Liverpool Road in Ashfield is a paradise of regional Chinese cuisine - not much fusion cooking here. If you want home made noodles, dumplings or a hot pot, though, you're in for a treat. You can travel the whole of the Middle Kingdom in a just few blocks. No need for Gormet Traveller - just go for a walk!
The Sichuan Pepper House at 215 Liverpool Road - opposite the Ashfield Hotel - offers a wide selections from the traditional Sichuan cuisine.
Apart from the use of Sichuan peppercorns, the keynote of this food is the sun-dried chillies. The characteristic smoky flavour is nurtured painstakingly by simmering the chillies slowly in oil which then becomes a medium to transfer this flavour to the various dishes. This is not fast food - many of the dishes take hours to prepare.
This care is well repaid with dishes of stunning complexity. The tastes of the Sichuan palette are well defined and designed to be savoured in an ordered series - a sort of culinary narrative. Unlike the cafe style stir fry the chilli and ginger do not compete with one another all at once but arrive on the palate separately. Likewise, those who tire of the predictable Catonese repertoire will find this an appealing alternative.
My favourite dish is the Kung Pao pork. I had a similar dish in 1987 in Little Collins Street cooked with rabbit meat. I thought that dish was excellent. This one is better - spicy but not excessively hot. The use of peanuts gave an earthy quality that complemented the muskiness of the Sichuan chillies. There are 71 dishes on the menu - a fraction of the 5000 to be found in this regional cuisine.
The Sichuan Pepperhouse is open everyday but Tuesday for lunch and dinner. Bookings can be made on 9799 0306.
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