A true taste of China at Sze Chuan Cuisine

Sze Chuan Cuisine owner Tommy Zhong has wanted to open a restaurant for years, partly to satisfy his own cravings for a taste of home. “I thought ‘Why can’t we find good restaurants for Chinese people?’ Everything was made for Americans, with so much sugar,” Zhong told St. Louis Magazine.

Zhong’s restaurant provides a solution for anyone sharing his dilemma, giving St. Louis a place where Chinese residents—and everyone else—can enjoy Sichuanese dishes prepared as they would be in China. On a Saturday lunchtime visit, almost every table in the house was occupied. Conversation in English and various Chinese dialects filled the room, with Mandopop songs playing in the background.

Although Zhong is Shanghainese, opening a Sichuanese restaurant was an obvious choice. “Sichuan food is very popular all over China,” Zhong said. “In America, it’s the same—in Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago, Sichuan-style food is really popular among Chinese people, and also among some Americans.” The head chefs are Sichuanese, and were brought in from Sze Chuan Cuisine’s sister restaurant in Chicago, where Zhong spends much of his week running a logistics company (one of three jobs he maintains). A number of the servers are also from Sichuan.

Sichuanese cooking is best-known for being hot and spicy—and so it often is. However, that association tends to obscure the range and subtlety of flavor you’ll find in Sichuan cuisine. The restaurant’s Chinese name, Baguo Tianfu, references the region’s historic reputation as a “land of plenty,” and this is a good place to explore Sichuan’s cuisine. Try a few dishes and notice the ways that ingredients like salt and sugar, vinegar and garlic are used to varying effect in different dishes, particularly in sauces and dressings. You’ll begin to see why many consider this one of the world’s great cuisines.

Meals are always shared in China, and the portion sizes for many dishes will comfortably split between two diners. The menu features a number of dishes that serve as a centerpiece to build a meal around: fish dishes, the hot-spicy pot and the dry pot dishes are all examples of these. These tend to suit larger groups rather than one or two diners, but ask your server for advice. Zhong says the most popular dish among his Chinese customers is the roasted fish ($28.95)—a whole fish dressed in piles of chile peppers, cilantro, and spicy oil.

The menu is grouped mainly according to broad categories: beef, poultry, seafood, and so on. This can make ordering a little daunting, so seek recommendations from your server if you need help. You can also rely on the photographs, but that will limit your options. A small number of dishes will be recognizable as “American” Chinese dishes, like General Tso’s chicken. You could make an exception to that rule for the Kung Pao chicken ($12.95), which Zhong said is prepared here just the way it would be served in China—chunks of chicken, peanuts, shallots, and dried chiles, with a sweet but less sugary sauce than in your local takeout.

Look for dishes that allow you to experience one of the most unique flavors of Sichuan: the numbing spice of huajiao peppercorns. Perhaps the best-known Sichuanese dish featuring this sensation is mapo tofu—indeed, “ma” is the word describing that tingling, numbing feeling. It’s not for everyone, but it’s something you ought to try. Huajiao combines with with chile peppers (“la jiao” in Chinese) to create Sichuanese cooking’s trademark “mala” sensation. You’ll feel invigorated and alive, even as your mouth tingles and your forehead and neck begin to perspire.

One Sichuan classic we tried was the pork intestine in chile pepper soup (pictured above), which also includes bean sprouts, pig’s blood curd, and slices of ham ($14.95). If you enjoy innards, you’ll love the way this variety of textures and flavors changes, each bite serving as a delivery mechanism for a fresh hit of mala broth. If this is not your thing, fear not. There are lots of other things you can try to get an authentic taste of Sichuanese cuisine, from sour soup beef with chile ($15.95) and Chongqing popcorn chicken ($12.95) to double-cooked pork ($12.95) and Chengdu noodle (better known as dandan mian).

Away from the meat dishes, the eggplant braised in a salty, slightly sweet and garlic-powered sauce ($10.95, pictured below) is excellent. Other hot vegetable dishes include sautéed string beans and Chinese broccoli. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, confirm with your server whether vegetable dishes are indeed totally meat-free.

Sichuan is also known for its cold snacks, including the delicious chicken with house special chile sauce ($7.95, pictured above): chopped chicken pieces, bone in, chilled and served in a spicy, oily dressing. The Chinese name is literally “mouth-watering chicken” (kou shui ji), and that’s pretty much the effect of the dish. The hot-and-sour cucumber is another simple Sichuan classic.

There are no “courses” in Chinese dining, so if you order a “dessert” like the steamed and deep-fried mini buns ($7.95)—and you should—these will be brought to the table together with your savory dishes. This isn’t really a problem, but some diners might be picky about this. If you are, order your sweeter dishes later in your meal.

Iain Shaw is a freelance writer, now living in St. Louis after almost 15 years in Beijing, China. Find more of Iain’s writing about food, drink, and travel here.