Review Si Chuan Restaurant - Burwood

(3.5 stars) Late night dining in Sydney took a big hit with the lockout laws, which is why I found myself heading to Burwood rather than the CBD, when work commitments dictated a late-night dinner. Sichuan Restaurant boasts a 1am kitchen, which was pretty much why I chose to eat here. When we arrive, the long, narrow restaurant isn’t full, though it has an air of having been well-used. The decor in the over-lit restaurant is pretty simple. Along one wall, rope dividers give some sense of separation between tables, while on the other, there are booths where the seating and scratched glossy black tables have both seen better days. The exposed brick wall is decorated with what look to be cast iron burners. Staff are subdued rather than welcoming, but it could be the hour. After leaving us with two different menus, they take a bit of summoning to come back and take our order. From the glossy picture menu of dishes the kitchen prepares for you, we opt for a Fried Chive Pancake ($6) to take the edge off our hunger. Arriving on a fan-shaped plate, the flaky pancakes are quite compelling. From the short list of alcohols, that boasts beer, a single wine (Penfolds) and a number of distilled Chinese spirits, we stick with old faithful - Tsing Tao ($5) beer. It’s the right accompaniment to hot pot that you order yourself by placing ticks in boxes on the long paper menu. Your hot pot base is served in stainless steel trays; and includes a Half Spicy + Half Chicken Soup ($12/small) option. It’s worth opting for the chicken soup, full of floating goji berries and dried red dates, to give your mouth a break from chilli, especially if you opt for a decent level of heat. Scared of 'extra', we chose the second-tier 'medium' on both pepper (numbing) and chilli (heat), which proved to be lively without ripping our faces off. More frequent exposure to hot pot has meant we’re also getting better at saucing. Combining Homemade Sesame Sauce ($1) with Chilli Oil ($1) and glistening red cubes of Fermented Bean Curd ($1) in our bowls made for an excellent accompaniment. Smashing up the bean curd added a funky, round middle to the resulting sauce, that really shone with meat. Nicely marbled Wagyu Beef ($15) is the perfect way to give it a good whirl, coming up better in our spicy soup. I find it easiest to use the slotted spoon to transfer the steaming hot beef to my plate, then chopsticks to dip it in my sauce bowl, and transfer the cooled meat to my mouth. I repeat the process with thin tubes of Pork Belly ($8) that suits the lighter broth, and really works against the sesame in my sauce. Clams ($10) are best held three or four at a time inside your slotted spoon. While messy to eat, when given a short dip in the bubbling soup pots, they're delicious, particularly on the spicy side. Quail Eggs ($6) are delicious wherever you happen to stick them. While it does look overwhelming when staff swamp your table with plates, stacking the overflow on the small metal trolleys underneath them, contrast and wide ordering is what makes hot pot great. We punctuate our hero proteins with Chinese Cabbage ($3) and sharper Pickled Mustard Greens ($4). Mushrooms scrub up particularly nicely in both styles of soup, whether they be thinly sliced King Oyster Mushrooms ($7) or feathery Enoki ($7). Kept on the cob, Sweet Corn ($4) is worth the struggle because it’s a wonderful juicy, sweet contrast to the spicy soup. I also like to include ingredients that soak up soup, like Fried Tofu ($4) puffs. From the staples section of the paper menu, you can add some bulk like noodles or rice. I’m a fan of the glutinous Rice Cake ($4), which are the same as Korean tteokbokki, because they’re chewy and delightful. Nothing on the hot pot menu is particularly expensive, so you can go to town and have a really diverse dinner. Along with four beers, our entire meal for two people here scraped in at just over a hundred bucks. After some slow and concerted eating we left feeling energised with our mouths still tingling from the hot, numbing spice.

Taste great but it too a freaking long time for the fish to be served. Waited 45 mins. Just note that although the shop advertise the fish to be $29, it is mandatory that you choose another 3 sides before they will cook this for you. So total cost will be about $40 (if you choose the cheapest sides) without rice. I felt abit mislead about its true pricing.

The hot pot here is pretty ok/standard. Large variety of ingredients offered on the menu. Service was a little slow but the staff were friendly.

This is not Sichuan restaurant. New name is Qin Lan Xuan and serves Chinese Yun Nan noodle. Taste fantastic and presentation is great.

The hotpot is very very good. Friendly staff. Very busy place especially during weekends. Definately book, but also expect to wait outside shop for a while. Staff seemed abitoverworked as the place is packed. Easy to order in excess.

Food was good, place was clean I recommend try. didn't have the hot pot but will try next time. The service was okey, typical for a Chinese restaurant.

Good food, valueable. However, those sofa ( a bit old) are not really comforted to sit during meal time.

Had a great dinner with friends, we had a big group so we could sit in a table for 9. The service was friendly and served us in a quick manner. For this particular hot pot you get to choose your ingredients beforehand and it'll be served in a trolley for you to put into your hot pot. Make sure you don't listen to your stomach and pick everything on the menu because they won't refund you the dishes, however you can definitely take it home if needed.

Affordable hot pot joint! Lots of variety of meats, vegetables and seafood at great prices. Each plate was $10 or less. You can choose 2 soup flavours and the level of spice. For the spicy soup, even mild was too spicy for me so I’ll be getting an even lower level next time! Food gets delivered on tray so you can pop your plates back on it when you’re done. Food quality was pretty average.

Centrally located in the heart of Burwood, usually am not a huge fan of hot pot but this joint was quite delicious.<br/>Staff were friend and attentive and the hot pot menu was massive! Various meat, vegetable and side dishes to choose from which range from $5-20 and portion size was massive!! Definitely value for money.<br/><br/>

Had hot pot here , it was quite cheap and fast service. Only costed like $25 with drinks.<br/>But, nothing too impressive. The meat and meatballs dont seem too fresh. Staff dont speak much English as well. There are better hot pot options in sydney, so I wont come back.

(3.5 stars)<br/> We lost more than just nightclubs when Gladys Berejiklian’s Government implemented knee-jerk lockout laws. Late night dining took a big hit, which is why I found myself heading to Burwood rather than the CBD, when work commitments dictated a late-night (post 10.30pm) dinner. Sichuan Restaurant boasts a 1am kitchen, which was pretty much why I chose to eat here. When we arrive, the long, narrow restaurant isn’t full, though it has an air of having been well-used. The decor in the over-lit restaurant is pretty simple. Along one wall, rope dividers give some sense of separation between tables, while on the other, there are booths where the seating and scratched glossy black tables have both seen better days. The exposed brick wall is decorated with...

Service was very poor. Staff were extremely rude and unwelcoming. Had come here based on the high rating however left very disappointed. Food was below average. Definitely not returning because of their shocking service.

This hotpot place is generally busy during peak times, so prepare to grab a ticket and wait if you're visiting after 6 pm. One of the great things about this place is that it does open until late. Portion sizes are good and there is an extensive menu. The option to add half & half is a bonus and is good when you're eating with someone who doesn't like to eat spice. The staff are OK, they aren't completely terrible but service could definitely be improved. I normally spend $50 for two people.

Great hot pot restaurant but be prepared to wait if you don’t get here early! There is a wide selection of foods and soup bases. The service is average but if you need something they’ll do it for you.

It took us a while to find someone to serve us.  All dishes were served quickly. We loved eating the spicy tofu dish as it actually really hot. I would recommend coming to this restaurant during night time as it was empty during lunch. Noodles were yummy too.

Best hotpot in Burwood served with fresh, great tasting ingredients and definitely something for everyone here. I am really impressed with the flavours and presentation of the food from Sichuan. Well done.

Came here because this was the only hot pot place that opened late at night but i left completely satisfied. The prices were reasonable and the portions were much larger then other hot pot restaurants. Asked for mild for the levels of spice and peppercorn but even that was too much so if you cant handle spice make sure u dont get anything higher.

When here after the busy peak of the restaurant,but the staffs seem like they didn't want to do the job anymore with poker face.I have been having hot pot here, however I changed to normal dishes today. The staff was missed out one of our dishes by the beginning of ordering. Therefore, we have been waiting for long time under unordered dishes coming. No more coming for next time.

The split broth was great, but beware even mild spicy is still very spicy!!! The portion sizes are quite good and overall its a nice experience. The wait staff definitely need to be more attentive though. The rolled beef is definitely a staple and a favourite! Their premixed sauces are also really good!

OH I MISS THIS PLACE. BEST HOTPOT EVER. use to come here quite frequently.. best chilli soup base and the fish balls with caviar....to die for! Burnt my tongue but totally worth it.

Average hot pot. Booth seating was wierd as people sitting behind us kept pushing forward. It was very popular on a Friday night with all tables occupied by young Chinese groups. Flavour wise was just average but menu options was quite diverse.

I love this place!<br/>It's my go-to place after work because it is local and opened until late. Place is amazing and the food is absolutely delicious. The hot pot is amazing!!!! Very big serving so I suggest eating with 2 others or more, but a very good place to go eat. I'd recommend their crispy pork and the wonton soup, as well as their hot buns! Best place ever!

The taste is not bad. If you want to order hotpot, it's more suitable for at least 3 people to eat together, since the portion per plate is quite big. I strongly recommend they should reduce the portion and the price, so customer can have more varieties to choose from. The table are not being cleaned properly and seems lack of staff

Love this hot pot place! It's always our local favourite, a go to! The prices are decent and the portions are great. We always end up stuffing ourselves too much because we always forget they give you quite a bit. <br/><br/>You can choose the broth you like, we always get half/half. If you like a kick, but can't handle too much spice, I would suggest you go with the lowest level. <br/><br/>It's always busy at this restaurant, so be sure to make a booking before you go. The ingredients come out quite quickly after you order, so don't worry about waiting a long time.

Love! love! love! this place both food & service is amazing! <br/>Their Hot and Spicy & Chicken Stock Hot Pot is a must try the best in town!<br/>They also do dumplings & cold salad dishes which are also lovely.<br/>They do tend to get busy from Friday to Sunday so booking is a must for large groups or after 6pm.<br/>We never get sick of eating here!<br/>

This place is two of my mates' absolute favourite place for hot pot, they absolutely love it! I don't like hot pot too much myself, it simply tastes like broth and fishballs to me, so I had low standards walking in of course.  I've been here on two occasions, sitting here for three and for four the second time. I could happily say I had the best time here, the best company!  Of course, my two mates being casuals, they knew exactly what they wanted, ticking each one off systematically.   So, the hot pot comes in two sizes - small ($12) and large ($15) and you can have your choice of the spicy soup, chicken soup, or half and half! Which is what we ordered. There is also an option of choosing the level of spiciness and peppercorns added. We went with mild for the spiciness and zilch peppercorns... Mild is pretty spicy!  Sauces are $1.50 each, one of my mates ordered the sesame sauce (which is not nice at all.. it had an odd peanut-buttery texture) and myself and my other mate had chopped

One of the best things about winter is being able to savour hot pots (steamboats) without breaking into an unbearable hot sticky sweat. I've recently found myself become a regular...

Delicious egg dumplings!. I don't fancy hot pot much, so the food was pretty average to me. Ordered a large ($15) among four and it's perfect. Came to about $25/pp. <br/>The MUSTS to try here are the lamb & beef slices and egg dumplings! I also tried the pork feet (on two occasions), which had amazing fragrance but was scarce of bits to nibble, boo!

An Average Dinning Event. All winter we have wandered past this restaurant wanting to take advantage of the cooler months and enjoy a SiChuan hotpot.<br/><br/>One of the things that has made us wait until early spring was the fact that at this SiChuan restaurant you could only order hot pot as your main. SiChuan cuisine has so many wonderful dishes it seems a shame to limit yourself to a hotpot only. Last night we decided it was our last chance before the summer and wandered into the restaurant on a busy Friday night.<br/><br/>We were seated immediately and were presented with a clipboard listing a wonderful selection of options ranging from basic noodles at $3 through to barramundi at $15 with an assortment of unusual goodies in between.<br/><br/>The two of us ordered the small half and half spicy (extra spicy) and chicken broth base at $12 which came out almost immediately. The spicy side of the pot was an outstanding deep red colour with extra dried chilli and SiChuan peppercorns rippling across the surface. The Chicken broth looked calmer swimming with cut bean shots, dried dates and torn fresh shitake mushrooms. Taking a spoonful from each I was hit by that wonderful peppery yet almost citric taste of the spicy broth while the chicken broth which was so rich in colour seemed to have that almost generic msg stock feel to it which was a bit disapointing. <br/><br/>Our extra ingredients of sliced lamb, sliced fish (which was basa) and won tons soon followed and we eagerly began adding them ourselves debating what should go where. The lamb and fish slices were very straight forward and both tasted spectacular bathed in spice but the won tons were certainly not to our liking. As soon as they came to our table still frozen and perfectly formed like they had come from a factory process line they immediately raised suspicion. They tasted truly revolting like frost from a freezer. We stopped adding them after three as they were ruining the flavours of the base.<br/><br/>For beverages we ordered a honey citric smoothie which conjoured up images of thick creamy honey milk laced with a hint of lemon. Instead we were served icy slushies tasting so good it didn't matter they were not what was expected.<br/><br/>In all the service was quick, the value for money was ok but could have been better (we didn't order a vegetable ingredient because we felt they were too over priced). The flavour of the hot pot bases was average but not outstanding.<br/><br/>In all whilst it wasn't a bad experience but there are other SiChuan and ChongQing style restaurants in Sydney I would prefer to eat at.