Sze-Chuan House: Best Sze Chuan Restaurant Since 1977 at Aloha Hotel

We used to frequent Aloha Hotel during our childhood days because it has Sze-Chuan Houseon the first floor and our favorite Korean restaurant on the second floor.  I guess the closing of the Korean restaurant really saddened my mom so we didn't visit the area until recently. 

Sze-Chuan House has a very humble facade.



But upon entering, you'd see how spacious the place is .  There many traditional chinese tables covered in linen and paper sheets.  It's crowded with Chinese diners.  I just love to hear the loud familiar and homey chattering noise.  And, it's no surprise that we saw some friends dining there too.

Food
Sze-Chuan House specializes in Sze-Chuan cuisine from the province of Sichuan in China.  Most of the Chinese here in the Philippines like us are from Fukien in China or Canton in Hongkong.  So we don't have knowledge on cooking Sze-Chuan cuisine and encounter their dishes only in restaurants.  I recently watched an episode of "Yan Can Cook" Sze-Chuan special where he shared that in Sze-Chuan there are more than 20 kinds of chili peppers of various color and sizes so you can presume that they really like spicy dishes. 

Appetizers

♥ Lucky Five Kinds Cold Cuts M (525 php)

For appetizers, we ordered the Lucky Five Kinds Cold Cuts.  As the name implies, it has five kinds of cold cuts: Jelly Fish, Century Egg, Sliced Pork with Garlic Sauce (it's sliced braised pork with garlic Kaman soy sauce), Shredded Chicken with Peanut Pepper Sauce (it;s braised shredded chicken with celery bits, peanut butter, sesame seed and thick pepper sauce) and Savory Sliced Beef Shank (it's sliced beef shank braised in soy sauce, star anise, onions and leeks).  You can already infer just from the cold cuts that Sze Chuan cuisine are fond of sauces.  The selection are all very delicious and tasty!

Soup

♥ Hot & Sour Soup M (360 php)

The Hot & Sour Soup of Sze-Chuan House is one of the best in the Metro!  You can see by the looks of it that they don't scrimp on ingredients.  These soup is loaded with a variety of spices.


Squid & Frog Leg

♥ Fried Frog Legs w/ Salt & Pepper S (225 php)

Never ever dine at Sze-Chuan House without ordering their Fried Frog Legs w/ Salt & Pepper!  It's frog legs covered in flour and egg dashed with salt, pepper and diced spring onions.  This is my favorite since childhood.  I'm glad it's still as perfect as before.

Duck, Pigeon & Chicken

♥ Diced Chicken w/ Hot Pepper M (380 php)

The Diced Chicken w/ Hot Pepper also known as the Kung Pao Chicken is our family's favorite Sze Chuan dish.  We always order this whenever it is available.  The diced chicken used to be served with cashew nuts but I guess to lower the cost, it's now served with peanuts, celery and dried chili.  I still say it's better with cashew!

Vegetables & Beancurd

♥ Fried String Beans S(195 php)

It's still a mystery how they are able to cook their Fried String Beans.  It's additively crunchy.  I can't describe it with much particularity so I insist that you have to try it!

♥ Mapo Tofu S (170 php)

The Mapo Tofu is another good dish to order.  The tofu is cooked delicately so it's silky smooth in every bite.  The sauce is as you can see, rich in spices too.

Hot Pot & Casserole

First Class Mixed Seafood S (295 php)

The First Class Mixed Seafood has fish fillet, cuttlefish, sea cucumber, abalone, shrimp, fat choy (the black hairlike moss which represents wealth in Chinese) and carrots.  This is not only first class in terms of ingredients but also in terms of taste too.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Sze Chuan dining at Sze-Chuan House never disappoints.  This is one of the best Sze-Chuan restaurants in the Metro!  The price is very reasonable too.  Bring lots of company to maximize on their serving portions and variety.  If you're not fond of spicy dishes, ask if the dish is spicy while ordering and request them to tone it down.  They also sell frozen dimsum.