I love visiting Dainty Sichuan! Even though there are a few branches spread across Melbourne, South Yarra branch produces the most delicious dishes. Perfect for winter or in a big group when all of you crave for some spice.
They have been around for ages and have been a favourite for amazing chinese szechuan dishes.
Absolutely love it here and one of my favourite dishes is the szechuan noodles, its so good and the flavours are on point
Its perfect for a big group where you get to order dishes to share and try a variety of different options. Highly recommend if youre after some amazing szechuan dishes
Take away for birthday lunch. Very authentic!
I'll definitely order more often.
By far one of the best Sichuan restaurants in Melbourne. Me and a few friends ordered the scampi as well as the pork rib barbecue. My favourite was the barbecue as there was an array of different vegetables and also rice cakes in the dish which made it not one dimensional. The scampi were fresh and cooked beautifully. The meat was succulent sweet and tender which paired perfectly with the signature mala flavour of Sichuan.
Dainty Sichuan is one of our favourite Chinese restaurants in Melbourne. We’ve been a few times and it never disappoints! The service is fantastic, and the venue is big too. Our must order dishes are always the Boiling Fish in Chilli Oil and Sichuan Pepper, Dry Stir Fried Beans, and the Fish Flavoured Eggplant. The eggplant is my absolute favourite and I can never get enough of it!
Dainty Sichuan is a super authentic sichuan restaurant in the heart of South Yarra. It's in a great location right opposite the station.
We found the staff to be very attentive despite it being busy, and the food was super tasty.
I'm not an expert in this type of cuisine, so having photos on the menu was very helpful for me. I'd highly recommend trying the Spicy Lamb Kebabs, the Stir Fried Beans and the Ma Po Tofu - these were our highlights!
One of the best Sichuan restaurants in Melbourne. They have a myriad of shared dishes and also a separate hotpot menu. The cabbage and the cold noodle were our favourite. The cabbage was in between soft and crunchy, tasted salty and sour which is very appetizing. The noodle is refreshing and great to counter the oily dishes.
Tilapia is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!highly recommend! 200times better than basa fillet
Would like to have tilapia for spicy fish as well!
I really love the spicy, sweet, tangy and savoury flavours of Sichuan food and Dainty doesn't disappoint! So full of flavour! The servings are generous and price is decent for the serving and quality. You must try the eggplant and cold noodles as they are exceptional. Service is pretty good.
Really delicious and authentic Chinese food 👌🏼
We ordered and within 10 mins most of the food had already come out, I was seriously so impressed by the service.
Some of the dishes were quite oily but other than that I enjoyed the level of spice. The lamb skewers were my fav!
Authentic and great flavours that were cooked to perfection. Friendly staff and high quality produce. Couldn't go wrong with a visit here.,,
This is one of our favourite Chinese restaurants, when we feel like spicy food. That’s the place to go, almost everything on the menu is nice, doesn’t matter what you pick. Highly recommended!
Food is always good here. Good quality ingredients and satisfying spicy food. We ordered Cumin Pork Rib, Chicken & Mushroom and Beans with minced meat. Cumin pork is spicy but a big portion - good to be shared. If you crave spicy Sichuan food. You can’t go wrong with Dainty Sichuan.
Enjoyed the food here.
Start withthe cold noodle with the tingling feel
Spicy fish was cook well in the chillj
Sfirfry longbean
Drink the plum
Recommended.
A little wait for the food to come out
Came with my collegues.
Start with the Sichuan cold noodle ( which tasted very good), sweet and numbing feeling.
The mapo tofu was cooked very well.
The Spicy fish was ok
The cumin lamb was nice
We want to try the hot pot next time.
=)
Best Sichuan food I've ever had in Melbourne though we only had dishes there a few times (we didn't try hotpot). Though food is a bit pricey but all comes with big proportion, so it's good to have a group meal there. Btw be mindful of the Off street parking.
"One of the Best" Sichuan food in Melbourne! coupled with Excellent Ambiance!
When you feel like having really like Hot & Spicy, yet yummy food - it cannot get more authentic than this place!
This place (same as it's cuisine) is most well-known & popular for its hot and spicy flavor, sporting sweet and sour flavors too alongside.
Favorite dishes:
- Kung Pao - chicken / prawn / lobster
- Cumin Lamb slices
- Fish Flavor Eggplant
Busy restaurant with a great vibe. Great food, great service and reasonable prices. Definitely worth a visit for anyone that enjoys spicy sichuan style food
One of my favourite in the area. Consistently delicious. The eggplant is insane. Just love the flavours. Good for a casual lunch. Photo menu a good representation of actual food. If you like chilli hot this is the place to go.
Hotpot for life! While I’m doing my best to avoid fried food lately, I’ve started to build this affection towards sichuan hotpot ❤️ the one in South Yarra is where you want to go for this! The soup is shared and you can choose double-flavour (normal stock soup and spicy soup), and choose all the meat and veg you like! Some of my favs that I always order everytime I come here is their wagyu beef slices, coriander beef balls and quail eggs! 🍲🍲🍲
I lost my phone after the dinner at Dainty Sichuan Toorak. I was so worried and went back for help. The waiter and the cashier were very very kind and helped me out of it. Thank you so much!!
Lovely mapo tofu. Lovely fish fragrant eggplant but my favourite is the stir fried beans. Best experienced with a group but our table for two was warmly welcomed and we loved our dinner. Will be back soon.
Gorgeous food & very attentive & efficient staff. Photographs on menu were very useful in helping us decide what to order. Food arrived very promptly & was delicious. We’ll definitely be going back, thank you. 😋
If it is hot n spicy food you are after, look no further. Vibrant atmosphere quick service and great food. Good selection of beer and wine Will be back soon for more.
for all the spicy lovers out there, this is a must. Must try their spicy fish and chong qing chicken. Extremely spicy but just so addicting. Should also try their sliced pork fry and spicy fried rice. Its oily yet amazing
The most authentic Sichuan food you can find in Melbourne. And this is the best out of all Dainty Sichuan restaurant group restaurants. Food were fresh, tasty and very spicy. Price was slightly pricey compared to their other outlets, but with bigger portion. Sure a place that I will be back often.
Came here for group dinner recommended by a friend. Nice Sichuan restaurant with plenty of foods to choose in menu. We ordered few dishes to share between 4 of us. Foods are flavorsome and cook in traditional recipes. A lot of peppercorn used. Price is quite high. Work out about $50/person for 4 dishes to share.
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4.2. Very impressive. Not perfect but very very good.
The most important thing. The food here is superb. Probably the best Chinese food I’ve ever had. We had a party of 9 and had a range of dishes. Every single dish was excellent. In order they were sweet and sour pork ribs, kong pao chicken, kong pao prawns, ma po tofu with beef mince, dry stir fried beans, fish flavoured eggplant and sweet and sour cabbage. Every single dish was fantastic. I loved them all and so did the whole table. If I had to pick a favourite it’d be a curious one. The cabbage was utterly magnificent. Cooked and flavoured so perfectly it was ridiculous.
Service was up and down on the night. It was not good at the start. No one attending to us. Single dishes then delivered with significant intervals. No rice either. It made for a chequered and slightly awkward start. It was rectified in time but it shouldn’t have happened at a restaurant of this quality.
On the upside again, the cost of the meal was very modest at $33 a head. Exceptional value actually. We brought two of our own wines which helped the bottom line. What a great thing to be allowed to do.
Overall I loved the place and would return in a heartbeat.
Visited on a Saturday night pushing 8pm, but it was almost packed and the air was steaming with all kinds of scents. A pricey menu, but you get what you paid for; the portions were surprisingly big and spicy, but deliciously authentic. The staff were friendly, the orange justice was freshly squeezed, and we’ll definitely be back! Must visit with a group of people.
All dishes we ordered are so tasty, quite spicy, but we love it. The quantity of dish is decent, which is important too. Will definitely come back again.
Spicy chicken and the spicy fish are my favorite. We order that two dishes almost every time. And the hot pot is nice too. The space is enough we never need to wait for the table.
Had a great lunch here today. The place was packed! Had to wait for about 30mins before getting a table. The lamb ribs was spicy, but delicious! Then crispy duck was delicious. All the food went very well with a cup of soya bean drink. We will definitely be back.
It’s nice to have hotpot in a cold day. I quite like their soup flavor and the sauces as well. The food was so fresh and friendly staff. It’s pretty crowded in the evening so you should have a reservation
Food was exceptional, we love our food very hot and spicy. If you are like us don’t hesitate to try this place. We found this place via sbs food channel when they reviewed this place.
It’s been my favorite place for a long long time. I would return whenever any of my friend is craving for spicy food.. as the menu is made for groups.. I recommend veggie dishes here, obviously they know how to make delicious veggie here.. Sorry I forgot to take more photos..
Been there twice but never disappointed! Food are all very traditional Sichuan style. Spicy and yummy! Perfect for location and food. Lamb and chilli chicken are very yummy!
Perfect spot for a night out with friends, dishes are as expected- spicy but with an exception of a few.. If you like spicy Chinese food this is the place for you.. my favourite dishes is the chongqing chilli chicken..
I was recommended to visit Dainty Sichuan, and to try the Fish Flavoured Eggplant, and it did not disappoint!
One of the most enjoyable feeds I’ve had since moving to Melbourne 6 months ago.
We were at first a little put out by the higher pricing, but portion sizes were huge, and together with the quality of the meals and excellent service, it was well worth it.
We also had the Sichuan fried rice, Bang Bang Chicken, and the pork buns. Could have fed four people rather than just us two.
Highly recommended Chinese food in Melbourne. so the best way to get in this restaurant is to either be early or have a reservation in place. the place is nob, but they are busy. the quantity of food is at least good for minimum of 3 and good and heavy for 2. so be careful of how many dishes to order, as they are graceful in quantity. the taste is too authentic, so never eaten such tasty food ever.
BYO option available, average of 75 -100$ for 2. but every cent is worth it....
Holy crap this place is a spicy treat. Busy as all hell. Cool fish at the entrance. Some of them are lying down all sleepy like. There is a sign on the tank telling everyone they like to sleep. I think they know how spicy they are about to become. It is a bit more expensive than average but it is tasty as all hell. I had an orange juice and ice cream frappe. It was fresh OJ and icecream. TASTY AF. There are some really good classic dishes on the menu. Stuff is less likely to be seen in Aussie/Chinese menus. If you want to feel the absolute spicy fire then come hungry and leave full and humble. I look forward to wrestling this flavour beast again soon.
Dainty Sichuan is my goto place for Sichuan spicy food. Cumin lamb is just amazing and a regular in our orders. Beef and fish were amazing too. Love their spicy sichuan fried rice as it goes really well in mains with other spicy dishes.
Chilli is king at Dainty Sichuan 🌶️ Dainty is a regular favourite of mine, offering an expansive menu, peppery flavours, and exceptional service. Favourites are fried rice with preserved ham, cumin lamb ribs, Chongqing chilli chicken, and fish flavour eggplant. Not for the weak hearted, Dainty is full of bold rich flavours, and always satisfies. Each dish seems pricey but for two you will be stuffed with one rice dish, and two meat dishes (and might have a bit of takeaway). See you again soon Dainty, keep up the awesome work!
Very good spicy hot pot. We ordered the half non-spicy and half medium spicy soup base. The medium spicy tasted just right with all your ingredients but it was too spicy to taste the soup by itself. It is not a cheap meal for 2 but the more people you share with the cheaper it is and the more variety of food you can get in one seating.
Best Spicy Chinese Food in Melbourne eh! Love the boiling fish! Make sure you get the more expensive one because it is totally worth it! Ordered Cold Noodles for starter and it was full of flavour! Also had the eggplant dish which was their signature I believe. Very happy with everything. Service was super friendly!
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Was pleasantly surprised at this place! It is a spacious two storey building with nice decor, and the food was authentic and lovely. What surprised us the most was the fast and attentive service, which is definitely on the rarer side when it comes to chinese restaurants (my friends and I joke that the more authentic a chinese restaurant is, the worse their service). Perhaps it is because of this that the food is ever so slightly on the pricier side (approx. $40pp), but still reasonable as typically mains in this type of chinese cuisine are larger and therefore pricier, as they are meant for sharing in groups. We ordered the mushroom and wonton soup, pan fried pork buns and a lamb and garlic shoot dish recommended to us by the waitress. The soup was clean, deep and flavourful, had a nice variety and portion of mushrooms, and the wontons were delicious! The star of the night was definitely the buns though! Super authentic, flavourful, juicy/soupy, tender and the pastry! The top was thick and soft, and the crispy yet soft texture of the panfried side combined with the aroma and taste of the sesame oil... my partner and I were blown away by the well-balanced and perfect nature of the pork buns! The lamb was also nice; it had a strong cumin/five spice flavour but the texture and taste of the garlic shoots outshone the meat itself. Will be back to try more dishes, and most definitely the hotpot!
Great place if you love spicy authentic Chinese food. The supper spicy rabbit is amazing, and the hot pots are great, just the drinks are expensive.
I lovvvvvvvveeeeeee their BlackPepper Crabby 🦀!! So Juicy, Tangy, tender inside and delicious. It worth to wait for the service. For Hot seafood freak, you have try this but stay away for those not love hot spicy food. I kept the left over Crab in to the fridge and it last for 2weeks. The taste is still same even more. The crab meat is very sweet and fresh just couldn’t say no for more xx
Love
Live
Alive
It amazes me that how many times I have overlooked this place even though I have walked right past it! It is difficult to judge the proportions of this restaurant from outside. This place is huge!
The food is equally awesome. The cumin lamb is a must. The kong Pao chicken was the best and the least spicy. I am not a huge chilli fan so the lamb was not easy for my palette but others liked it a lot. The bang bang chicken was sweeter. To sum it all up, it was a nice experience and I would come back for more.
We’ve been regular foodies at Dainty. And each time we discover something new. Fish flavoured Eggplant is our all time favourite. This time we had Cumin Lamb slices and Hot and Spicy Fish slices. These were as much spicy as divine. We ended our dinner teary eyed and with numb tongues, but our tummies were happy and craved for more.
👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 so good.
1. Chongqing chilli chicken - a lot! 3/5 bones and 2/5 is the meat haha. Okay spicy for asian tongue.
2. Corn in gold sand - tasty! Not tooo salty or tasteless and perf! Pretty light :)
3. Fish soup.. something - big portion for 5 people i think its a good size for about 10ppl. And A bit salty😬 the fish is nice tho.
4. Fried rice with preserve ham - went well with the other dishes.
5. Cumin lamb slices - the highlight of the night! Just so good~ not too spicy, really tasty and nice, the beef is tender as well :)
5 people order this 5 dishes. Since all the beef is in big portion we feel its too much. We think we could remove the fish soup haha
Great atmosphere for Chinese dining. Extensive menu. Good value for money. Would definitely recommend this place or any of the other Dainty’s in Melbourne for hotpot.
Delicious Chinese fine dinning place, can eat hot port or cooked dishes...authentic spicy Sichuan flavour, well made food middle range priced and large sitting good for group people or simple dinner...as a working local in south Yarra just so convenient after work, always coming back :)
Strongly recommended those one who like spicy food go there n have a try. It’s the really spicy n u will never regret. Especially their minced noodles, it tasted really sour n spicy
Whoo! This place is spicy! Haha.
I'm saying that, be sure you know what you're getting into before ordering. While there's a good selection of non spicy food, the highlight of Sichuan cuisine is obviously their spicy stuff.
Go for their spicy fish or if you want variety of things, grab a hot pot and have fun cooking!
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After leaving the cinema and being confronted by pouring rain, my friends and I found ourselves cold and hungry - and what better food than hotpot to warm us up?
From the moment you enter Dainty Sichuan, the beauty of its decor overwhelms you. The textures and patterns on the walls are detailed, and elegant, but balanced by the neat neutral tones of unadorned tables - like blank canvasses waiting to be filled. The lighting is warm, but it is also bright, and fills the room. In this, they dodge the trap of too many restaurants who believe that "ambiance" means being unable to see your meal! But I digress. The point is, this restaurant has been designed properly, and well, and it shows.
The service was excellent - well above what I expect, compared to most of the restaurants that a poor student normally frequents. However, I suppose it should be mentioned that to some extent, the price reflected that. Regardless, everybody that we spoke to, from entrance to table to cashier, was friendly, polite, and instantly receptive. There were always 3 waiters on-hand, actually WAITING for people to need assistance.
The only minor grievance that I had was that we had to ask for the hotpot menu. But even then, when we did ask for it we got it 90 seconds later!
The FOOD:
My god, the food.
I can still taste the spicy soup mix under my tongue. I can still smell the steam rising off it... The food was delicious. We ordered a fairly basic set of hotpot dishes, inspired mostly by our student budget, and partly by waiter's recommendation: rolled beef (the cheapest one), wombok, rice cakes, chrysanthemum stems, and some chicken. All of the food was fresh; the meat especially was tender and cooked beautifully, but the chrysanthemums were surprisingly good.
We left the restaurant happy and full, with that glowing feeling in our stomachs that only hotpot - and great hotpot, at that - can bring.
Hot and spicy food served here. Addictive hot pot, my parents love spicy food so I brought them here and they love it sooooo much. Fairly expensive Chinese food but worth it. Yum yum yummy....😋
If you are in the mood for spicy food please come here. The hot pot is really good in that there are heaps of choices and the soup bases are tasty too. Only downside is that there is a lack of chicken dishes for the hotpot. There are so many cooked dishes too and every dish we ordered from the spicy fish to the fried chicken in chilli to the cold spicy chicken was delicious and spicy. Place was clean and large and service was good.
Not sure if I would give this place a really high score like some ppl have. Went here last wk and yes it was good. Ordered the spicy fish bowl and yes it was nice but was it worthy of a high score? No.
In saying this is this store good? Yes! The spicy fish I ate though is a bit full on and can give you a sore stomach. Not sure if I can eat here often.
Compared to the Glen Waverley where I live much more closer to I'd rather go there instead.
I was told this is best Sichuan places in town especially this South Yarra restaurant. We had the bbq pork ribs with steamed white rice. These were the best pork ribs I’ve had till date. Everything was perfect - the spice, the meat and the sauce. Service was a little slow but the food compensated for it. :)
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Very busy.
Pricey.
Authentic food.
Very tasty!
Something new for westerners but also very limited choice if you're not into trying something mcuh different than what you're used to.
BYO.
Staff barely speaks English which is not convenient (they have one or two guys who are fluent and they are serving the non-asian guests)
I personally loved the restaurant even though the staff was not very helpful (they were not rude or anything, but a bit disengaged with non-asian guests). Maybe it was the language barrier.
Food is authentic and much different than what other Asian restaurants have to offer. These guys are serving dishes you can't find on every corner.
For an Asian restaurant, its very well styled. It is place that you wouldn't wear sneakers to (even though there were guests in flip flops). They should introduce some sort of dress code policy, at least for dinner time because there were guests in suits and guests in shorts. Kind of not a good look.
Been there a few times and loved it. Recommendations
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The place to have fresh fish in spicy Sichuan chilli oil and not feel horrible after!
Between the 4 of us, we had three main dishes, the spicy fish (fresh fish at market price costing $90 at two pound), fried chicken pieces and stir fry long beans.
We also had Chinese tea and a jar of soy bean to share.
For a Sunday night, I expected a lot more people but since there weren’t many, we got superb nice attention and service.
The food was up to expectations and the service surpass expectations. All in all a good experience and I am glad we came here amongst all Dainty restaurants out there as the quality of the dishes has maintained all these years as the original (since the city one moved) store as it expanded explosively everywhere.
Keep up the good work and hope it continue to prosper while all the not so nice rivals fight it out in the Melbourne Sichuan food scene!
****
Have to drop the rating cos I just revisited it from less than 6 months ago and am truly disappointed with the spicy fish today.
We were recommended the 花卢(sea bass) , supposedly small enough for two and not too much bones. The size comment was right but the fish has so much bones it’s unbelievable. The fish was fresh, but it’s so unbelievably difficult to eat and unpleasant when cooked as spicy fish! Either they gave us the wrong fish or this fish is just unsuitable for spicy fish!
We also had pigs ears and stir fry cabbage, taste was good and service reasonably good. Only thing they seemed to be very hard up with is napkins. I have to ask 5 times for it!
At payment the fish was listed as Murray Cod...question marks all over...
I had very valuable lunch here. The special lunch menu are provided only weekday. I choiced a non-chilli pork dish and it was so amazing and full of flavor. I couln't believe I can enjoy the taste of fine chinese restaurant for $12. Be carefull, their chilli dish should be very hot, so I don't recomend for ordinal people.
Awesome Sichuan dishes! Spicy! Tasty! Authentic! I have been in Australia for 10 years, this place offers the best Sichuan food! If you ever come to Melbourne and you are a fan of spicy food. You have to come to this place.
Little Bit Of Everything
+4.5
My favorite Sichuan place to go to. Good quality and delicious food. They are pretty spicy well thats what Sichuan is about. Everything on their menu is worth trying out. They are little pricey but serve generous portions.
We had Spicy Periwinkles, Cumin lamb ribs, Fish fillets in boiling hot oil, Pork ear, Beef heart and tongue slices, Duck tongue, Spicy Lamb Kebabs and Sichuan fried rice. I cannot pick one dish they all are mouth watering. I have gone back many times as I want people to try the best sichuan food in the town.
Tried their hotpot only once and I surely am going back.
Highly recommended for the larger groups.
Posh chinese restaurant. Very comfortable to sit to and share a bowl of spicy fish soup. The egg plant stir fried with some Chinese sauce was also good. Don't forget the chopped chicken with dried chilies.
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Food:
- Spicy Periwinkles: sounds disgusting, tastes delicious. Texture might be weird for those who are not familiar with these. Very very spicy.
- Kong Pao Chicken: this one is less spicy but still fills with tons of flavours. The nuts make it very rich and also add more texture to the dish. The Sichuan peppers will really numb your tongue but at the same time make it so fragrant and tasty.
- Dry Stir-fried Beans: this is is not spicy at all. Won't need to comment too much about this because it's such a classic dish. Besides, my friends and I felt like we really need veggie so this is what we went for.
- Fried Rice: couldn't remember which one we went for (preserved ham or beef) but it was also very nice, not too oily and the portion was reasonable.
Price: really depends on what you have but I'll say the average is $40-50+/pp
Service: I won't say they are the friendliest staff but they will take care of you. Bonus point is that it doesn't take ages to get their attention. Overall, didn't have any problem with staff.
Deco: quite a big restaurant, deco does look a bit fancier than the usual Chinese restaurants but it's very neat, not overly fancy.
This is my always go place and must to have every month. The boss Tina is so smart to have the authentic Sichuan cuisine in Melbourne. Must to have the deep fried egg plant.
Come here for lunch while I was shopping in toorak. The food is super spicy! But very tasty I ordered the mapo tofu from the lunch menu and definitely will be back for the hot pot
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I am quite a fan of Dainty Sichuan Box Hill and I thought it would be interesting to compare it to the hot pot in South Yarra. I did write a review on the Box Hill one but for some reason Zomato deleted it. I think I scored the Box Hill one a 4 out of 5.
I came here tonight with a Meetup group. I knew when I was coming here that unlike Box Hill you share the hot pot, even though this brings the price down a bit I prefer the individual ones because you have more control of the cooking and I'd often put something in the shared hot pot only for someone to steal it hehehe, plus I was standing up a lot to get food and I have long arms so I'd hate to see what it's like for someone who has short arms.
There was more than 10 of us so we were able to order more of a variety of food. I picked the usual tendon and lotus root and it seemed to me like the servings were smaller but maybe Box Hill are better at fluffing it up with lettuce underneath. We also ordered beef, lamb and pork; these were nice but it was hard to control the cooking so it was either cold or over cooked hahaha. The sliced fish was often so over cooked it was mushy, I think this says more about our lack of cooking skills than Dainty Sichuan. We also ordered way too many shiitake mushrooms. A surprise standout for me was the radish, I might order that again next time. We weren't quite full enough at the end and we could've ordered more food but we were rushed.
I wasn't there when the soup bases were ordered but I think they ordered the herbal soup base and the chili. The herbal soup base was nice. I really liked the chili soup base because it wasn't as spicy as the one in Box Hill so I could have more things cooked in it. Someone at the table said it was the mild chili soup base.
The service here was ok, it was quick and efficient but we were rushed. I'm not sure if the Box Hill branch also has 2 sittings. I would love to come back and try the a la carts menu.
PS I also liked the sweet potato noodles a lot. I also touched my eye with spicy soup on my finger, don't do that hahah ouch.
Catching The Big Fish
+4.5
For good reason, Dainty Sichuan has long been a fixture of the South Yarra dining scene. This is because it is very difficult to find Sichuan food of this quality in Melbourne.
All of the dishes perfectly balance flavor, heat and texture. My favourite dishes are the fish-fragrant eggplant, pork ribs barbecue and the green beans with pork mince.
Wonderfully nuanced food with effective service.
I have been to the South Yarra branch so many times but never tried their hotpot until last week. Unlike the city store where you have your own pot, we all share a big pot and you can choose two flavours. We had the herbal and spicy soup, and we really liked both especially the herbal one. All the meat are really fresh and try their Chinese chrysanthemum vegie, tasted like water spinach but better. We also ordered their fried eggplants, it was crispy with sticky sweet and tangy sauce. Service was really good despite the place being full. The staffs were friendly and full of smile. We ended up paying about $45pp and we were super full! I'd recommend this branch compared to the city one as it is much more expensive.
One of the best places to eat. Long wait times if you don't book early, but worth the wait. Best is the eggplant and spicy vegetable fish soup. Other favourite is the pork. Most of the time it is soft and succulent, just don't let it dry out. But the taste and spice, you cannot find anywhere else. A little more on the $$$ side, but for sichuan food, was worth it. get the soy milk to curb the spiciness.
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This restaurant is conveniently located near South Yarra station. I've tried a number of the other Dainty Sichuan restaurants across the city and decided to give this one a go to seeing as my friend and I were craving spicy food.
As with the other Dainty Sichuan restaurants I visited, both my friend and I were immediately greeted in Chinese just due to the fact that we looked of Asian descent and throughout the course of the meal, continued to be talked to in Chinese despite our constant use of English. Though not a review on the food itself, it is one of my pet hates when staff do this and I will continue to highlight.
In terms of the food, it was disappointing that the menu selection at each of the Dainty restaurants vary and the dish that I both my friend and I were hoping to order was not available at this venue. Instead, we ordered the Spicy Beef Noodle under the 'Lunch Specials'. There was a generous serving size and a decent amount of meat and noodles. The soup base lacked the "numbing kick" that I was hoping but it was still nice.
Best boiling fish ever. And loads of other amazing dishes. As a Chinese I gotta say this is one of the best Chinese restaurants. And it's very rare that you actually get good services as well! A bit on the pricy side but it really worth it!
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Dainty Sichuan is located in South Yarra and very close to train station / tram stop.
The location of this restaurant is very strategic surroundings by office buildings and residential apartments.
The restaurant has plenty seats available downstairs (mainly used for hot pot) and upstairs (a la carte).
We (3 of us) ordered Chongqing Chili Chicken (chili & sichuan popped, chicken with bones) for $30.80 and Hot and spicy Fish Slices (chili oil & sichuan pepper) $31.80.
The portion or each dish could be shared up to 3 - 4 people, they were generous.
The average money spent for each person was approximately $17.00 - $25.00.
The chili chicken was really delicious and fried well; You just need to be more careful to avoid the sichuan pepper (**we called it as granate) because your tongue will definitely feel numb or funny as soon as you bite that. We all loved it and didn't mind to bite that on purpose LOL.
The spicy fish was tasty and the fish was very soft and delicate, but the soup was not recommended to be consumed as it was super oily.
Unfortunately, we found that both dishes were too salty and it was hardly impossible for us to have the dish only without having steam rice.
The steam rice will neutralise the saltiness, to be honest they're too salty.
For some reason. we felt thirsty and dry after having the dishes. We couldn't remember how many bottles of water needed to be refilled.
I'll come back again once in a while, but surely can't be added to my favourite list as I am not a big fan of salty dishes.
Yay : Both dishes were cooked well.
Nay : Too salty
Service : 3.5
Speed : 4.5
Taste : 3.5
Price : 2.5
Location : 176 Toorak Road, South Yarra, Melbourne
Phone : 03 9078 1686
Dry stirfried Beans and Kong Pao chicken are my favorite dishes. They offer really authentic Szechuan cuisine. Have came to this place several times, we all had good experiences menos a time the Kungpao chicken wasn't as tasty as before.
Bang bang chicken is a cold dish and it's delicious, and no doubt spiccccy. Can't handle the heat after few bites. Need soy milk to save my tongue and lip.
Hot blood curd combination is normal.Smoked pork and cauliflower woK is a pretty nice dish with so many flavors in it, just keep u eating.
Spicy crabs is alright, wont recommend it but worth to try if u wonder how it tastes.
Also their hot pot is nice with so many ranges of food to choose. The restaurant is a bit pricy, but probably the best Szechuan food you could ever get here. Worth the money.
Nice to enjoy with friends for good communal hotpot. Service here is much friendlier than the city branch. Their lunch menu is good value also.
Very nice place and the food was tasty. Especially the grill fish was cooked beautifully. But I prefer the rice would serve with a rice bucket rather than small bowels as we eat lots of rice.
The restaurant has many great choices on their menu besides their signature spicy Sichuan dishes. My friend and I wasn't a spicy food eater but we still manage to have some great food here with good portion size. Their service was prompt and the staff were really friendly.
Joanne | Melbournecitay
+4.5
Still my Favourite Sichuan place - ever. 4 visits later, I would highly recommend their eggplant, the Chilli chicken and their famous bowl of fish. Just stick to the TOP 10 dishes and you can't go wrong. Pair it with a jug of soya bean 💛 this place is not for you if you don't enjoy spicy tongue numbing food. I love it, esp during winter!
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Food: Wow, so Dainty Sichuan really don't hold back on the spice. If you're a mild food eater, this is not the place for you, however, if you love lively flavoured Asian food, Dainty Sichuan is a must. We had the spicy lamb kebabs and the chicken and mushroom wok. Portion sizes are very generous, and although prices seem a little high, you definitely get a lot of bang for your buck (In more ways than one). The spicy lamb kebabs do exactly what they say on the packet, think lip tingling, cleared out sinuses spicy. The chicken was milder, and was more just a gentle warmth through the dish rather than a spicy hit. The meat was well cooked in both, and there was a good balance, of chicken, mushroom and veggies in my dish.
Atmosphere: The restaurant is beautifully decorated and you feel transported to Asia. Everything is so well finished off and the little touches with the plating and decoration really help make it a great experience. Service was pleasant but it wasn't the pull out all the stops service you can see in other Melbourne eateries. If they can nail this, this will really blow it out of the park in terms of eating experiences in Melbourne.
Would I recommend it: Absolutely!! You won't be disappointed! There's so many great choices on the menu I could go back over and over again! You get those real Asian flavours that are such a feature of many street food stalls and cafes, but in a beautiful restaurant environment.
It's burns!!! Make it stop burning!!! I found the food at Dainty Sichuan far from mild and meek as the name might suggest. Soups of chilli and peppercorns and all the dishes seemed to be hiding something ferociously hot. I knew that Sichuan food was known for being spicy but I was unprepared for the level of spice I encountered here. Perhaps this was due in part to the fact that I didn't have a say in what dishes got ordered (the expert in our group did all the ordering). I enjoyed the underlying flavours but found I was constantly pushing aside peppercorns and chillies to save my mouth for hell fire. The duck was delicious and a little more subtle. The interior was very opulent and staff were quite attentive.
Richard Ricardo Sosa
+4.5
Firstly yes it's Sichuan so yes it's spicy! Great place, recently refurbished, attentive staff and proper Sichuan flavours. I usually come here for lunch with work friends and they love it too. Expect to pay around 15-20 from their a la carte lunch menus, I usually go kung pow chicken but vary with every visit. Staff always top up my tea and ensure everything is as it should be, sit near the window and watch busy Toorak pass you by, it's just too good!
I love it! I especially like spicy food so this is my favourite! I highly recommend “沸腾鱼” and “重庆辣子鸡”. But if you cannot eat spicy food, pls don't try the second one. You can also go for hotpot~
|The go to Sichuan restaurant| ★★★★1/2
Must Try: Spicy charcoal grilled fish, wa wa vegetable (chinese cabbage stir fry), golden boiled fish, cumin lamb, fried eggplant
Visited too many times lost count. 😂
$40-60/ person
•everyone should get the spicy charcoal barramundi fish (kao yu) it will change your life
•service consistency is average
•the food taste amazing
•they have hotpot downstairs (I usually go to the box hill chain for hotpot)
Tip: they are very full would recommend making a reservation
評價：★★★★1/2
推薦烤魚選新鮮盲曹肉嫩多汁😝（辣椒很多味道麻辣很入味）
服務一般建議叫經理點餐
有火鍋在樓下
Tip：每天晚上很滿建議訂位
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The restaurant was packed for Saturday dinner. We didn't have reservation so was lucky to have a table for us when we walked in. I could see there was a waiting list ahead of me but maybe for bigger group of guests. There was only two of us so it's easy to get a table. We were asked if we're after hotpot or ala carte dinner. I chose the latter and were ushered upstairs. Service was pretty good for such a busy restaurant. I ordered the hot and spicy fish slices, tofu thread with leek, rice and oolong tea. The food portion was quite huge and only in one standard size. I requested for less spicy for the fish and happy that they could accomodate! The food was served quite promptly and was full of flavours! There was plenty of heat in the fish for a mild version! I can't imagine how spicy it can get with the standard 3 chillies dish! My partner suffered from a bit of heartburn after the dinner. Nice restaurant with authentic flavours but just eat with moderation and know your threshold for hot chilli!
Been here twice for lunch. It's never failed to produce amazing food. Great service & ambiance.The drinks are nice too. Be sure to use Liven app so you can also get your $50 cash back when you dine here. I cannot wait to return!
Have been here twice now with friends and family. The food is authentic Sichuan cruisine. The portion was decent although it is on expensive end. The eggplant is so delicious that I have to order it everytime! The chillie fish is good too. Highly recommend this place for people who loves spicy food.
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Dainty Sichuan - A place for uptown spicy chinese sichuan food. flavours are strong and potent.💪
Appitizer doesn’t come from the menu, it begins from South Yarra train station. Aromas of the spicies tickle your stomach and the craving begins there😍.
We ordered Bang bang Chicken🍗, Spicy Pork Slices, Stewed Pork Belly and Potato Threads with Hot Capsicum, much more than two person can eat, makes a delightful “tomorrows lunch” as well.
Flavors are strong and spicy🌶🌶, the Bang Bang Chicken really does have that Bang in spice. Up next was the sliced pork, didn’t taste much different to the Bang bang, maybe less sweet, but the pork in the chilli oil, nice job! You’d hve to try it for yourself, I can’t think of a word to explain it, maybe because i’m too busy pigging out on the left overs while I write this review😅.
The Stewed Pork Belly is a reminisense of vietnamese braised pork, rich in flavour but also quite fatty, I convince myself to trade taste and satisfaction for weight at times, and this was a time well worth.👊
Potato Threads with Hot Capsicum was tough to eat, as you’d expect from noodles being made of Potatoes, it was like a fight to get the noodles to loosen themselfes from each other, altough you could taste the “wok” flavour, a similar statement flavour you would get when you get quality fried rice😋
Experience was sort of like an adventure from fighting the army of spices and chills to the tangling grips of potato noodles. Our take? We come here every so often, its a good treat once in a while, the smell from the restraunt really does tease you, especially if you’re in the area often.😊
Thank you for having us 🙏
Food is genuine and delicious. Honestly the best Sichuan food i've had! The BBQ pork is so decadent and the milk tea is fragrant and better than any bubble tea places!
Very pricey, but well worth the meal. Will be back again!
Their hot pot is full of flavours and varirty except the spicy soup is way too spicy for me. Thir main dishes are very outstanding taste, love the park rib. Overall, it's one of good place.
Food : excellent representation of Szechuan cuisine. Spicy fish highly recommended.
Service : efficient and polite
Ambience : nice surroundings with tasteful decor
Been going to Dainty Sichuan in South Yarra for their dishes. Everything was flavourful, good customer service, and quick. Really recommend their fried sichuan chicken,stir fry potato, fried eggplant, fried beehoon and their grilled fish. I always look forward to going there.
Had the ribs between two. Really huge portions, could have easily fed a third person. Really tender and flavourful. Highly recommend giving this place a try
Stepping into DS is like being transported to a restaurant in Beijing.
Every dish is an absolute flavour explosion. Sichuan food is great and this place does it better then anyone in Melbourne.
The Ma Po tofu is the best I've ever had. The fish sauce egg plant, kang Po chicken/prawn and the bang bang chicken are all musts.
Each time I've left here, including tonight, my tongue has been on fire (in a good way), the Sichuan spice is not for everyone, however I adore it. Make sure that you are careful with what you are ordering if you don't do spice.
Huge servings so don't order too much, like I always seem to do.
I'm not a big fan of sichuan food. We came for a Christmas celebration, the food was good but is very oily. The service was nice. Maybe I should try other things on the menu
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Flavoursome and authentic Chinese Sichuan food. Much better service than the branch in the city.
We were here on a Sunday evening at 8PM and didn't have to wait for a table for two.
To start we got the Sweet and sour pork belly (3.8 point) which was very authentic. The sauce leaned a bit on the sweet side, being caramelised very nicely. The pork has a good amount of meat and minimal fat (it could be quite bad if there's too much fat - Saint Baxter please take note). The meat was quite tender as well. However, the portion was surprisingly smaller than in the picture on the menu.
Next, we got the Ants climbing the trees (4.5) which was basically stir-fried pork minced with vermicelli. It was super duper delicious! Just a hint of spiciness and smokiness, combined with a complexity of various spices, delivering a wholesome and tasty dish! The well-marinated minced pork, fragrant diced green onions and garlic, went really well with the firm and smooth vermicelli. Easily the best vermicelli-based dish we have ever tried in Melbourne in a while.
The last dish we ordered was the spicy chicken ribs (4.0). It was advistised as the restaurant's best seller last month so we thought we should try. Being little wimps when it come to spiciness, we asked the waitress to tune-down the chili department of the dish. Yet, oh boys, it was hot! Though we can agree that the chicken was moist inside, slightly crispy on the outside, perfectly seasoned, and tasted just delish, it was so spicy we couldn't finish em. But we definitely could imagine it being a banging dish for those chili-lovers.
I'm not really a big fan of pork but I really loved the pork ribs barbecue here. The texture is different and the corianders are perfect for the bbq. My photo does not do the justice but the ribs actually taste really good. Big portion too, but I enjoyed it so much that we were able to finish it (along with kung pao prawn and sichuan stir-fried rice) despite there's only the two of us.
Often find Chinese are way too oily but it's pretty yum anyway !
All dishes i try was so wonderful ! Love the spicy lamb ribs and stir fried prawn with peanuts.
unfortunately, didnt try the hot pot there, hav heard that their hot pot is a must ! Next time will do ♡♡♡
My Bf's favourite Sichuan restaurant in Melbourne. All dishes are good never letting us down. Our normal order includes chilli meat pot and grilled fish. This is also what I missed when I was in Japan for holiday.
I am huge fan of spicy food and this place is exactly what I am after!!! Try one of their "3 chilly" dishes!
This chain is right across Melbourne now, I know 3 in CBD, 1 at box hill and 1 at Glen Waverley!
Also seems the hot pot at this south yarra branch is not as big as the ones in city and box hill.
Good food, mapo tofu is good but on the spicy side. Always a nice atmosphere whether solo diner or with friends. Service is good. Thanks guys!
Melbourne's No.1 Sichuan food, love hotpots, grilled fishes and other dishes.
Recently when I visited here, I had a kind of coke from Chongqing, called Tianfu Coke. It had interesting taste.
Started out in Smith St and the little place could not handle the hordes that wanted spicy. Here in Sth Yarra it's bigger, two levels of all things Sichuan. But it's not all about the chilli - sure you can go Mano on Mano with your fellow diners and try to out chilli each other but it's surprisingly subtle. The pork ribs are a case in point, a huge tray with pork pieces poking out between the mounds of chilli and you'd expect to get 3rd degree burns, but putting the heat aside; it's a remarkably subtle dish with many levels of flavour, heat and fragrance. Other stand outs are the dry stir fry beans, fish flavoured eggplant and ants climbing trees. But why must the service be so brusque? Is it a Chinese thing or do they want to show how busy they are? Chill out 😃
Is this the best Sichuan place in Melbourne or what? The taste and atmosphere are authentic, beautifully presented plates, fresh ingredient, and did I mention how amazing their sauces were? A trip to Sichuan China and back with a full stomach of fiery food in less than 2 hours, putting airlines out of job!
Bloody good food. Only go if you like spicy food, otherwise you're wasting your time. I love the ma po tofu and cumin lamb ribs but it's all brilliant (though I'm not brave enough for the super traditional offal offerings). The atmosphere and service isn't particularly elegant for the price range so it's no good for a first date, but otherwise the food more than makes up for it.
Usually not a fan of Chinese food but wow this place was amazing! The "fish flavored eggplant" wasn't fish flavored but rather delicious flavored! It is a bit pricey but the servings are so big- we got 3 dishes between 5 people and were very satisfied so ended up being about $20 each. The service was great, chatty, obliging, smily and welcoming, it all made for the best dinner out I've had in a long time.
🌶🌶🌶
Always came here for dinner and always satisfy with their dishes. This place can get really busy on dinner time so its better to book a table before. My favourites are cumin lamb slices, pork ribs bbq, ma po tofu, and dry stirfried beans. The hotpot was pretty good too! Surely worth the price. Overall, dainty sichuan certainly is the best sichuan restaurant in Melbourne.
Not your typical hotpot.
Went down with some friends for my birthday and had an absolutely lovely meal, topped off by amazing service.
Having sampled my fair share of hotpot restaurants I was expecting mediocre food coupled with sub-par service (which is acceptable when eating Chinese food). I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find that the wait staff were extremely efficient, polite and friendly to me despite my choice not to speak Chinese.
Food was of the best quality, from the meat to the tofu to the vegetables, and the sauces rounded it off nicely. Would recommend the cold noodles, bang bang chicken on top of standard hotpot dishes. Yeah it's not cheap but it's not overly expensive either and you definitely get your money's worth. Total spend depends on personal taste but I was stuffed for under 40pp
Extremely happy with my experience, and will definitely be back! (Spicy af)
Do not underestimate the chilly rating of this restaurent. Three chill's mean you will have smoke coming from your ears and I am not one to shy away from spicy food. We had the chilli chicken, eggplant, barramundi, pork with steam buns and the mixed vegetables. The rice and mixed vegetables is a must to cut through the heat!
Loved the eggplant. It is a must try with the chilli chicken.
The staff were lovely although quite a few don't speak English.
My main critisism is the surcharge on credit card payments. In this day and age that is a bit ridiculous, specially since this is not a cheap restaurent!
Food is brilliant - customer service of Mackey beats the food- super service !! A must try! Def recommend . Love love love the food :):):):)
It's always my favorite Chinese traditional cuisine in town although a little bit pricy Crispy spicy chicken blowing delicious I can't find any other better place than Dainty that made the Chinese spicy flavours in mainstream
Service is attentive staffs are friendly and approachable
Let's see, I think there are emoticons that will best describe my meal. 🔥🌶🔥🌶🔥😳🔥🌶🔥🌶🔥🌶😳🌶🔥🌶🔥😳🔥🌶😵🌶🔥🌶🔥🌶🔥🌶🔥🌶🔥🌶🤒🔥🌶🔥🌶🔥🌶👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊
Went here for my friends birthday gathering. I must say that the eggplant dish was my favorite. Wow - so yummy. The ribs were very good but too hot for me with the "🌶🌶🌶" rating on the menu. Really good food, but be prepared for the heat!!!! Like thermonuclear overload type heat!!!!
If you can handle spicy food this is the place to be. Great sichuan dishes, bang bang chicken is a must try. Eggplant eith fish sayce is really nice, spicy and sweet. Their lamb dishes are all yum which is great for winter. Fried chicken is a bit scary for first timer and its tiny friend chicken cover with dried chillies and peppercorn but very addictive.
No dessert which is a pity.
We’re hot pot newbies so we relied on Google to lead us to Dainty Sichuan. Very friendly staff who were more than ready to help us understand how it all worked. All the ingredients were fresh and the hot pot broth was regularly refilled with hot liquid. Yummy overall experience! We got over excited and ended up over ordering – which meant we could enjoy a bit at home the next day!
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I am not sure if there's a better Schezuan restaurant in Melbourne than the Dainty stable. They have made the deep Chinese spicy flavours mainstream, and continue to do so in this South Yarra placement. Went a few months ago with the family and we had an amazing feast. The broth from the lamb stew was flavoursome, the various chicken stir fry tongue blowing delicious, mapo tofu sublime and fish flavor eggplant the highlight of the table. I am not going to pretend I know the intricacies of the various spices used here, but I recognise outstanding produce and authenticity when I see/smell/taste it. In cooking quality can not be faked and screwed around with. On the website Dainty boast "...soy sauce from Zhongba, cooking vinegar from Baoning, special vinegar from Sanhui, fermented soy beans from Tongchuan, hot pickled mustard tubers from Fuling, chili sauce from Chongqing, thick broad – bean sauce from Pixian, and well salt from Zigong..." and by the fiery wok of hell I believe them. I shall return again and again to get my sichuan fix.
I was disappointed years ago when Dainty Sichuan moved from its' grungy little laneway in the city to shiny new premises in South Yarra. Mainly disappointed because it was no longer around teh corner for lunch.Happy to say that this place is as good as ever. I sense that they have backed off the heat of 5 or 6 years ago but the variety of dishes and flavors are as good as ever. Still the premier Sichuan place in town and better than you will get in most places in China.
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Dainty Sichuan is a surprisingly authentic Sichuan restaurant in the heart of South Yarra.
Food: I have been here twice, and on the first time the food was nice and hot, similar to authentic Sichuan cuisine. There is a combination of "spicy hot" and "numbing hot" which are the staple forms of heat in Sichuan cuisine. These flavours were surprising to see in the upclass suburb of South Yarra. However the second time I came, the dishes were toned down in spiciness. This was disappointing as these two combinations of spicy made this place extraordinary. There was less of that "numbing hot" which is what truly makes Sichuan dishes special. However I can't really fault them because the food was well seasoned and tasty. 4.5/5
Service: Service is generally good, food comes in reasonable time and waiters are fine, nothing bad and nothing out of the ordinary. 3.5/5
Ambience: A roomy restaurant, well air-conditioned (especially because the food is spicy) and there is lots of space for everyone. Generally a pleasant place to dine. The interior design is oriental and the lobby area is full of Chinese ornaments that match the Sichuan theme of the restaurant. 5/5
Best Sichuan food in town. You cant go wrong with Dainty Sichuan. We ordered the chilli prawns, spicy lamb kebabs, potato noodles with pork threads, potato thread with hot capsicum and fried ride with ham. All their dishes are bustling with a thousand flavours! We enjoyed each and every dish, it was a gastronomic party come to life!
This place is for the ones who are into hot food. If you can handle the hot stuff then try their Chong Qing chilli chicken. Seriously hot Sichuan peppers and small bits of deep fried chicken on the bone make it a mouth numbing experience!!
The cumin lamb is also delicious. If you are a vegetarian then the must try is the eggplant and the corn kernels!!
Food is awesome, but service can be a bit of a letdown as the staff really struggle with English language! Also after placing your order make sure to get the waiter to repeat it back to you as they always seem to mix it up!!
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On a cold and wet autumn's day, nothing warms the soul and fires the belly, like a dinner at dainty.
This place can get really busy on the weekends, so reservations is highly recommended. Just make sure that you leave a telephone number as the dude would most likely get your name wrong... Which was what happened today to us.
One can opt to have steamboat or order from the ala carte menu. We went for the latter. Food was good, consistent as always. Only feedback this time is, we feel that the spiciness level has been brought down. Not too sure if it's the fact that our tolerance has gone up, or if the restaurant has toned down the heat.
Service is usually abrupt and robotic. However today, we had a pleasant surprise of being served by a waiter, Louis. He was attentive, friendly and you could tell that he's just one of those who takes the initiative to go the extra mile. For once in this restaurant, I really enjoyed the service given! So, great job, Louis! You're doing an awesome job! Keep it up :)
I'm a chilli lover and this is one of the better Sichuan restaurant in Melbourne area so for me everything is good here. My favourites are fish flavoured eggplant, green beans with minced pork and spicy prawns. The prawns are all with skin and heads so you want to use your hands. You can order them peeled but it won't be as flavoursome - and of course it's more fun this way! If you have a weak stomach, well, start to make your way out because this isn't for you. If you can't get out of it, for instance if you get dragged here by your parents-in-law or your boss, you may be happy with just the golden sand corn... and plain rice of course. #sorrynotsorry
I love their Spicy Chicken dishes and the seafood with spices recommended by the staff...
I am a fan of Sichaun food... Worth spending if you can afford for seafood and chicken.South Indians from Hyderabad, Kerala and Tamilnadu use similar kind of chillis.. Sichaun food is a charmer
The food is mostly oily and salty & The staff must ask for any customization needed..
Will try their Tina KITCHEN in Preston soon...They have simillar ambiance and different menu quite affordable..
Just give a try mates.-If you can handle SICHUAN-BON Appetite...
Dainty Sichuan, wow! Talk about smack you in the face with flavor and spice. Went for dinner with some friends and was impressed by the portion sizes. My favorite of the night was a cold dish called Bang Bang Chicken a delicious arrangement of thinly sliced sweet and sour chicken with a kick of chilli and pepper.
Service needs a little work to keep the drinks flowing more often but all in all a great experience for authentic Szechuan flavor in South Yarra.
Pros: The hotpot is among the most authentic ones in Melbourne. Lunch menu is cheap and with a great variety.
Cons: the normal dish is way too oily for my liking , the taste is slipping gradually, some stir-fried chicken dish can be too dry and chewy.
Overall this is a place for occasional visit to satisfy my desire for spicy Chinese food, but will not go more than once in two months for my stomach's benefit.
If you need a bit of spice in your life then this is the place. I'm a fan! Faves here are the sichuan hot pot with white fish and the sichuan chicken drumettes ... addictive, spicy and yum!
Well known Sichuan cuisine spot in Melbourne and it worths the reputation in the Sichuan restaurants. The serval dishes were incredibly hot and spicy, but extremely delicious, the fish was tender and seems unbelievably for the first try.
Great atmosphere and service. The hot pot is great! Can choose level of heat (spice wise) and choose your ingredients. Great idea! Cook food in the boiling soup as you eat...
- Bang Bang Chicken (chilli & Szechuan pepper, sweet & sour) $19.8 - a cold dish of delicious chicken and vegetables slivered together;- Cumin lamb ribs $26.8 - as usual my favourite with thick (fatty) pieces of meat and great potent flavour;- Fish-flavoured eggplant (pickled chilli, sweet & sour) $19.8 - not really fishy, but just good eggplant fried with soft insides;- Fried pork slices $28.8 - tasty pork without too much fat served with chewy bits of bread;- Fried fish $42.8 - the fish was nice and like many Sichuan places, when served with that many chillies, they aren't actually hot. Some of the vegetables in it are a little oddly textured.
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Dainty as a chilli. Maybe the name of this place was lost in translation but the flavours sure aren't. DS food packs a powerful chilli punch even in its mild dishes. And the crowds love it!
On a weeknight, the spacious restaurant was quiet at 6pm but bursting within half an hour. I missed the memo to order steamboat like everyone else, choosing instead the cumin lamb ($28.80). With a photographic menu, you can easily test how accurate your dinner looks. Not only was it ready in about five minutes, it also had a striking resemblance to what l was promised. And with a heat rating of 2/3, it was just as spicy as l hoped - almost a whole bowl of fire starters scattered through. A huge pot of jasmine tea ($2pp) was the perfect accompaniment.
The genial staff checked in beforehand to make sure l knew what l was getting into with dinner. Fortunately I've been lucky enough to try DS many times before and l was glad the zing had not died. Neither had the courteous and effective service - a true group of professionals. Decor is also what l remembered but the ice-cream freezer seemed a new development. And the cute little chef's sticker telling me how popular my choice had been the previous month is a smart little bit of marketing as well as demand planning.
The serves are huge, the spice is right and DS is a well-deserved fave.
Dainty Sichuan taught me two things in life - you can never have enough peppercorns and there is no such thing as "too spicy". I went from shifting through the dish to get rid of the peppercorns to just eating the peppercorns whole because Dainty Sichuan has trained my taste buds to be immune to numbing pain and heat. I love everything about Dainty Sichuan - the food, the crazy noisy atmosphere and even the weird spicy smell that lingers in your hair and clothes after your meal. Serving sizes are huge so go in a large group so you can savour all that they have on offer. If your dining party is small and you still want to have a mixture of everything in one meal, go for the hot blood curd combination - it contains an orgy of lotus roots, bean sprouts, bean curds, luncheon meat, blood curd, flat potato noodles and of course, peppercorns. And if you do not know what to order, don't play it safe - try the pork chitterlings, pork kidneys or the periwinkles, trust me.
Good location , nice , clean , beautiful traditional Chinese decor with warm service and delicious food . I am a regular client here .
No more to be said , will come back.
So strong was the aroma of Dainty Sichuan’s food that I could smell it at least 3 blocks away – a heady mix of peppercorns and chillies, it was more than enough to make my mouth water. We were promptly seated upstairs and the waiter/?manager engaged us shortly after to offer his dish and drink suggestions. In fact, the service throughout the whole night was quite impressive – the food emerged in a timely but unrushed fashion and was cleared quickly after eating, and the waiters were very accommodating of our requests.
Overall, I was very impressed with the food and service at Dainty Sichuan and loved having my birthday dinner there. The highlights were
Don't go here if you want traditional Chinese! Food is magnificent, the eggplant dish sublime and the serves are huge! It seems to cater for quick turnover if you are in a hurry, wish I lived closer.
Very memorable spicy dishes. Bring a towel because you'll be sweating! At first glance, their menu is extremely pricy; however, their food is truly delicious and the portion is very generous. Very professional service. Definitely worth the try if you can stand the heat!
Best Sichuan Cuisine in Melbourne. Nice hotspot as well. I would recommend Boiling Fish in Golden Basin, traditional Chinese running the business. U like spicy and u CAN'T miss it.
King pao chicken was super hot. I had to breathe extra air and man .. were my lips on fire!!! I believe it has too much pepper but still in a few minutes you just get over it and keep nibbling. Hehe.. I also had the special lunch menu, Sichuan duck and beef. The beef was average for me. Also good to remember they have strict time policy. So try to get there at least an hour before they close. Happy eating.
I checked this place out with my high school friend during lunch time. The place was busy but we got seated almost straightaway. The customer service was good. The food that we ordered were tasty too. I have always like spicy food so that sat well on me. Unfortunately, the duck could have been better. I found it slightly bland. If you are craving for some duck, I'm sure you can just get it somewhere else.
Always go there to satisfy my Sichuan cravings. Good food but a bit on the pricy side. Food is very tasty. Love this place! Will keep coming back
Spicy and hot hot hot. Perfect place for sichuan craving. Everything is good just make sure confer with a few friends so you can order a few more dishes to share.
Really delicious and traditional Chinese dishes, and the steam pot is yummy as well. My favorite is the spicy boiled fish (🌶🌶🌶) and the fired chicken in a hot pot(🌶🌶). They are all Sichuan dishes.
We love this place! Reasonably priced, large servings and delicious food! The perfect place to order mains to share, my favourites being the Bang Bang chicken and Kong Pao prawns. We like to order a non spicy dish too to break it up a bit! Also, corkage is only a couple of dollars per person so the perfect place for BYO. Communication with staff can be challenging at times, but I personally think it's all part of the experience. Lovers of sichuan and spicy food will be in heaven!
One of the best Sichuan restaurant in Melbourne! tasty, spicy, that tingling feeling and numb tongue that you gonna have! the portion is massive, perfect for family and friends gathering. i would recommend pork ribs, fish flavoured eggplant, crab, prawn and kungpao chicken! the crab is crispy that you can actually chew the cage!
Loved the Chong Qing Chilli Chicken today and the pork belly with bean sauce. Attentive service, quick lunch and delicious - Sichuan food is awesome and they do it the best here
My favorite Sichuan restaurant! Food is always so delicious and well seasoned. Great service and comfortable eating area. Their lunch special is really worth a try for every good dish. I certainly come at least once a month to solve my sichuan dish craving.
Food is great! I always come here when i have sichuan cravings. Never disappoint! Highly recommend the spicy chicken! Food is however pricy! We always end up spending a lot (about $40 per head)
Love love love the food. Had cumin lamb ribs and eggplant as well as ants climbing on trees. The lamb ribs is a must. Decent price. Good serving sizes.
Came here and got the hotpot
Definitely an authentic experience, with a good selection of ingredients.
Waitstaff could be hard to get attention from at times.
Bit pricey but would come again!
I was never a fan of spicy..... but this place has changed my mind...... I dunno... was it the combination of chilli, sichuan pepper and msg that worked its magic? Whatever it was has worked! I'm now a fan of the 'suan cai yu' (pickled mustard fish ) and 'la zhi ji' ( chilli chicken ).
Possibly the best sichuan I've had in Melbourne. Their cumin lamb, beef riblets, ant climbing trees and eggplant with fishy taste are my favourites. The staff seem stressed and overworked and I don't blame them given this place is packed every single time. I see lots of people having hot pot though I haven't tried it yet. Would highly recommend this place. Just book in advance and don't be late!
Had a surprise bday party celebration for my partner last thursday, it went as i expected.
The staff was very patient and attentive to make sure everything was good and we enjoyed our dinner.
I personally tipped one of the waiter as he was really making sure that we all get what we want during the event, food was excellent as usual.
Service is great. They're polite and care about how you feel about food and service. Hot pot is highly recommended because the taste of hot pot soup is special. Prawn is fresh. I will come back again for more spicy food.
One of the best hot pot places I have visited in Melbourne. Generous portions, delicious sauces and soup mix. I loved the presentation of the food as well. Will definitely return with family to try it again.
It was absolutely Fantastic. It is widely known that Sichuan food is absolutely great but it is known as well that the Eggplant is the most hated Veggie in the world. And if a place can make an Eggplant taste good then that place is worth a visit. And this place is. I had no clue that it was soo good. The only time I loved eggplant was in Two Fat Indians when I ordered Baingan Ka Bharta which was absolutely fantastic the smokiness,the flavours ahhh were amazing. And Dainty Sichuan is the only second place in Melbourne which has the best Eggplant dish. The Beef Skewers were amazing too. The meet was so Meaty smooth, it just melts in your mouth. Ahhh what an experience.
Elegant looking chinese restaurant, clean and spacious. Reservations highly recommended. Came here for their hotpot on a cold winter night, absolutely love the broth and quality of food provided. Recommended for bigger groups.
What’s better than jumpers, hot milo and tv shows in winter? HOTPOT! I’ve been craving for hotpot since I came back to the chilly Melbourne weather. This restaurant not only does amazing, and I mean AMAZING Chinese a la carte dishes, they have really good hotpot. I ordered the yingyang pot, which is the basic stock and the Sichuan spicy soup. The basic stock is so tasty and yummy, especially for food that absorbs the flavor like meat or prawns. The Sichuan soup is really yummy but even ‘little spicy’ is a little too much for me to handle so I cooked the food in the basic soup first and dip it into the Sichuan one before eating. Definitely a must go to get some warmth (and spice) in your belly!
On a Friday night, after shopping at Emporium, it's great to have this yummy Sichuan style, Spicy fish with pickles to finish the night. Great service and yummy food. thoe only drawback for me is that I have been thirsty all night after that! Oh, well. That's a trade-off, it's it? Anyway, nice food. Great service. Really enjoyed it.
Brilliant traditional Sichuan cooking
Heat can be modified on request. Absolute favourite in winter. Credit card surcharge is a minor annoyance but there is no competition for aficionados
This is not your run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant. These guys use Sichuan pepper like they mean it. The food is absolutely delicious. Their signature chicken dish is particularly spicy but excellent. Ants climbing a tree is nothing short of addictive and doesn't involve actual ants. Worth all the hype
I have frequented this venue for close to 10 years (back when it was still in China town), and without a doubt it's the best Sichuan style food in Melbourne - I was actually in the Sichuan province of China late last year and the majority of venues I dined at could not compare to Dainty Sichuan.. A real surprise to say the least! The spicy fish dish is a must here. Keep up the good work.
Nice and clean restaurant. The service is fast, we didn't have to wait for the table. We came here a few time for hot pot. Most of the dishes in the menu were spicy, because they were Sichuan food, but we could actually order the non-spicy version or the mild spicy one. The food was good. The menu got pictures of the food and that made it easy to order.
I love this place and basically everything on their menu but this place is seriously only for spice lovers. I've been here a few times in group settings and there's a always that one person who can't eat spicy food and there isn't really much on the menu that isn't spicy.
Years in the waiting, finally got to Dainty Sichuan on a trip to Melbourne. Legendary popularity still in effect we were seated upstairs surrounded by plenty of hustle and bustle. Great expectations were reinforced by lots of people eagerly eating from hugely generous plates and bowls of food.
On the basis of what we saw we ordered only 3 dishes. The signature chicken dish, a lamb and a beef rice. The lamb was the highlight, beautifully tender spicy and steaming hot. The famed chicken I must admit to being a little disappointed by. By no means did it lack anything by way of flavour, generously or presentation but it didn't zing in the way I expected.
Regardless my Anthony Bourdain inspired visited is ticked off.
I remember going to the South Yarra branch a looong time ago and mistaking the place for a Cantonese joint I ordered "very hot". I remember spending a fortune on soya bean drinks that night to cool my palate. It has been years since then, and I have sampled more of their dishes over time. All I have to say is that it does taste a lot like authentic Sichuan food, which doesn't just burn but has a "balanced" numbing effect. If you like your food hearty and spicy, or if you're a spice maniac like me, then this is the place for you.
Not a big fan of Sichuan cuisine, however this place really lives up to its standard by offering delicious,hot and peppery food. I admire how they compile their top ten dishes of a particular month on the front page of its menu. Having said that, I still browsed through the page by page revering the delightful pictures on the menu. My partner and I ordered the fish sauce eggplant and the Sichuan fish stew (beware not to crunch on the spicy black pepper). The food was flavorsome, and service was faultless. I'll recommend this place if you really do not mind getting your tongue scorched. Ps: there's a list of non-spicy food too.
Fantastic food. Standard unfriendly service but who cares when food is that full of flavour. I dream about the Kung pao prawns regularly
One of my favourite places for lunch. The $12 lunch deal is awesome value. The Kun pao chicken is immense. If you like spicy food this is a must. Staff are friendly and portions are generous.
Pricey but Worth. Lovely Sichuan foods !! thumbs up for the Chongqing chicken!! goes really went with the beer~!
OMG sweat it out but incredibly delicious
This place has a special spot in my heart. Every dish is bursting with colors and flavours, so spicy they will leave you tearing and sniffing, but so good that will keep you coming back time to time. Service is prompt and friendly, keep it up guys.
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Dainty Szechuan has come highly recommended and we have finally made it to the South Yarra original, we’d visited little sister in town but this feels much better already! The menu is a crazy photo shoot of everything authentic Chinese from Ants Climbing Trees to Steam Boats to Kung Pao Spicy fun. So most of the dishes on the menu are around high $20′s and that is because this is a place you come to share and share BIG!! For me I love to have a few different dishes on the table to try so lets just say I over ordered slightly!! The little basket of soup dumplings were perfect for the three of us, always let a soup dumpling sit to cool and try and get the whole thing in your mouth! Otherwise those bad boys will spit hot soup all over the place. Hot and Spicy Fish in a MASSIVE bowl!! It’s the size of a punch bowl for a party and it’s full of super soft fish floating in a bath of chillies, lots and lots of Szechuan chillies! The fish has a bit if strange consistency which I liked but I could see hubby wasn’t so keen but there was plenty to go around but avoid those chillies and seeds. Spicy lamb kebab for ten anyone?! Plenty of this fabulous, mouth tinglingly hot, dry rubbed and juicy lamb, skewered and served looking glorious – it sure had a kick! The Kung Pao Chicken was loaded with chillies and peanuts and packed full of flavour, a brilliant dish. Not one for those that aren’t partial to a bit of spice, Dainty Szechuan will have your nose running with all the chillies and it is a great spot to rock up with a lot of hungry friends and a bit of BYO wine – sorted! —————————— Food 8/10 Service 7/10 Music n/a Toilets 7/10 ——————————
Really Tasty - Recommend Totally!. Visiting this place already twice in a few days and both times, they serve amazing food. Definitely recommending the fish pot. But the place is pretty crowded and the waiters aren't that friendly but this is something you can expect from popular food Chinese restaurant. This place is not cheap cheap place, but not very expensive either.
Nice Sunday Lunch. Well prepared and served tasty food at reasonable price, will go back again !
A Chronicle Of Gastronomy
+3.5
As expected, the dishes were pretty spicy, but thankfully, not as oily as some Sichuan restaurant food I’ve had. All the dishes were great: the fish in the soup wasn’t overcooked and the ham choi gave it the right amount of sourness, the eggplant was crispy (and slightly sweet) on the outside with a soft centre.
Confessions Of A Little Piggy
+4.5
Whenever I get the cravings for dangerous deep fried, hot and spicy food, Dainty Sichuan is my one stop destination. Their Chongqing Chicken alone pulls me in every time and always delivers.
Epicurean Of Southbank
+4.5
I fondly remember reading Epicure in The Age a few months ago.There was a rambling yet detailed article describing the restaurants in and around Melbourne that are perceived to prepare and sell spicy food. Combined with this knowledge and the fact that a few people have suggested that Dainty Sichuan in South Yarra is the place to be, I organised a meeting there with the hope that I would shed tears and be overwhelmed by the flow of phlegm from my orifices. Heavy wooden tables with a hot plate built into the centre welcome you after you are taken into the dining room. I immediately thought of turning the hot plate on since the control was near my left hand and frying the phone that was placed on the plate but I thought better of it, even though it would have amused me. We had a table that was near the window so I could not only keep an eye out for the parking ranger (there is a one hour parking limit) but also spy on the pedestrians on the footpath on Toorak Road when the conversatio
We went to Dainty Sichuan in Toorak. We had a 6pm booking and it wasn't too busy, but as we finished up at around 7:30pm the restaurant was full so I would recommend making a booking. You can choose to have hotpot or just normal stir fry dishes...
Spoonfuls Of Wanderlust
+4
Revisit verdict? I'd recommend skipping the kong pao, but the rest was good, especially the usual suspects of tasty cold noodle, garlic cucumber, stirfried pea seedling and fish flavoured eggplant! Service certainly wasn't as attentive as it's been on previous visits and we had to wait quite a while for our dishes, but it was a very busy Saturday night, so keeping that in mind - the good still definitely outweighs the bad.
Spoonfuls Of Wanderlust
+4.5
This is a photoview post (contains mostly photos only). Verdict? We've been waiting a while to get back to Dainty - we were pretty sad when we found out that they were closed for renovations! So this time around, we made the decision to try out two new dishes and our order was perfectly suited for the hot weather. While the cabbage dish made a nice substitute for the unavailable stir-fried pea shoots, I don't think we'll be ordering the beef slices again. The dish was tasty enough, but when it's only a table for two, you're limited in the number of dishes you order, and there's just so much more we want to try on the menu!
Spoonfuls Of Wanderlust
+4.5
This is a photoview post (contains mostly photos only). Verdict? A wonderful way to round off a Birthday Weekender :)
Spoonfuls Of Wanderlust
+4.5
This is a photoview post (contains mostly photos only).
Verdict? Super tasty and satisfying, as always!
The pork ribs were sensational, a sweet sticky sauce coats the ribs with the meat coming off the boan. Succulent flavours that melted in your mouth, you could eat a plate on your own. If you were unsure on what to have it would be easy just to have the ribs with rice and some beans. You'd be set for the night.
Tales Of A Confectionist
+4.5
Obviously a very popular restaurant! I would be very happy to come back and try more from the menu (and have more eggplant) as the food was delicious and it’s just a short train ride away from the CBD!
After our meal, James and I agreed that Dainty Sichuan tops our list of Sichuan restaurants we’ve eaten at in Melbourne. The waiters were efficient and quick with the water refills, and the food is bursting with flavour and reasonably good value – with a big beer and some soy milk it ended up being about $30 a head. I’ve been much less satisfied at much pricier restaurants.
Their Chilli Chicken has been decreasing in portion over the years, with more dried chilli than actual chicken pieces. As I don’t like to eat chicken/pork/fish skin, ( haha yes even pork crackling) I personally am not a fan of this dish, however my cousins really like it.
I’m sweating, but it’s a good sweat. Yes, sweat out all those toxic chemicals and cleanse my temple! Eating this dish is almost therapeutic. The chicken and peppers are great! I hone my chop stick skills fo
The Hungry Excavator
+4.5
It's such a cute little concept restaurant, with an old school American diner theme. Plus, you can't go wrong with the smooth tunes of 50's jukebox music from the Mo Town era.... Just gets me every time.
The food is very tasty but just be prepared to order a few big jugs of your beverage of choice to cool yourself down.
Our waitress handed us our menus, we flipped the pages, and smiled. Every dish has a rating system for spice levels – from no chillies (mild) to three chillies (“Very Very Hot”). Make no mistake, three chillies is indeed “Very Very Hot”, and should probably be renamed to three million chillies, as that must be around the number that they go through a week!
a colossal pummelling of chilli-hotness!
Eating with big sweats on your forehead and red burning lips with big bottles of cold ice tea on your table perhaps did not picture anything dainty. However, I was prepared for the experience, especially after having visited Sichuan House in the CBD and found how ‘daring’ it was.
simply made with a strong fragrance of salty bean paste & black beans, chilli oil and peppercorns, contrasted against the blandness of soft tofu....
My friend Sharon is a vegetarian, and Dainty Sichuan is where we always go with a few friends when she is back in Melbourne for a visit. No need to worry about bland or boring vegetarian dishes at Dainty Sichuan: the flavours here are bold and eager to ma
I'm a big fan of mapo tofu, and this is probably the best rendition of it I have ever had the pleasure to eat. And by probably, I mean definitely. The tofu is the perfect firmness: soft enough to be silky on the tongue with the sauce, but firm enough to pick up with chopsticks.
Dainty Sichuan is now Southside – a large contributing factor to my not having visited sooner – and about four times the size of the original shopfront. It’s gained a cult following, and the menu has expanded to match the new expansive restaurant. And yet it’s still hard to get a table on weekends! Luckily we’d booked, and we moseyed on down with our two bottles of sparkling – gotta love a BYO restaurant – from nearby drinks.
A revealing fact about this man-boy is that he is Indonesian. Indonesians are known for the fiery, spicy food and sambal . But I cannot take heat. Sure I can take Nando's extra hot chicken and dishes in japanese restaurants where they warn you that "this
There has always been talk about Dainty and how good and spicy it is. Ex-colleagues used to brag about the mountain of chillies they consumed and I always missed out on joining them because of meetings or prior lunch dates. Dainty Sichuan used to be situa
I was enjoy my Valentin's spicy meal in dainty. It's not surprise me to wait in a long queue, but the staff was took order when we were waiting. So we didn't miss our movie after that. By the way I think I will make a reservation next time if it's a special day :)
Good taste but no good service. I really like spice food, the taste is so good but service is that good, i think maybe they are too busy
What's with all the negative reviews?. The service was impeccable. They were very friendly. The food was second to none (maybe because it was all new to me) but we loved it.
If you order something spicy it comes SPICY. Great food..
Great!! Love it!!. Very authentic food and authentic service. They have their distinct style and it adds to the experience.
The food is amazing and knowing how great anything on the menu really is, it can be tough deciding. But any choice is the right one really! :)
Love this place. Fantastic food. Huge menu. Even vegetarians like me have a fairly big choice here. I strongly recommend the (cold) pickled cucumber dish, the fish-flavoured eggplant and the ti-tree mushroom and leek dish - all v good whether you're vegetarian or not. I only wish I lived closer so I could go here more often. Probably my favourite Chinese place in Melbourne.
Recommended!. We love this place; consistently brilliant food.
Delicious food, great service-waiter was a great laugh, wasn't expensive at all-value for money. Not many places you can try 10 different dishes and have a drink for under $40.
Will definitely be back :)
Not bad but Ivan only have it maybe once a year or something,too much msg!
Delicious food but terrible service. Door guy was extremely rude. Despite the poor service, food was amazing! I hope they can improve their service.
Liebee And Liebenette
+4.5
Best Hot Pot in Melbourne. Never disappoints. Medium spicy gives you that fantastic numb but tingling Sichuan burn. Choose tender beef and enoki mushrooms. Staff attentive. Don't wear your best outfit as the hot pot smell takes no prisoners.
Renovations look great! Meals were tasty, so spicy and all worth the wait! To those who say their food is oily - err it says chilli oil in most of their Sichuan dishes so forget your diet.
Loved it. Ate here for the first time a while ago (visiting from Sydney) and was with local friends who advised me what to try. From memory, we had the green beans with minced pork, some kind of deep fried eggplant (stunning) and I remember a huge vat of barbecued pork covered in chillis. It was all delicious. I am OK with spicy food but I'm glad they were there to help me navigate through and avoid those large pieces of dried chilli masqerading as bits of pork. It was quite tantalising. Inexplicably, one of our party was very sensitive to spicy food, but came along anyway knowing what he was in for. He ended up on the floor (literally) under the table. People are strange.
CLOSED until 16 December 2013. Just went here for lunch with 16 people but the restaurant is now closed for renovations.
Tried booking throughout week but phone was just engaged, no notification message, and we turned up to find out its closed....
I love this place but that is just poor form...
Get a website.
Love Sichuan food but never seems to find the one which has been done well:(
This restaurant on the otherhand left me with good experience, the service isn't bad and the food is so far the best Sichuan food I'd eaten in Melbourne:)
Good food and services !!. Very tasty food and spicy authentic chinese food. Love it and definitely come back again.
The best and most delicious Pork Ribs BBQ in town - YEAH!!! :)
Amazing food with awesome flavours, if you don't like spicy, I wouldn't recommend it.
In a city that has seemingly gone Sichuan crazy over the last 5 years, the original, although now in its third location, still stands as if not the best, certainly the one to come to if you are feeling like Sichuan food.
Yum! Would come back many times. Came here for the first time on the weekend (Sat night) with a group of 8. Food was soooo yum! We tried both Sichuan meat and vegetable dishes...my favourite being the Sichuan pork ribs and eggplant dishes. Would definitely recommend!
Great Food. It's no Flower Drum when it comes to service and cleanliness but if you are adventurous and happy to grab a quick and casual bite this place rocks...the turn-over is fast as is expected in this style of restaurant. We tend to pop in early evening, and have different experiences to Neil W, often only 1 or 2 tables of western diners to be seen. We love the obvious choices; Kung po chicken, Ma po Tofu, the grilled beans and pork dish and the fish-flavoured eggplant is a favourite. Serves are large, you can take away left-overs and 'though my only experience of Szechuan food was in neighbouring Xizang province, the punchy flavours seem authentic to me. I find a soy milk is a must and we never expect to sleep well after the salt and chilli assault. The 1% charge for credit card is a definite turn off.
The Pork Rubs Barbeque are to die for. A delicious and healthy (I mean large) serving of meat gently coated in the chilli mix - YEAH!!! :)
Very tasty food but not so great for your arteries!. I was introduced to this place by a couple who are from Sichuan as this is their fav in Melbourne so you know the food here is authentic! Most of the dishes are spicy and the steam pot definitely is too.... Maybe the trick for very tasty food is to have lots of oil, salt and MSG so not great on your arteries! Service there is none existence and its always way too noisy. last time i went, we couldnt even have a decent conversation at the table! Having said that, i do like the food there but wont recommend going there frequently for health reasons!
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The food is great. I have to say that the food is outstanding, full of flavours and the dishes unique to their own.
I also have to say that the service is nil, and when I say nil I mean Zero!
Not being here before we didn't understand the process of the hot pots, and when asking our waiter couldn't even explain it to us. More embarrassing is that we had to disturb the group behind us to ask how they ordered.
We had to put our hands up to order, ask twice for bowls. Unfortunately as a person in the industry I saw a lot of waiters swanning around but not helping those who needed help. Which is a shame as it would have made for the perfect evening.
The food is what you go here for. The beans with garlic and i think it was called the kungpow chicken and the pork ribs. All remarkable in flavours.
The hot pots would need a little bit more practice to get the right flavour balance, a small size would feed more than a table of 5.
I possibly wouldn't choose this place in a hurry to return to, but you have to at least go there to try the food.
We keep coming back here. And fish flavored eggplant is always on the table
Hot and spicy!. Always jammed full of peopel but for good reason. The food is tasty and not too badly priced, especially if dining in a group from the hot pot menu.
Pick a base, pick some things to dump in it. Easy, fun and BYO to boot.
I will drive days for the ma po tofu! AMAZEBALLS people get onto it so so good! Try the cumin lamb & fish flavored eggplant! Kind staff & very efficient :-)
Been on the wishlist for a while now. Amazing food. If you love chili you'll love this. Best Ma Po Tofu ever and the cumin lamb is amazing.
Best Chinese food in Melbourne and better then most places i've eaten in China. Cant beat the teatree mushroom dishes and fish hotpot.
Overpriced.. One word sums it up.
Execellent chinese. Place is not really what you call clean or sort of acceptable by todays standards but the food is excellent and is very authentic.
Craving for Spicy food. Place to go where you like to have spicy crispy salty food. I agree the foods are a little bit too salty. However, dishes cooked with dried chilli are nice, the flavour of the food will satisfy your palate. Try the mapo tofu, deep fried eggplant, gong bao chicken and many more.
Foods delivered very fast for this crowded restaurant. Better to make a booking before you come.
Numbingly sichuan. The place was packed like a momba parade with a queue to get in reminiscent of my youger days waiting to get into a night club. Once we (wife and I) got in and seated we ordered the eggplant dish as he other reviewers have been raving about and the Spicy fish. I wanted to order more because I'm a big eater but my wife had me refrain until the meals presented. Then, What tha? The spicy fish arrived , enogh to feed me and the big group table beside me, i mean this was huge. Think big serving...now multiply that four times. It tasted awesome, the tiny sichuan peppers do an incredible job at numbing your mouth, good thing too considering those fiery chilies. The eggplant... I see why everybody loves the dish. Our waiter (all 3 of them) a1 service. Definitely going back and taking a posse with me next time. Burn baby burn...sichuan inferno!
Ribs Ribs RIBS. Hot pot of delicious, fall off the bone, pork ribs. Swimming in chili peppers, lotus roots, bean curd, and other unidentifiable foodstuffs. A M A Z I N G. Also, try the double cooked pork, green beans, fish flavored eggplant, and toothpick beef. All quality.
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Finally got there... and worth the wait. I have been wanting to try this place since I saw a re-run of Anthony Bourdains visit. After a few failed attempts, I finally managed to call up on the day and get a booking.
My dining companion landed up arriving half an hour after a booking and the staff were fine with it...I thought given that they might be a bit antsy about it because they were quite busy for a Wednesday night. On arrival, they asked if we wanted Hot Pot or stir fry dishes....before I had seen the menu. Having already researched the place on this site, I knew that I was going for the stir fries, but would not have known if I had not checked it out before hand.
The place was predominantly filled with Asian dining guests, which in my book is a sure sign that the food is likely to be authentic.
While waiting for my friend to arrive, I noticed the HUGE portions of food at the table next door.... the disappointing thing about this is that it makes it harder to try a number of different dishes unless a lot of you are sharing. Being first timers, we decided to order the one chilli and two chilli dishes only. We ordered a Kung Pao prawns (2 chilli) a Sichuan chicken (1 Chilli) and an "ants climbing trees" noodle dish.
The Sichuan Chicken arrived first - a huge portion of deep fried chicken with loads of chilli. Really really tasty. I did not eat the pieces of chille, just let it flavour the chicken. It was delicious - the only thing I did not like is the amount of bones in the little pieces chicken.
The Kung Pao prawns were next up - also outstanding and a bit sweeter than the chicken. Despite being a 2 chilli dish, it did not taste as spicy as the sichucan chicken to me.
The "ants climbing trees" was okay - I think it got lost among the tremendous flavours of the other 2 dishes though.
I must add the while spicy, at no point was it too spicy. The chillie complimented the flavours of the dishes that we had perfectly.
With the steamed rice and a couple of beers to wash it down it cost $94 for 2 people. Not cheap, but there was enough food left over for a 3rd person.
Overall, it was a fantastic meal... I will go back and will go back soon.
Love it...second best Chinese restaurant in Melbourne..so consistent and authentic ..keep on going back
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Great Food and good spice level. Loved loved loved the food here last Friday lunch with friends. Thanks to the urbanspoon recommendations we got the fish flavoured eggplant which was totally amazing and not at all fish tasting. The Beef Toothpick is a can't go past for fun eating and the Kung Po Prawn dish was wiped clean. I loved the chicken and mushroom dish best although my fellow diners voted it last because everything else was so amazing. You can't complain about the service because there is none to speak of. But you get to order and food arrives fast so as long as you don't want more drinks (BYO wine so it's not an issue) you are all good. Prices seem high but the servings are very generous and best of all you can doggy bag what you don't eat making it actually pretty cheap when you probably get at least another meal and possibly more out of it. I'm keen to go back and take some newbies with me. The chilli level isn't overwhelming on what we ordered so unless you have a complete aversion to anything hot all good.
Big group preferred. We had a table of 10, which would have been difficult to manage for the staff, but our table captain did a great job of ordering a good selection of lamb, prawn (the best dish), chicken, eggplant, beans (the list goes on). All in all it was very good, although we probably ordered 3 dishes too many. Generous size servings for almost all dishes. Will go back.
This place is expensive, but the food is very good! We had the fish flavored eggplant. It was crispy and delicious. The wait time wasn't too bad for 1900 on a Saturday night. Also had the Kung po chicken, which was nice.
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Real sichuan cuisine. I wanted to go there since I've seen the "No Reservations" show shot in Melbourne with Anthony Bourdain, showing the old Dainty Sichuan in the CBD. Even though the decor is pretty classic for a Chinese restaurant, you feel safe from seeing so many Chinese people actually eating here, always a good sign.
We were 8 so we could order a great variety of dishes. The menu, although not very clear (something that should be tackled with), is full of "real" dishes. I mean you have pork kidneys and tripe, beef heart, duck tongue, chicken feet, original seafood... Good idea too to specify the by degree of spiciness. We didn't try a 3 chili dish, only the 1 and 2. I had the lamb cutlets hotpot, which was really good, meat falling off the bone. But the noodles hidden in the bottom were gelatinous and not very good unfortunately. The spicy lamb with cumin was good too, all the vegetable dishes were great (really good eggplant), the crispy duck was really nice, and the dumplings are too die for, I wish I could make some like that, the dough was light and tasty. One drawback was the duck tongues, but I think it's because we're not used to eat something so cartilaginous. Too bad none of us took some seafood, next time I'm definitely going to try it. And that's why this restaurant is great, there are so many new things to try... You just have to be open minded and not disgusted by offal. Oh and the service was fast and efficient. If you've never had sichuan food, you know where to go now...
Love the spice!. If you like spicy food its worth a visit. I went with a friend that had been before which helped as customer service is not fantastic but at the same time it did not feel they were rude, just busy... has good serving size - 1 meat and 1 veg dish between two was more then enough and leftovers were taken home. It is worth getting the soymilk (your taste-buds will appreciate it) and try the fish-tasting eggplant.
Looking forward to another visit to try more! Delicious!
Wow.brought my family here and it did not disappoint.great fresh food and busy atmosphere. Will come again unlike overpriced oriental teahouse.
Australian_englishman
+4.5
Spicy Goodness. If you want to try something a bit more exciting and definitely not bland then go here! Apart from only a few things on the menu the food is all covered in spicy chili's as that's the style of sichuan cooking. The chicken and beef dishes were all delicious and we also tried the deep fried ribs and the pork feet. I wish I had tried the fish but no doubt I'll be back to do so! It's a great restaurant - if you like spicy then get down to Toorak!!
Tallskinny-eatslikehorse
+4.5
Pretty spot on sichuan. Went here the other night with a few friends, got a large 2 broth hotpot, spicy and stock.
The stock was pretty bland, but the spicy was as genuine as i had in china when i was there last year. The portions of "add-ables" was pretty good and i think for the hotpot alone it was about 100bucks for 4 people. we chose to get a few extra mains just to share as well and a few bowl of rice to take the heat out of our mouths.
We got the eggplant which has been raved about by other people (totally worth it) and also the cumin spiced lamb, which apart from the crushed sichuan pepper on it was ace (i don't like to eat the sichuan pepper if i can avoid it because i find it gives me a bad belly the next day).
I would love it if this place did charred mushrooms garnished with cumin and chili and salt, chuan'r. but i guess my hunt for those around melbourne will have to wait.
Enjoy the food!. I love the spicy pork ribs here. Just be prepared for a shot of spice. They do sell Soy Milk just in case it is too hot to handle for some.
2.5 out of 5. This is a unique experience in spice and heat tolerance. They rate their dishes in grades of 1, 2 & 3 chilly strengths. HB likes it hot and found to her surprise the 2 chilly was more like a 5 in her spice & heat measurements so be careful. Bordain was effusive about this place, he stated that it was authentic and one of the best he had been to anywhere including China. If you know his work you will know he likes offal, well there is plenty on offer here. Though it is a licence venue they only serve beer (you can BYO wine). My score of 2.5 is probably unfair as it is not expensive and the food is good if you like the hot stuff.
The best Sichuan that I know of. This is the best Sichuan that I know of. I reckon it's gotten a little milder since its move to South Yarra, but the quality and flavour is excellent. Try go in a big group so that you can share a variety of dishes - if you dine as a pair you might find eating the same big, hot dish for the whole meal overwhelming.
Absolutely delicious, spicy Chinese food. LOVED the eggplant and croakers
Good enough for Bourdain...Good enough for me. After seeing this on "No Reservations" we had to try it.
Great to see other regional cuisines of China being represented here. Quality and value for money is fantastic.
I had the chilli chicken - tasted great and not as spicy as it looks.
My partner had the double cooked pork belly which was really tasty and again good value for money ($10 lunch special with rice)
Definitely worth the visit when in Melb
Great value. A really good place for a cheap but consistently good meal. the pork and eggplant dishes are finger licking good. the service isn't great but at ~25$ pp for a filling and tasty meal, one doesn't really mind mediocre service!it is a cash only restaurant.
Best Sichuan restaurant in Melb. Sups guys,
I'v had the best Sichuan foods tasting experience in melb from that restaurant. I reckon it's the best in melb... been following them everywhere they go....they used to be in the city years ago...the old address now houses another good one...which i reckon is the alternative to this restaurant.
Enjoyed this place. Enjoyed the hotpot there, really yummy and good value for money...would love to go back again..
If you want authentic Chinese food you have to try this place, but be wary of the chilli ratings on the menu! We had the chicken mince with peanuts- almost blew my head off! Was just chicken, chilli, and loads of peanuts- tasted great, then nothing but heat- and I asked for mild! Had pork with straw mushrooms too, tasted a little greasy, but mushiness were great, and this dish balanced the other one! Not the place to go for 'run of the mill' cheap Chinese takeaway on a friday night, would be better with a group eating in.
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Chili fantastic!. Dainty Sichuan is well worth a visit if you like spicy food. It's not the sort of restaurant where you rave about the freshness of the ingredients. Here the focus is on letting the chilies and other spices give you a pleasurable (and not dainty!) kick in the tastebuds. I enjoyed a Saturday lunch here (in a group of three) and we had the chongqing chili chicken, the beef jerky, the fish flavoured eggplant and steamed pork buns. To those new to Sichuan cooking, the menu may look a bit scary at first, with many of the dishes covered/drenched/floating in a sea of bright red chilies. But it is also an interesting menu with lots of variety. The chongqing chicken comes as bite-sized pieces of fried chicken served in a mound of dried chilies. Each chicken piece has bone in it and is approximately half skin, half meat. The dish is deliciously spiced, though perhaps not the best choice if you dislike chicken skin or object to having to chew around small pieces of bone. It is the only reason I would hesitate to order this dish again. The beef jerky is a room-temperature dish, sweet, sticky and chewy, and spicier than what is indicated on the menu. It really is jerky, i.e. slightly tough. Better as a shared appetizer or entree than as a main. The fish flavoured eggplant is wonderful - a plate piled high with fried eggplant pieces, delicately crispy on the outside, and velvety soft on the inside. It is coated in a flavoursome, light and slightly sweet sauce. The pork buns are good too I think, though by the time I ate one I was already much too full to fully appreciate it. The servings were so large - especially the chongqing chicken - that we ended up taking half the food home, and noticed that some of the other tables were taking food home too. It works out to be excellent value. The 20c charge per take-away container is not unreasonable. Service was pretty good. The restaurant interior is pleasantly spacious with some interesting kitschy decor. I can't say I liked the sentimental pop music playing in the background, but I stopped noticing it once the delicious food arrived.
Excellent food. On a cold night, this place packs a punch with flavour and simple food. The key to sichuan cooking is their chilli and sichuan peppers which are blazing hot. The secret to dealing with the heat is to drink some soy milk. We ordered like one dish each for the five of us and we thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes. the best were the cumin lamb and spicy fish fillets. absolutely delicious. come in early or the lines are horrendously long!
Spicy and tasty!. We first went to the one in the city, recommended by local Sichuanese people.
Great place with wonderful, tasty food.
Quite expensive and since it's so popular, it's imperative to book ahead.
Do it! Go there! Must try! Everything is delicious. They're beef and tendon hot pot rocks! And the eggplant yum!
Easternsuburbs_explorer
+4.5
Sichuan virgin!. I've heard the chilli at dainty can be extreme however on our visit it seemed relatively tame.
Dainty was my first experience of Sichuan cuisine! Its hard to explain the mixture of spices; toothpick beef covered in cumin, kung pao chicken with its chilli sweetness and crunchy eggplant which reminds you of eating potato wedges!
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and although the restaurant was completely packed out service was efficient and the restaurant was clean!
I look forward to introducing more of my friends to sichuan cuisine!
Not dainty but delicious. We had a big family lunch here and it was great - all the dishes came out quickly and ranged from super hot to quite mild. It was all delicious - stand outs were the fish flavoured eggplant, ants in trees and cumin beef. You wouldn't come here for the service, but brusque is not something that bothers me as long as the food is good. And its great. Will definately return.
I'll Never Be Skinny
+4.5
Spicy fish!. I went here with a large group of people and we ordered almost everything in the menus...Amongst the crabs, the snails, the eggplants, the ribs, the cold noodle, the vegetables etc (they were just so-so), there were four really notable/memorable dishes: ants climbing tree (vermicelli with pork mince and blackbeans); golden corns; Spicy fish (best thing ever for Chillilovers); and Chongching chicken.
PS:
-make sure you don't eat the Sichuan peppercorn to avoid your tongue from going numb
-this is not the restaurant for you if you don't like spicy food
Hot n Spicy. Hot, spicy and delicious....the best Sichuan food I've ever tasted. Forget about the service, just go for the food, but be warned, cash only at this Asian joint.
Fish Flavoured Eggplant. The name is quite a misnomer - these thick strips of deep fried eggplant tend to taste a little sweet and spicy, not really any hint of fish at all. Irresistible...
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Chilli Heaven. This place is rockin of a Friday night. The excitement begins when you see the hoards of people pilling in to the large Dainty Sichuan restaurant. Then you see the tables upon tables of steaming hot pots bubbling away as the happy patrons heap fresh ingredients in to their boiling soup. The smells are also enticing. The menu is well presented with large photographs of each meal displayed on an extensive menu, additionally a heat rating of one to three chillis let's you know what you're up for. If you are a chilli fiend I recommend you go for the three chilli dishes. We ordered the 2 chilli dishes and I honestly thought they were quite mild, but I do like chilli. There's two types of meals, either Hot Pot or A la carte. We tried dishes from the A la carte menu. All dishes are generous in size so it's advisable to bring at least 4 people with you to share a good variety. The meals are very well seasoned and show classic sichuan style. A great vibrant atmosphere and perfect for a weekend dinner with friends!
Delicious! We got take away on a lazy Sunday arvo. The beef with the spirals was tasty, ants in the tree beautiful (but eat In one sitting, once in the fridge it goes all hard, not good) cucmber in garlic strong and perfect. We are huge garlic fans. Pork buns soft and yummo! No complaints. Thought it was a bit pricy until we saw the serves, good value. Great local food!
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Dainty Sichuan, there's nothing dainty about it!. Oh my god! What was I thinking when I suggested going to dinner at Dainty Sichuan. The last time I had dinner here I couldn't taste anything for a day. So after my taste buds had sufficiently healed, I was prepared for another adventure into the cuisine from South West China where the climate is cold and the food spicy, really chilli spicy. When we entered we were greeted by a hubbub of activity with waiters running around carrying dishes that were aromatic and colourful. Even on a Sunday night this place was busy. Thank goodness Dainty Sichuan takes reservations now. My friends were bedazzled by the menu, almost infinite pictures of dishes covered in that little red biological weapon of mass destruction. So I was given the burden to choose this night our means of demise by chilli. The mains were Beef on toothpicks, and Dainty Sichuan's specialty, Chongqing Chicken. As an afterthought to soften the blistering heat that was to be inflicted on my fellow diners' tongues, I ordered Chinese Broccoli with Oyster sauce just to cool things down.
The first dish to arrive was the Chongqing Chicken; be aware the orders of the dishes arrive at random, but at least they are fresh off the fire so to speak. The sight of it made my heart miss a beat and it was the first time I heard a silent scream from my taste bud. Imagine a large dish, and heaped upon it a mountain of chillies and Sichuan peppers the size of Mount Everest, which Sir Edmund Hillary would have found challenging,. The scent coming from the fried chillies stole the air from my lungs. In the midst of it, dainty pieces of chicken flesh on the bone. I told my friends the chillies aren't supposed to be eaten, and they showed their relief. Tentatively taking a piece of the chicken with my chop sticks; being careful not to take any of the chilli. I bit into the fried flesh. An atomic bomb detonated in my mouth. The seasoning for the dish is grounded chilli seeds embedded in the skin of the chicken, which brings about a unique flavour and combine that with the fried dried chillies and Sichuan peppers, they enhance it even more.
The Beef on toothpicks dish was next and it was filled with substantial number of thin small beef fillets, skewered with toothpicks. Like children who had learned that fire burns, we tentatively prodded at the beef testing it to see if the chilli would jump out of the dish and into our mouths. But as it didn't, we bit into the flesh of the beef which turned out to be an exquisite taste experience. We immediately dived into the dish unafraid, unlike the Chongqing Chicken, which we unashamedly picked at; even if it did make our noses runny. My wise decision to order a non spicy dish proved prudent as our pallets were cooled by the Chinese Broccoli in Oyster Sauce.
Service can be a bit hit and miss, but you don't come to Dainty Sichuan to be pampered, you come to Dainty Sichuan to dive into the furnace of the Sichuan experience. If you don't remember it then your taste buds and lips will.
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Best Spicy food in town.. Going back to Dainty tomorrow night. First time I went my husband went on and on about how fantastic the food is, he goes there with his colleagues. He made me go there for lunch and I was really looking forward to a glass of wine. I realised that they did not serve wine and that it was BYO, had to get up and organise my own glasses of water, my husband had to go and get his own beer self serve and the service was a lot to be desired.
Besides all that the food was spicy and absolutely fantastic, can't say enough about it. The serving size was quite big and you honestly have to be able to handle really spicy hot food to get any enjoyment out of it. I was eating away and my husband was looking at me quizzically and I could not understand why, found out that everyone sweats constantly and turns beetroot when they visit here. I on the other hand did not have a inch of sweat coming off me, he calls me the Sichuan Queen. I have to live up to my name now so going back to try the other dishes. Will now know to bring my own wine and not to expect the royal treatment from the staff.
Sensational..... The best Asian food we have enjoyed in Australia EVER! Be sure u bring a hearty appetite , there is nothing Dainty about the servings here. I would give this 4stars for medium to low price restaurant
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This is how it's done.. There's a lot of Chinese on offer in Melbourne and, sadly, most of it sucks. Dozens and dozens of places offer the same dishes prepared using the same low quality ingredients. There's this thing a lot of places have about hitting some stupidly low cost: I get why places in Clayton do it, as they're aiming at students, but for places in the city and Springvale and Richmond it's ridicolous. $10 per head, especially when the serves are large, does not equate to good or even acceptable quality ingredients. No amount of heavy-handedness with seasonings and condiments disguises this.
Dainty Sichuan is a refreshing change. Oh, yeah, the service is still crap (altho' the guy who you pay is really nice: the waitstaff could learn a thing or twelve from him). That's about standard. And the room still has boxes of Tsing Tao stacked in the corner, a nod to the Dainty Sichuan of old. The range of beers sucks. But man, that food. Everything I've had has been great. The lamb with cumin? The pork belly and mushrooms? Chicken and peanuts? The braised pig ears? Loved everything enough to go back several times.
My favourite restuarant in town, best kung po chicken in Melbourne. Their $9 lunch boxes are great value!!!!!
Hot and spicy!! It is too hot for me but it is just perfect for my gf (she is Malaysian and can take it better then me). The servings are very big and tantalising. Also they do not accept cards so bring cash.
Service is horrible but what do u expect from fast and cheap meals? The best Sichuan food especially the hotpot.
The best sichuan food in town. Tried some other sichuan resto before but definetely always come back to dainty sichuan. Now with gorgeous elegant new building down south yarra even makes people enjoy the food there. Kungpao chicken and spicy beef on toothpick is the best of all.. Enjoy eating while you are sweating....
Ready to be blown away - Try this gem of a place!!!. Yes its all about the chillies and the art of communal dining. One of the best dining experiences to have. The food is all about chillies, but they don't make any false promises do they!! Service if fast and efficient ad the place has a very healthy vibe. So to all tears I have shed at the place, each one of them is worth the cause.
Come in a group. The bigger the better as the serves are massive, although plenty of containers for leftovers! The chilli in almost everything is awesome. Loved the fish eggplant and cumin lamb. Cold chilli oil noodles were great too. Get a big Tsingtao and get stuck in. I love chilli and the hit is big up front, but doesn't build like a really hot curry. In fact it tails off and not nearly as strong as expected given the visual. But that said, if you can't handle chilli at all, forget about coming here. If you can and have a bit appetite, I can't think of a better place in Melbourne. And complaints about the service in other reviews are totally clueless - what did you expect? Flower Drum stuff? The staff were attentive and fast. Maybe not smooth or classy, but come on... This place is all about the grub.
Stuart Gardner-Vaughan
+4.5
Delicous food,very tasty, good value for South Yarra
Bring your appetite. I warn all who come here not to snack on toast beforehand.
we had 3 dishes
1. egg plant with fish sauce. i never thought eggplant could taste so good.
2. asian greens. as good as i have had anywhere
3. bbq ribs. incredible! leave me with a tray of these and a beer and ill be happy.
This was to feed 3 lads with big appetites and we took a full take away container each home. this place is great!
Some like it hot. If you're one of them, Dainty Sichuan offers the ultimate in Sichuan cuisine in Australia. The pungency of chilli and pepper laden dishes greets you as you enter. Don't despair if you can't handle too much heat as an equally good selection of chilli-free dishes is available. A tastefully appointed dining area and efficient staff complete a memorable experience. We were even greeted on our way out. Compliments to the entire team at Dainty Sichuan.
Wow! Amazing food. We went with foodie friends. Our gourmet friend ordered these:
1. Steamed Pork Slices with Preserved Veggie 盐菜烧百
2. Preserved Ham with Snow Peas 腊味荷兰豆
3. Ant Climbing the Trees 蚂蚁上树
4. Hot Spicy Fish Slices Pot 水煮鱼
5. Green Veggie with Tofu Soup 时菜豆腐汤
Loved the fish in spicy Sichuan chilli oil stew. Vermicili "ant climbing the trees" also highly recommended (see accompanying photo). Service was consistent with other online reviews: rushed. They are clearly aiming for high volume. Given the exceptional food we were willing to live with the service, but this puts it into the category of restaurants we like but not one of our "favorites".
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