. As much as you may be in chilli pain, their is no stopping you from eating.

And yes their is always one person in the party to do that well know thing that causes the most severe pain of all..... touching your eye with chilli soaked fingers. Guilty as charged, it was me.

The last of the dishes was the ever so famous Kung Pao chicken. Salty but sweetish in flavours and rather mild in spice was a great additive to the array of our dishes this evening. Tender chicken pieces almost glazed in the traditional sauce and showered with roasted nuts, who wouldn't be a fan of this popular sichuan meal?

Bursting at the seams along with everyone settling into their food coma's we were subdued into some soup dumplings, which actually worked as a beautiful cleanser, although the serving was huge, I can't be too sure how we ate them all? Delicate, flavoursome and delicious little bundles are something not to pass up.

Knowledge is one thing but Pride is something else, and with these both in hand Peter has developed a great personal dining experience. With this and great company of friends, my evening was flawless.

I would do it again with out hesitation, even if at times my face turned numb from the heat, but mind over matter, scrumptious food and great companions are sure to assist you in conquering any dosage of chilli.

Sichuan House Seafood

395 Victoria Street

Abbotsford

9913 6235

Not so fastidious

Our evening was a little strange I have to say as we enter an evening of uncertainty and dabble in a world of fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Sure this could end up to be an amazing night filled with new flavours, but on the other hand we may be reminiscing a complete disaster.

Our evening at Dainty Sichuan did not start off gracefully and I sigh that I have to say that. I have walked past and smelt the amazing aromas as I walk to the South Yarra station heading home from work and always filled with diners.

The service this evening was the downer, as it was non existant. Not being able to catch a waiter who could explain how the menu worked was frustrating. More embarrassing is that we had to ask a siding table how it worked and what they suggested as it was difficult to even get another waiters attention.

So we used recommendations and just went with it. The evening was going to be a hope for the best kind of night and wing it.

Once a waiter was flagged we were able to order, and at least our evening picked up from there.

Green beans coated in golden flakes of garlic was a great fixture to fight off those vampires or colds. Strong garlic flavours coat each vibrant green bean.

The pork ribs were sensational, a sweet sticky sauce coats the ribs with the meat coming off the boan. Succulent flavours that melted in your mouth, you could eat a plate on your own. If you were unsure on what to have it would be easy just to have the ribs with rice and some beans. You'd be set for the night.

Fo something a little different and for all those corn lovers, try the cooked corn mix. Juicy corn kernels lightly coated and fried were sweet explosions. Almost like popcorn and corn on a cob combined together. Very light and a great vegetable component to your meat dishes.

Koh Pow Chicken was the dish of excellence. Tenderly cooked chicken pieces with chilli and peanuts. Similar to a satay but better.

Bursts of nuts flavour combined with the hints of chilli makes your tongue dance. A highly recommended dish for all.

The Hot pot is a unique way to eat and I have only seen this done at Dainty Sichuan. Choose a style of stock, choose your chilli power and then go crazy or keep it simple with your ingredients. 

Each ingredient comes out and you cook up your pot in the centre of the table. A great communal dish and great conversational point to the table. Ingredients such as beef and corriander balls, prawns, noodles, pumpkin, lotus root and more can be chosen.

As it cooks infront of you you can enjoy this soup dish with rice or by itself. I would suggest to grab a bit of spice as the stock needs a bit of kick. Alternatively you could choose items from the list that are a strong flavour that will enhance your stock more.

We grabbed just the small size stock and I have to say it was huge. 5 people couldn't finish it off so that's saying something.

Our evening was great for socialising and I would have to say the bigger the table the better you will be and the more flavours you can experience. I enjoyed my company and the food, so my night had a pretty good ending. I just hoped for a little more service to my night but hey it wasn't the most terrible night. I left with a full tummy and a smile on my face, so I'm content.

Dainty Sichuan

176 Toorak Road

South Yarra

9078 1686

Nourishing the Soul

By day the natural light shines strongly through the tall glass windows, by night it's delicately lit by lanterns and fairy lights. Either way you choose wonder through the doors of David's you walk into a modern, soothing atmosphere.

Smiles from welcoming staff nothing but a pleasant beginning to anyones dining experience.

Tables set with the traditional painted China with chopsticks at the ready and tea on the way. There's a great feel tonight as I sip my delicate green tea and scour the menu.

Suggestions are handed out left right and centre as the attentive staff explain the menu and tell us their favourite dishes. Don't think we are going to be going hungry........

Spiced Oolong tea quail eggs served with bean curd and wolf berries. What seems to look like a green olive is truly not. Soft boiled quail eggs are coated with the fragrance of the oolong tea, and served with delicate flavours to accompany with the bean curd and berries. Served at room temperature, it is an interesting and unique dish.

Dumplings were a fine choice of course, with the chilli pork dumplings and the shu mai of pork and prawns were delicious. The chilli dumplings was a kick start to the evening but it's not going to catch you on fire. Their is just enough heat in the dish which doesn't over power the soft pork flavours.

The one bite prawns were full of tasty finger licking flavours. Soft shell prawns would have to be my favourite of the evening. Eat them all in one go (head and all), don't be scared. Enjoyed by the table and quickly devoured, tiny little gems are sure to be that crowed pleaser. Sweet meat coated with that soft crunch and filled with spices mmmmm my mouth is watering as I reminisce.

The staff got excited about us ordering the next lot of dishes, which had to make me smile. I don't think I've ever seen anyone jump up and say yes to a dish that we've ordered before. So clearly this is good signs right, it convinced me that's for sure.

The Bao's come in a selection of 4, with needing to order in groups of 2. Spicy pork belly, Shredded Peking duck, Green soy bean bok choy and chilli or Spicy lamb with garlic and chilli. 

Now I've never had Bao before so I was excited to try them. A sticky somewhat sweet bun that's like puffy clouds fold over each of the fillings. I guess you could say that the flavour of the bun is similar to the heavier versions of the steamed pork buns or custard buns.

Each flavour style was tasty and went down rather well actually. So much so I considered ordering a second round. If you like sweet and spice and all things nice, then head for these.

Finishing our evening their was only one thing on my mind, of which I had chosen before I had considered looking at the main dishes. The dessert.

White chocolate filled dumplings served with peanut coconut praline and ice creams, is the only way to end the night in my eyes. Something unique to the restaurant and so smooth and oh so yummy. It is a perfect size to complete your evening and doesn't spoil what you have already enjoyed.

With David's it's all about the homeliness, traditional flavours and quality produce. The emphasis on taking Chinese food to the next level is outstanding with it's modern style but staying true to it's culture.

David's

4 Cecil place

Prahran

9592 5199

If one eats less, One will taste more

It's always the way when selecting a restaurant, that we choose to always travel furthest first rather than travel around the corner our local.

It's strange how we think that although we pass it everyday and think to ourselves that, I should go there we never get there. We believe that it will be there tomorrow. But my question to you is What if it's not? What if everyone has had the same train of thought and your local has had to shut it's doors.

It's not because they have served bad food, in fact it's one of the best local restaurants, but because everyone chooses to travel to the city, they have had to close due to the expanding restaurants and the diverse competition that a small local restaurant can no longer compete with.

A local restaurant that I have finally made my way too is Bok Choy in Brighton. This quite large restaurant sits on the busy corner of Bay and New Street where many by passes travel along, dropping their children off at school and trying to make their way to the even busier Church Street.

This restaurant has caught my eye each time driving past advertising their Yum Cha and I am now pleased to announce that I have been and enjoyed my experience.

It may not have been a full restaurant but I must admit a fair amount of people come and go ensuring that at least tables are turning over.

Greeted and welcomed always makes a great beginning to the day, drinks on order and our waiter asking us whether we would be enjoying yum cha or a'la carte. Of course you can never say no to yum cha when it's on offer.

An ever changing Yum cha menu is placed before us, with also an explanation of yum cha specials that the chef designs and hidden off the menu.

Suggestions arranged by our waiter to get us started of Wasabi prawns, Peking duck pancakes and Chinese broccoli in soy were arranged in a blink of an eye. It was pleasing to have faith in the waiter as he arranges items even before you scour over the menu.

3 Juicy lightly coated king prawns are delivered to our table coated in a creamy wasabi mayo, hinted with a touch of sweet chilli. Don't be alarmed when you read wasabi, as here at Bok Choy they have mellowed out the flavour to accommodate all diners. A great special on offer and even greater suggestion by our waiter.

Servings of Prawn toast and Shark fin dumplings arrive from the Yum Cha trays which were flavoursome. Golden sesame prawn toasts were exploding with sesame flavours coating a thick layer of prawn.  Sweet and delicate flavours combined to make something so tasty, were an essence of succulence.

All the dumplings including the Shark fin were tiny drops of delicacy. An addition of scallop dumplings and pork dumplings each had their own identity and were cooked to perfection. Tasty and filling, we could have eaten more and more of these treasures.

Something that we have not had in Yum Cha before were the rice noodle rolls filled with a pork filling. These steamed noodle rolls were slippery and difficult to eat with chop sticks, only true talented chop stick holders would be able to tackle this dish. I however needed some lessons, so on this I opted for the good old trusty fork.

The pork filling was similar to that in a pork bun, with it's sweet BBQ flavour, tender pork and a drizzle of soy. A lighter option to those ever filling BBQ pork buns but held strong flavour to be enjoyed.

The duck pancakes were delightful and glad to also have the Chinese broccoli along with it. This light thin pancakes were filled with tender pieces of Peking duck and cucumber and were nourishing and it was not to long before they were gone. Quicker than I could believe myself, my pancake disappeared..... to send out a search party to find it may have been needed but I am not one to stay in denial that I ate it and made it vanish.

Our Chinese greens coated in soy were fresh and perfectly cooked, with a slight crunch on the broccoli steams, it was a fantastic accompaniment to go with our delicious and filling Yum Cha. I would suggest to do the same, as the flavours of the Yum Cha can be strong so it's a great idea to break it up and balance everything with some vegies.

It's only fitting though that to end our meals, was to be the Banana fritter. if anyone knows fritters better than anyone else it's at Chinese restaurants. They have never failed to produce outstanding fritters, and I'm not too sure many of you our there would disagree with me.

Golden crunchy coating covers sweet banana flavours and covered with a toffee coating and served with vanilla ice-cream. It's heavenly delightful of course. But you all know that.

Whether you enjoy Yum Cha or their extraordinary large a'la carte menu, there is surly something you would love and enjoy. The serve and food were impeccable and we will no doubtabley be joining them again with friends and family in tow.

Finding a good Local restaurant that you can support is an important thing to do. If you find one, then you should also tell at least 10 people of your find, so the word gets out even more. Although the city is a fantastic place to eat and where lays some great diversity in cuisine, you shouldn't forget the little man that is just down the street.

Bok Choy Chinese Cuisine

300 New Street

Brighton

9592 0253

Behind this door is delicious goodness

Everyone knows Sundays are for either eating a Roast dinner or heading out for Yum Cha. Well I didn't feel like cooking and a night out with the hubby and a good friend sounded far better, so Yum Cha it was.

Hidden off busy Chapel street Red door is like no other Yum Cha. Decked out in Asian Antiques where you find yourself dining amongst with cages and lanterns hanging above, and rich wood work surrounding you makes for a fascinating evening. You of course are able to purchase your table at the end of your night too if you wish, but lets see how you go with the Yum Cha first shall we?

Our evening starts with a pre dinner drink and catch up, of which I splurge and go for the Alcoholic tea pot "Apple pie". Cider, bourbon, star anise and cinnamon served in the china tea pot. Served on ice this was a delicate and refreshing pre dinner starter, it could be an option though too to offer it heated as the spices would be more present but nun the less, when it comes to cider you have won me over.

As there was 3 of us it made it for easy ordering with all their dumplings coming in serves of 3, so if your a couple you're either going to have to fight for that 3rd one or make sure you grab 2 serves for even eating.

Starting with Prawn and lobster dumplings, Chicken and peanut dumplings, Pork and prawn dumplings and BBQ pork buns. Our Sunday night was going to become a feast for men. The Prawn and Lobster dumplings were sweet and tasty, with the meat being substantial and not shredded down or made into a paste. This allowed for it's full flavours to be evident and enjoyable.

I am a lover of the Chicken and Peanut Dumplings. Chicken pieces combined with chunks of nut gave an amazing textual experience. I have never had dumplings with nuts actually inside them and I am glad that now I have. Succulent combination with a slight sauce made it even lovelier.

The pork and prawn was just as lovely and rich with the prawn additive to the delicate pork. All the dumplings were cooked to perfection, and came steaming hot, which made it even better to enjoy as sometimes they have cooled so quickly in the bamboo trays that you loose your appetite and don't enjoy  such amazing mouthful treats. With an add of the chilli and soy that is on your table, made in house and combined with nuts it's a great accompaniment to enhance the flavours in your dumplings.

Now the BBQ Pork Buns are superb. The bun filled with sweetens and pillow like in texture, they were the best I've ever had. The BBQ pork was booming with flavour and the meat so tender. Both the boys and myself were in heaven with these buns. And to just see the consistency of Red door we tried out their Curry Chicken Buns. Not as full flavoured in the mix, very soft curry flavours which lingered but nothing like the pork. Although the bun itself was perfect every time which is truly what makes the dish.

For something different we try out the Duck in bean curd and some Pork with a honey and star anise sauce. The Duck and bean curd wasn't a winner so much this evening, although lovely it was lacking in something. The bean curd wrap was beautiful, but the mix of duck and vegetables just didn't give you that wow factor that I expected. I was expecting a lot more powerful flavours, unfortunately I couldn't taste the duck at all. But this didn't ruin my night, as it was nice but not amazing like the dumplings.

The Pork though was grand in flavours, an amazing combination of honey, star anise and soy surrounded the pork and just fell apart in your chop sticks. Served with rice it was a great main dish if you were wanting something more substantial than dumplings, or in our case a great share dish.

The Yum Cha main dishes continued and going back to the dumplings, grabbing the Pork and sweetcorn, Chicken and chive and the Special wontons. The Pork and sweetcorn would have to be up there with the chicken and peanut dumplings. Amazing is what you can call them. Sweet plump dumplings and slightly larger than the others they were damn tasty.

The chicken chive dumpling and wontons were pleasant and enjoyable, but like the duck and bean curd was not stand out rave about dishes. However who doesn't enjoy wontons and a mouth sized bite is a great option to go for if your looking for golden crisp delights.

Their is nothing better to end your evening with a good old Custard or red bean Bun. All of us headed for the custard of course and rightfully so with it's steaming fluffy bun filled with hot custard makes for a great end our feast for kings.

It's a great change to your regular Yum Cha places and although the acoustics of Red Door is quiet loud you end up ignoring that fact due to it's amazing food.

The old saying goes "With good food theirs always good company" and this proves to be true. I have a remarkable evening with the company I was with and we all enjoyed the feast. We possibly admit that we ate way too much, but it was totally worth every mouthful.

Red Door

1 Mcllwrick St

Windsor, Vic

9510 9658

A dumpling fix

It wasn't without debate today whether to venture into a suggested dumpling restaurant in Glenhuntly when all the city dumpling places were booked out or didn't feel like eating at 10pm, but it proved to be better than we anticipated.

It has been a long time since we had ventured into such a low budget interiored Chinese restaurant and did seem a little out of place, but the menu spoke dumplings and that's what I wanted.

Hand painted walls bought some atmosphere but unfortunately not much more, with no music and a madiocre service made us left with not to much else to embrace with the scene of which we were taking in.

An extensive menu allows you to select from dumplings, yum cha, large meals or noodles and vegetables so choices are not limited, but as you already know I was after dumplings.

The first that caught my eye were the chilli oil dumplings, these heat smacking dumplings were cooked delicately and soaked up beautiful chilli heat from the oil. Defiantly one to clear any sinus problems that you might have. A serving of 15 was a great size to share, as I don't think I could have taken the entire heat of the 15. The longer they sit in the oil though be careful as they do become fragile and make sure if you've touched the oil don't go rubbing your eye, cause you'll know all about it quick enough (I know).

To follow we went for the mushroom dumplings that were pan fried and succulent. They weren't over powering with mushroom and were combined with a mix of vegetables, they were enjoyable with a touch of soy vinegar or sweet and sour dipping sauce you can grab at the communal sauce bar.

Some Peking duck pastries as they call them, but pretty much pancakes were jam packed with sticky Peking BBQ sauce and such with hints of chives. The pancakes were light and delicious. We were surprised at the amount of duck that was in there for the price that we paid and we were truly happy with these and highly advisable.

Some pumpkin fritters and prawn crab spring rolls were both as unusual as each other. The fritters were almost dessert like with such sweetness. Similar to a pumpkin pie these bite sized fritters were somewhat chewy but flavoursome. The spring rolls were nice but missed a little bit of umph in flavour. I was expecting to get a higher bang of crab and prawn flavour, it unfortunately just fell under par. However the light pastry surrounding it was far from the usual pastry found around spring rolls so it was different to try.

The one questionable dish out of all of them were the lamb kidneys. The menu said lamb kidneys and I ordered lamb kidneys, but these were not lamb kidneys......they were chicken. Now I know most things are said to taste just like chicken, but this time it was. Although tasty chicken pieces skewered and on the bone, coated in Sichuan and other spices I am still confused as how they were lambs kidneys and comparing them to the picture in the menu provided the dish matched to it, so this was the evening puzzler.

Finishing our night with perfect BBQ pork and egg custard buns was the great ender. Almost pillow like, these steaming hot treats made it a complete evening.

With distant service from what started as table service but leading to having to order at the counter, it is not somewhere you go if you are trying to impress or take a first date. But if you are looking for a very casual quick meal with dishes not exceeding over $10.00 then yeah go for it. The food is tasty, just lacks a litte ambiance and if you had dumpling cravings like I did, then it will fix you up pretty good.

Chinatown Dumpling

1146 Glenhuntly rd,

Glenhuntly, VIC

9572-4953