With white, tiled floors, spacious surroundings and a fancy staircase leading to a second-storey indoor terrace, this restaurant is a far cry from your typical Chinese eatery. Combined with the fact that this popular chain was also deemed a “Sichuan Famous Restaurant” in 2000 by the Sichuan provincial government, and we were more than eager to sit down and taste what they have to offer. Named after an area south of the Sichuan Basin (Mei Zhou) and after a famous gourmet chef (Su Dong Po), the restaurant boasts a variety of goodies, with or without the Sichuan chilis. We started off with a cold dish of tofu and chicken strips (RMB22), which was not only appetizing but, we found, also a grateful reprieve when things get too spicy. Next, having noticed its popularity with neighboring diners, we tried the fried turnip buns (RMB22) which, despite the name, are definitely worth tasting. Deep-fried and filled with bits of ground pork, turnip and carrot strips, each bun makes for a delectably crunchy mouthful. Meanwhile, the spicy chicken (RMB36) was the perfect complement to our bowls of rice, while the baicai with mushroom (RMB28) provided an excellent change of pace. Finally, as no Sichuan meal would be complete without dan dan noodles (RMB12), we helped ourselves to a small bowl, which was altogether savory, spicy and exciting, just the way it should be.