By Mr. Taste
During our second visit to Melbourne last year, with our dining companions already on the way to the airport, Ms. Taste and I are left to wander around the city on a Monday afternoon for a few extra hours, enjoying our last moments of freedom before our inevitable return north.
We had already spent the day eating non stop, walking up and down every street and making pointless stops at shops we weren’t interested in. Sitting on a bench, watching office workers giving themselves early marks and heading home, kids flocking out of trams and into fast food restaurants, Ms. Taste hits her iPhone to find some things to do.
“We’ve still got time left on our ticket, lets go ride the 96 tram, we haven’t done that route yet”, I suggest. Ms. Taste shakes her head and lets out an exasperated sigh, “What is your obsession with trams?”
Then she remembers that No Reservations episode where Tony visits Melbourne and with a few more minutes of googlising, we are walking again with a purpose, towards Chinatown in search of Dainty Sichuan.
After walking all the way to Little Bourke St, we find that Dainty Sichuan has moved and in it’s place, serving the same Sichuan delights with the same kitchen and wait staff is Sichuan House. It’s only 4:30 in the afternoon but there’s already two tables full of loud students tucking into their plates of chilli.
These tables weren't empty for long
Cumin Lamb Ribs
Ms. Taste orders the Cumin Lamb Ribs because Tony did it No Reservations, despite her dislike for cumin. There had to have been a jar of cumin in this dish (and a similar amount of garlic and sichuan pepper). It was an assault on the senses, with the aroma of all the strong spices, the crisp deep-fried outside and soft meat inside, and the lingering burning of the lips after each bite always itching for the next.
Fish Sour Stew with Pickled Vegetables
The stewed fish with pickled vegetables is a favourite of ours. However, each restaurant seems to have their own spin on the dish. The version at Sichuan House has plenty of bean sprouts to soak up the sour soup and that subtle, unassuming kick from all the chillis hiding under and in between all the ingredients.
My kind of ribs and beer
Sichuan House
Sichuan House was just the hit we needed before our flight home. And as we sat on the runway waiting for our plane to take off, we could still feel the tingle of Sichuan House on our tongues and took comfort in the thought that there couldn’t have been a better way to end our trip.
Sichuan House
22-26 Corrs Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
# 03 9650 8589
