In November, that now distant world pre-COVID-19, I was privileged to visit Chengdu, the heart and home of Szechuan/Sichuan food, which most of the world thinks is merely spicy and numbing but is actually a complex cuisine of 24 base flavors alone. My digestible research, from family-style restaurants to hole-in-the-wall noodle shops, was guided by some of the region’s best chefs and palates.
At Bob Cut, we especially want to support our Chinese friends and neighbors now and are grateful for local Asian American heroes.
Delivery/takeout is a small but heartfelt gesture of support. Supporting our local small businesses — and our rich Chinese roots and population — is an act of solidarity, and pleasure, when you know where to go. As with most Chinese restaurants (or anywhere with an extensive menu), ordering the right dishes is crucial as some can be excellent, some downright bad.
A few Sichuan favorites:
Chili House
A favorite SF Sichuan spot has long been Chili House in the Inner Richmond — where Sichuan’s red chile oil/douban side shines (douban is a bean paste, one of the most crucial elements to building Sichuan flavors). In normal times, occasionally on weekends, you’d catch a Sichuanese tea master performance, complete with long pours and masks.
A post shared by Chili House (@chilihousesanfrancisco) on Jan 13, 2020 at 1:12pm PST
Order This: Dish highlights include their spicy chile wontons, tan-tan noodles, mian pi noodles, and cooked live fish in flaming chile oil. They even cook fish filets in the tough-to-find green peppercorn chile oil.
Details: Delivery via Caviar and DoorDash; pickup to save 15% off your meal. 726 Clement Street; chilihousesf.com
Sichuan Home
The sweet staff at Sichuan Home, a Michelin Bib Gourmand recommend, have been keeping it real in the humble space since 2011. Fish (usually cod) with pickled cabbage and mustard greens hits subtly-but-hard with chile heat but is bright, acidic, and vibrant.
A post shared by Gilbert Bui (@digigb) on Jan 25, 2020 at 7:29pm PST
Order This: Besides the fish, they do right by garlic eggplant and chef’s special chicken, even if their dan dan noodles are a bit of letdown.
Details: Delivery via DoorDash. 5037 Geary Blvd.; sichuanhomesf.com
Palette Tea House
Elegant dim sum destination, Palette Tea House in Ghirardelli Square, starts with a painter’s palette of dipping sauces, their Sichuan sauce being a lesson in proper spicy-numbing balance.
A post shared by PALETTE TEA HOUSE 彩籠 (@paletteteahouse) on Apr 23, 2020 at 6:46pm PDT
Order This: Their dim sum, seafood, and noodle dishes shine but on the Sichuan side, they do mapo tofu with their superb Sichuan sauce (douban, red chile oil).
Details: Delivery via Uber Eats, DoorDash & Grubhub; takeout menu here. 900 North Point Street, Suite #B201; paletteteahouse.com
Spices
The original Spices location is a Taiwanese-Sichuan mash-up but serves the Sichuan likes of thinly-sliced beef tendon and mapo tofu.
A post shared by Shuyi 🦋 SF Bay Area Foodie (@shuyi_foodie) on Aug 6, 2019 at 6:18pm PDT
Order This: Thinly-sliced beef tendon, mapo tofu, hot & sour soup, tan-tan noodles.
Details: Order via Caviar; pick-up menu here. 291 6th Avenue; spicessf.com
Z & Y Restaurant
Z & Y Restaurant serves other dishes beyond Sichuan but was the first Sichuan restaurant in SF helmed by the former executive chef of SF’s Chinese Consulate-General. Z&Y is also a Michelin Bib Gourmand recommend with a newer “Asian fusion” restaurant, Z&Y Bistro, also doing delivery/takeout and best with its Sichuan dishes.
A post shared by Carl Ruiz (@saborchef) on Jan 25, 2019 at 4:23pm PST
Order This: Try Sichuan rarities like ox tripe in green peppercorns or tiger skin peppers; chicken with “explosive” chile peppers.
Details: Delivery via Uber Eats & Caviar; pickup to save 15% off your meal. 655 Jackson Street; zandyrestaurant.com
Thanks to our vibrant Chinese population for feeding us so well and authentically from your familial heritage. When this ordeal is past, I’ll see you at the Sichuan table. In the meantime, cheers from our home to yours — over a bowl of mapo tofu.
// Read more about my adventures in China and about Sichuan’s cuisine 24 base flavors on The Perfect Spot. Feature photo by Mae Mu.
