395-397 Victoria Street, Abbotsford, Victoria, Australia (03) 9913 6235
Open Tuesday - Sunday, 11am - 3pm and 5pm - 10pm
For the first time ever we received an invitation to dine somewhere for the purpose of review. Which is hilarious and terrible. It is surely an indicator of The End Times when bullshit blogs like this get to receive any kind of recognition from actual restaurateurs. Still, we received an invitation, which we very quickly (too quickly, a little desperately?) accepted.
Thankfully the invitation was from somewhere we were already planning on going. Having tried the ‘original’ Dainty Sichuan many times and Sichuan House (we patiently await your re-opening) often also, it was only a matter [of being forced to travel to Richmond] of time before we tried Sichuan House Seafood. Getting invited just moved it up the list a little. What higher praise can I award this place than “It’s worth travelling to Richmond for”. Really, not many things are.
Sichuan House Seafood is an off-shoot of the other Sichuan House restaurant and the food was really very good. As opposed to Dainty’s CBD off-shoot, Sichuan House Seafood offers all of the standout, crowd-pleasing dishes we have come to expect from Sichuan – cumin pork ribs, fish flavoured eggplant, etc.
The standout dishes from our visit were the Cold Sichuan Noodle, the Mapo Tofu and the seafood hotpot. I try Mapo Tofu at pretty much any place that serves it. There was a Cantonese place in the city called Sushi Sun and their Mapo was my go-to dish. Since they shut down, I have been on a quest to find a place that makes it as good as they did. SH Seafood is as close as I’ve come so far.
Other people’s favourite was the Tea Smoked Duck, which was a house speciality and gave the Duck a salty, bacon-y flavour.
So… überjoi now has a way to bribe me to accompanying her to ikea. There was a lot left to try on their menu. We have to go back. If you do find yourself in Richmond it is definitely worth trying.
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| Salted cucumber in sesame $12.80 |
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| Sichuan cold noodles $7.50 |
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| Stir-fried green beans with pork mince $18.80 |
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| Twice-cooked pork $22.80 |
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| Mapo tofu (bean curd with beef mince in spicy sauce) $16.80 |
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| Zhangcha duck (fresh duck smoked with tea leaves and seasoned in herb sauce) $25.80 |
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| Shuizhuyu (marinated fish slices, vegetables in spicy soup stock) $28.00 |
- words by pisso | images by überjoi.
The best? The invitation and the opportunity to share the experience with friends.
The worst? The fact that our stomachs weren't bigger.
Must try? Shuizhuyu, zhangcha duck, Sichuan cold noodle and the mapo tofu.
Service? Friendly, efficient and attentive.
Decor? Bright and clean Chinese decor.
Noise? Low-range.
Value? Standard Sichuan-in-Melbourne prices.
Time and date of visit: 6:30pm Saturday 27 July 2013
