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We are planning dinner this Friday and a lunch on Sunday, and were wondering if any of you would be interesting in joining us.
On Friday evening we’re planning to go to a restaurant that specialises in classic home-cooked Sichuan dishes, called Si Fang Cai 私房菜(紫荆店). It’s decor is meant to be very cosy and homely, while the service is also great. The dishes aren’t too intensely spicy either, or so I’ve heard from reviews. Average price per person is 64RMB. We are aiming to get there for 7:30pm.
On Sunday, we would like to check out the famous Yu’s Family Kitchen. It’s received countless accolades and is more of an elevated Sichuan culinary experience. It is revolutionising the landscape of Sichuan cuisine and that’s why we want to check it out. They are bookings-only and prices range from 600-1000RMB pp, however lunchtime it is much more reasonable at 300RMB pp for a party of 4 or more. A specific time hasn’t been set yet.
Photos here: http://www.dianping.com/shop/1958230/photos
If you’d like to join us for either or both of these meals just let me know and I’ll get in touch. For Friday it’s very casual so you can let me know anytime, but for Sunday please let me know ASAP within the next two days as bookings need to be placed.
Thanks and hope to meet some of you soon! Any questions, just let me know. 🙂
Lisa
Quote:Definitely down for Sunday. Will try and make Friday if the timing works out.Awesome. 🙂 Apparently at Yu’s Family Kitchen they serve you edible calligraphy brushes. Nom.
I already have dinner plans Friday, and 300RMB for a lunch is too rich for my blood, but if you guys go out for a drink or something afterwards I’m in for that.
Would definitely like to try Yu’s Family Kitchen sometime, but can’t this Sunday. Let me know if you all plan to go another Sunday.
Sorry that some of you couldn’t make it, let me know if you guys ever wanna try other restaurants as I am practically eating my way through Chengdu every day.
Quote:How was Yu’s Family Kitchen?It was an interesting experience but to be honest it most likely was not worth the price we paid. They asked for a 10% service charge on top of the 600RMB we each had to pay, which is quite rare in Chengdu at least. And contrary to what locals expect from similarly-priced restaurants, tea and wine were not included. The restaurant admitted that their prices have virtually tripled in the past few years as they have become more and more successful.
The chef is truly a maverick Sichuan cook; he uses traditional cooking methods but places more emphasis on the provenance of his ingredients and the flavour combinations. A lot of thought went into the food, but for us there were only a few standouts among the 34 taster dishes. The manager was also quite unwelcoming, which I found quite strange for a restaurant of their nature and positioning. Our waitress was lovely though and chatted with us for a while, and was really sweet in translating the name of each dish into English. The atmosphere of the restaurant is quite low key and the decor is very homely, yet the pricing is pretty high.
Having said that, if you are interested in seeing the development of Sichuan cuisine and can get a larger group together for lunch, it may be worthwhile.
I’m going to write a review of the restaurant later so will add more once I get my thoughts together! Will also include some photos. 🙂
If Brendan disagrees with me I’m sure he’ll pipe up. 😛
I think you nailed it Lisa, we all left the restaurant subdued from the experience. I would have felt a little more positive about the meal if it had been priced more reasonably, but at 660 per it’s difficult to be enthusiastic about the experience available in Yu’s. My thoughts now are that overall, and the way the meal was closed by the manageress entering abruptly with the bill (reminding us of incoming guests, though all other rooms on our floor were free) is completely in opposition to the supposed ethos of it’s home style fare. How difficult would it be to offer up a pot of tea after the final dish, and quietly remind us that evening dinner guests would be arriving in due course?
The food itself comprised nothing overtly vivid or contrasting to my mind, but some nice touches with items like the black garlic. Opening with the pastry (??) brushes and what tasted like bottled ketchup dip didn’t set the tone well. I wanted the meal to be so much more to be honest, and I have to wonder why it has the reputation it does. Perhaps it’s the locale, perhaps it’s the studiously sourced ingredients (like ketchup! :p), or it might even be the ‘Nǐ hǎo’ gawking bird. The waitress was very sweet, and did engage a little with us, but not enough to redeem what was a strangely impersonal experience.
If any of you feel curious enough to go, I would go with a larger group if only to pay less, but don’t expect to be astounded.
Quote:Perhaps it’s the locale, perhaps it’s the studiously sourced ingredients (like ketchup! :p), or it might even be the ‘Nǐ hǎo’ gawking bird.Oh my, how could I forget the ketchup? Maybe he passed it off as being prized for its er, lucky vermillion hue.
And that bird is so standard; out Sichuan bird did the same many a moon ago.
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