Reviews Szechuan Chef

Perhaps I can help here even if it maybe stating the obvious. The critical reviews and half of the user reviews love the place for all the right reasons. And the other half of people who seem very disgusted and genuinely confused at why people like this place, I think I understand where you're coming from. I don't want to pull the whole better than you / authenticity argument. I honestly just think that there are lot of people who, like me many years ago, didn't realize that there are different types of Chinese cuisine from all over the country. This place is Sichuan specifically. I noticed on all of the negative reviews that people try to order American Chinese food and then called it fatty and greasy. Failing to understand that in addition to ordering the wrong dishes (the argument can be made maybe they shouldn't even offer them) that they lack knowledge about Szechuan ingredients and cooking methods which are primarily hot chili oil and cuts of meat not as common to the typical American palate. It would be unthinkable to use low fat pork or chicken to make anything in an authentic Chinese restaurant. What you're looking for is the fattiest possible cut of chicken thigh or pork belly, lamb, intestines, etc. And Sichuan cooking is prepared uniquely in tons and tons of oil. That's actually the proper cooking method. You don't drink the oil, you take the food out of it. It's perhaps ironic but it's actually a healthy way to eat. I have lost 45 pounds without increasing my exercise regiment just from eating Asian food and most of it it Sichuan. specifically at this restaurant which I really love for its authenticity and high quality ingredients. I hope you will go back and give it a try and ask the extremely kind staff to make some recommendations. I can personally recommend the cilantro lamb, whole live fish in hot black bean sauce, vegetables like the dry sauteed green beans, and live crab. If you want something a little more fried go with the xiong king chicken. It is exceptional. And the dry hot pots are not to be missed. I hope this is helpful to it least 1 person. If you prefer American Chinese there's nothing wrong with that, but this is definitely not your place. Try Hunan Pearl in tigard/ Lake Oswego for high quality American Chinese.

I'm really excited to try more interesting menu items here! Had the Kung Pao Chicken lunch special and was very impressed. Service was prompt and quick with little conversation from the server, but hey that's fine with me--I'm here to eat, not meet a new best friend. The hot and sour soup was delicious and piping hot. Minutes later my main dish arrived with warm and fluffy steamed rice. The chicken was tender and flavorful and the vegetables were crisp and fresh, complemented with several red peppers for taste. The lunch special was also served with complimentary tea and a fortune cookie. I look forward to returning here and trying some new dishes to bolster my Chinese palette. Who knows, I may have found some competition to my already favorite Portland Chinese restaurant--Shandong!

Highly recommended. We ate on a Saturday evening, early enough to avoid the crowd. The service was excellent: friendly and attentive. The food was good. One of our dishes was fish in black bean sauce. Very large serving and very tasty. The other dish was stir-fry tofu and it was also very good. My dinner companion was born and raised in China, and she liked it a lot.

First time in Portland looking for authentic szechuan food and found the gem! Couldn't get any more authentic than this! The food was awesome, the portions were huge, and the service was great! We highly recommend this restaurant!! Go and try! You won't be disappointed! Must try the pork intestine with fish in szechuan oil!

My Wife & I visited Portland from Seattle and searched for Szechuan food, and this place came up. After reading the reviews, we thought of trying it as we both are huge fans of the cuisine. This restaurant definitely has a good ambiance and comfortable seating. We ordered Hot & Sour Soup, Chopped Pepper Fish, Cumin Lamb & Fish Fillet in Hot & Spicy Gravy. Having tried all of the above at many excellent Szechuan restaurants, we believe everything was excellent except the fish, which was very good but not the best we’ve had. One suggestion (which does not affect this review) is if they can keep a couple of dessert options on the menu. Overall, worth it!

TL;DR: It's fantastic, authentic and brings family-style back. Bring 6 people you care about. Sit at a big, round table with a lazy susan. If the menu is overwhelming: Order the Moo Shu Pork, Mandarin Crispy Chicken, Shaved Noodles with Beef, Dried Cooked String Bean, side of white rice and 2-3 orders of soup dumplings and just go ahead and thrive. Pro-tip: You will run out of rice pancakes for the Moo Shu Pork and that's okay. Ask for more when you run out, so they can warm them up for you. They will, and warm pancakes are good. We moved to SE Portland from Chinatown, Manhattan NYC 11 years ago and although I have had limited success finding respectable Cantonese cuisine and Dim Sum, I have not had much luck finding authentic Shanghai/Sichuan style that could truly hang with my favorites back in NYC. Today, that changed. My 6 year old daughter really wanted soup dumplings for her birthday, so I widened the search to across the river and I am so very glad I did. The chef here is truly talented. We asked for the beans to not be spicy so my daughters might eat them, and usually what we end up with is beans that make you think they would have been better if they'd been spicy. This was not the case. They were DEVOURED by my family. The beans were so perfectly cooked and seasoned, that my 6 and 8 year olds inhaled them. This tracked through every dish we sampled. Normally, if I see a lot of spicy dishes in the featured, I raise an eyebrow and think "What are you hiding under all those peppers?" but the execution of both spicy and mild flavors were all immaculate. This food was so good it was distracting. This food was so good I forgot we ordered rice. This food was so good that the 30 dumplings we ordered were down to 2 by the time I recovered from the initial shock of how damn good it all was. To be absolutely and undeniably clear, if you love some people, and you want them to feel what it is like to be cooked a meal by someone who obviously loves to cook, bring them here and eat with confidence.

Incredible experience with friendly staff and amazing food. You must order the soup dumplings! They are as good or better than the ones I would get when I visited Taiwan. Great authentic food options as well as some dishes that would cater to a more westernized Chinese food preference. Give this place a try, you will not be disappointed. This location is beautiful inside with high vaulted ceilings and tons of natural light from all the windows.

The food is very good. Really love their dumplings and soups(spicy garlic wonton). Drinks were slow to come out. Have been here multiple times and will continue to go back.

Very good. I eat here mostly for lunch. Food always comes out well prepared and piping hot. I've noticed some inconsistencies, especially with soups. Wait time is good for lunch but can be a bit long. I'm a fan of the mapo tofu and spicy eggplant.

I lived in Asia for 15 years and have never had more authentic Chinese food than we had last night. Portions are family style (large) making it easier to try more of their delicious options. Highly recommend: Garlic Cucumbers, Bok Choy, Chow Mein and Black Pepper Beef. The environment is very strip mall restaurant but the food is amazing.