Little Szechuan opened its doors in October 2006 at 422 University Avenue in the former longtime location of Mai Village after the latter moved to its new home at University and Western. On its website, Little Szechuan proclaims to specialize in the often spicy dishes of the Sichuan Province of China. We were familiar with this restaurant both from previous visits to its dining room and from getting take-out. This was to be our first BARF-SUAVE outing with guest, we were treating our spouses Peggy and Lynn to Friday-night dinner.
Walking into the spacious interior kept in warm ocher tones we were greeted by the friendly maître d' who pointed us to the table behind a faux bamboo hedge where Peggy and Joel were already waiting for us. While I am no expert of Szechuan cuisine, a quick survey of the well-attended restaurant showed that about 75% of the tables were occupied by Chinese guests, including some groups sitting around large, round tables literally bending under the wide assortments of dishes. I took this to mean that the cuisine is finding approval from that population.
When we ordered, we tried to come up with an eclectic selection of dishes. We ordered 15. Dan Dan Noodle (#15, $4.95) and Dry Sautéed Green Beans (#164, $9.95) for appetizers followed by main dishes of Chung King Chili Chicken (# 103 $10.95), Quick Fried Crispy Fish Fillet (#62, $12.95), Spicy Mussel in Black Bean Sauce (#57, $14.95) and Beef Ribs. We also had tea.
Our appetizers came quickly, the heaping plate of green beans and bowl of noodles did not last long. The green beans were just how I like them, done, with just a hint of crunch left in them (beans "al dente?"). I find steamed green beans that are barely past raw highly distasteful and fortunately those offered here did not fall in this category. Both beans and noodles were nicely flavored with garlic and soy sauce, neither too overpowering. I found myself tempted to pick up the sautéed morsels of minced garlic left after the appetizers were gone, but because I was in polite company, I minded my manners.
Half the fun of eating at a Chinese restaurant is the way the dishes and family-style serving lend themselves to sharing. Everyone was able to try ample helpings of the four menu items we ordered.
I loved the crispy fish I had picked out. It was mildly spiced, thus the freshness of the vegetable oil used for deep frying was apparent. The fish was light and crunchy and mouthwateringly good. Definitely a dish I will order again.
The chili chicken was excellent, too. With a name like this, I would have expected it to be spicier, but for my palate, it had just the right amount of fire. The chicken pieces were moist and tender.
The spiciest dish of our diner was the spicy mussels in black bean sauce. The mussels were served on the half shell. The sauce was a poultice that seemed to have been spread over the open shell prior to sautéing. In the sauce, I recognized slices of green chili peppers, about one per mussel. it looked like Others in our party thought that the heat took away from the flavor. I was not convinced as I was still able to distinguish the mussels' very own aroma. If something took away from my enjoyment was the fact that some mussels were not quite done. I know that opinions differ on shellfish but for me at least, it's either raw or cooked just right, i.e. not too much and not too little.
The ribs were juicy and delicious but their flavoring could not match that of the other dishes.
Service was excellent. very friendly and efficient, especially since our waitress had a number of other tables. I recall being impressed with the staff at previous visits, too.
All in all a wonderful evening with delicious food in excellent company.
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