Golden Szechuan [Vancouver location closed – Richmond location still open]
Richmond Location open
Address: 3631 No. 3 Rd
Hours:
Mon-Thu 11am-3pm lunch; 5:30pm-10pm dinner
Fri-Sun 11am-3pm lunch; 5:30pm-10pm dinner
Golden Szechuan is Shiny
By Jason
Eat Vancouver Editor
Saturday, August 28, 2005
** (of four stars)
When my friends and I are in the mood for good, authentic Sichuan cooking, Golden Szechuan is our standby choice. Golden Szechuan’s Kung Pao chicken epitomizes both Sichuan cuisine and why Golden Szechuan does it so well. If you’ve had Kung Pao chicken at some random Chinese carryout, then trust me, you haven’t experienced this dish at all. Genuine Kung Pao hits you from all angles: any given bite is both soft and crunchy, and spicy and sweet. Serious Sichuan is the same, playing with both textures and fire, and hitting the extremes in all respects.
When you walk into Golden Szechuan, you are likely to be greeted by the jovial maitre d’. You can also expect him to come by your table and help you navigate the menu (chili symbols on the menu will also help indicate the level of spiciness of a dish), as well take any pictures of you and your friends that you might want, and explain the restaurant’s décor to you. There isn’t a lot to explain.
Golden Szechuan’s two dining rooms are sparsely, yet tastefully decorated. The walls are an off-white, with an occasional painting or poster with Chinese symbols. The maitre d’ once told us that one of these posters says “best Sichuan in Vancouver.” I can’t attest to that, but they can’t be far off.
The brow-mopping “boiled beef with chili” tops my list of must-try dishes at Golden Szechuan. It’s simply slices of beef and bean sprouts simmered in a deeply nuanced broth including chili and oil. It’s also a steal at $12.95, feeding at least three people. One shouldn’t also miss the twice cooked pork, a Sichuan staple. If you are unclear about what twice-cooked pork entails, think bacon simmered with chili and onions. Yes, it sounds a bit much, but hey, it’s a pork fat thing.
Another traditional Sichuan dish that should be tried is the hot and sour shredded potatoes. In this delectably tart dish, the potatoes are stir-fried with vinegar, peppers, and juniper blossoms. If you are looking for a rush, try eating a couple of juniper blossoms and enjoy the exciting numbing sensation they create in your mouth. On certain nights you might also be given the option of steamed Ling Cod in a black bean sauce. It comes to the table tasting of the sea, surrounded by a selection of colorful peppers and should not be missed. Order it with Golden Szechuan’s hearty as a bowl of Texas Chili, cumin lamb for a delicious one-two surf and turf combo.
The kitchen at Golden Szechuan also turns out a decent version of Sichuan green beans, delightfully spiced with the complex salty and fishiness that comes from the dried shrimp added to the stir-fry.
Not so memorable were the beef and broccoli and orange peel chicken, but then again, you can get these dishes at any Chinese carryout, so why order them here? The spicy Dan Dan noodles were also not much to rave about as the noodles were mushy and the sauce bland.
There aren’t many interesting dessert options at Golden Szechuan, if I were you, I’d let the complimentary orange slices act as a formidable end to a fiery evening.
(photographs by Michael Chin, © 2005)
Other photos:
Sour and spicy shredded potatoes
Sichuan green beans
Dan Dan noodles
1 response so far ↓
1 Eat Vancouver » South of the Lake, North of the River [Now Closed] // Feb 12, 2007 at 9:52 pm
[…] Similar to the justly rated Sichuanese cuisine (see Eat Vancouver review ‘Golden Szechuan is Shiny’), Hunanese food gets fired up with generous amounts of chilli peppers. Indeed, ‘Huiguo rou’ or ‘twice-cooked bacon’ (here called ‘sliced pork with cabbage in garlic and chilli sauce’) is just one popular Sichuanese staple on the menu that hints at the connection. But Hu Nan’s pickled chilli peppers are possibly the spiciest chillies experienced by this reviewer’s palate outside Sichuan Province itself. Helpfully, the Hu Nan diner can keep an eye on the spiciness guide (marked by various symbols from the mild triangle to the circle of hotness) while ordering to reduce reliance on gulps of Chinese tea and Tsing-tao beer. But it’s not all about being flaming spice. A variety of pickled vegetables fill out the flavours of and add colour to many of the dishes, and less familiar ingredients to note and sample include smoked pork, dried tofu and lobok (daiken). […]
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