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Great spicy food places are passed like coveted secrets, you want to show off a gem you've found but you don't want the masses descending. So we were surprised that recently the spicy name on everyone's lips has been the recently reopened Pin Chuan, far from a quiet hole in the wall. We wandered in initially with a group of four, which then grew to 14, and expected status quo Shanghai service. To our delight, the wait staff was more than accommodating about helping us with table logistics. To start, we sampled two cold dishes, the spinach with ginger and vinegar (YY19) and the capital style baby ribs (YY43). The mild sweetness of the ribs was perfectly set against the bitter sweetness of the spinach and a comfort to the spicy-adverse in our group. We hoped our mains--[i]lazi ji/i, jin chong beef (YY59) and an eggplant dish--would turn up the heat a notch but while flavorful, they were a bit mild. The highlight of the meal was a [i]mapo dofu[/i] which lacked the spiciness that our fire-craving taste buds desired but was impressive in its inclusion of black beans, a rare fine which elevates any [i]mapo dofu[/i] from average to oustanding. Although all the dishes were enjoyed, they clearly cater to the milder tongues of an expat clientele--great for softer Sichuan adventures or for when the parents are in town.

 

fatcow

place to go if i had to reccomend only one sichuan restaurant in the city this would be it.

2 years, 1 month ago

tomkitlo

One of the best Sichuan restaurant around and the price is very reasonable. All the usually dishes such as , prawns, boiled fish, chilli crab meat etc are to the highest standards.

 

1 year, 5 months ago

jeremyseow

Excellent alternative to South Beauty and a cosy place to dine. The food is heavier in taste and spice. It is a tad heavier than authentic sichuan food. It doesn't give me the pure taste that I've experienced in Chengdu. The prices is reasonable.

 

1 year, 5 months ago Updated See jeremyseow's latest review »

fatcow

New ownership has lightened the spice - this place feels neutered. With that in mind, still a nice alternative to South Beauty and a good place to take those with gentler palates.

 

11 months, 1 week ago

scorpiodragon

Loved it. Have been to 3 other local Sichuan restaurants and cannot cope with the scorching and numbing whereby all food tastes are obliterated and all one feels is pain! Perhaps my foreign tastebuds can't cope with the real thing and so I had to be dragged out to eat Sichuan and to my surprise....finally found a place that understood how to balance the freshness of the food with the level of spiciness and "ma". I now understand how peppercorns can be used to heighten the dish (& not kill the taste!). So for those who say it is not authentic or mild....I say - it's probably the best way to eat Sichuan! Also loved that the chicken was deboned (tired of boney bits with no meat) and the fish was also deboned! In a great mansion in the french concession, the ambience was perfect - plush yet homey. The private rooms on the 2nd floor are great for entertaining and the service was good too and prices reasonable. Definitely my 1st choice for Sichuan!

 

5 months, 3 weeks ago

american

After a couple of amazing solo trips to Pin Chuan for lunch and dinner, we took a group of almost 50 for a company dinner. Not only was the food as amazing as ever - the wait staff handled our loud and rowdy group (drunk on BaiJiu) with grace and aplomb. Nice feature for a place that should normally be reserved for a quiet, romantic dinner.

(I tried to give this 5 stars, but keep getting "error on page"! I tried using Chrome, IE, and Firefox - on Windows Vista)

 

5 months ago

jeremyseow

I had a terrifying experience last night (2nd March) when it was pointed out to me (by the guests at the next table) that there were silvery flakes (I have pics taken) at the bottom of all our tea cups! It appeared that the restaurant used a cleaner to remove the tea stains in their hot water flasks and failed to clean the residue! It was truly horrifying and embarrassing as I was hosting guests and we were enjoying the food until that incident. Was I supposed to make a scene or to quietly accept it? I realised that there was actually very little we can do as consumers other than the inconsequential complaints to the restaurant manager. Well, foodies do beware what you put in your mouths. The "best" restaurants are only as good as their management and don't make the mistake of assuming that they are good just because the menu is fancy and expensive.

4 months ago

utensils1977

I was here last night with my visiting Singaporean godfather. The food was really good - especially the La Zi Ji. Yum yum.

The service wasn't great (had to ask the waiter THRICE for rice) and waited more than 25 minutes for our vegetable dish to appear. By the time it did, we had already finished most of the mains.

However, the overall experience was good and would definitely recommend this place to anyone who desires a bit of spicy food in a comfortable setting.

 

3 months, 3 weeks ago

traminer

Crispy deboned la zi ji. Mapo tofu with crab that even your grandma will love. Clean, spacious decor that will make you feel right at home even when you are sweating through the spice. We love it! One of the few Chinese restaurants in this city that won't charge you an arm+leg for a large party.

Will be back for the Tuesday 50% specials.

 

2 months, 3 weeks ago

jeremyseow

I like the new menu though it was reeking of a chemical smell.

The service was attentive and good. Food arrived quickly but some starters came after the mains did. Must be because some were mass-produced...

The mapo tofu was great wt rice. The kou shui chicken is really yummy. The fish with bean sprouts and flat noodles would have been great, except it was served without the noodles. When I asked the staff about it, he realised he made a mistake and asked me if I still wanted the noodles. Then he brought out the noodles in a separate dish. Fish with bean sprouts and flat noodles on a separate dish is not the same. The fish wt bean sprouts was not tasty but the flat noodles was good. So sad that they ruined this dish for me... The green dumpling with peanuts was good. The skin on the wonton in hot oil was too thick.

The prices are as expensive as the 'other' place down the street. I suggest having a non-smoking area designated, especially since it is a fairly spacious restaurant.

 

2 months ago