Today a friend invited me down to Szechuan Tales, and had she not, I would have never discovered this gem.
The fiery red awning draws you in and the wonderful aesthetic inside has your head on a swivel. I was immediately enchanted by their colourful decor. With a rainbow of cloth lanterns tethered by a tassel, a mural of giant lotus flowers and lily pads, and matching ceramic koi fish “swimming” the stone wall. This whimsical setting foreshadows the fun to follow from their food.
The apprehension for most authentic Chinese restaurants in Richmond is that they do not speak English, here the menu is so approachable that if you don’t speak the langue you don’t need to. Waxy colourful photos of dishes allows you to point and order, plus the English name is its description. Easy to navigate, even if you and the staff may not speak the same language.
Nonetheless my guests today did speak Chinese and we got excellent service because of it. Although at the same time I did see the owner/manager spend equal amounts of time talking to who she could communicate with. Offering complimentary small plates and suggesting group liquor shots that she would take with her patrons. She definitely helped to set the lively tone of the place. In her mind everyone who enters is a VIP.
We would later learn that her goal for the restaurant is to offer authentic Chinese cuisine, by not just focusing on the menu dishes as a whole, but on each individual ingredient that goes into it. To the point that the finest ingredients are flown in to Canada from Sichuan, including live protein via air. No expenses seems to have been spared for the best food to come out of their kitchen.
Today we were here to try a few of their new menu item, along with some popular classics.
Their Appetizer platter is a popular one due to its creative presentation. Small sauce dishes set in place on a 3×3 tray, so that you can have a little bit of everything. Each housing a different cold dish. Fun to nibble on or use as an accompaniment to the rest of the meal.
Black fungus in vinegar, sesame, ginger and garlic.
Celery, carrot, and dehydrated tofu.
A textured dry tofu in a salty sesame butter with carrot chunks and soy beans.
The marinated beef stomach here was more tender than beef piece below.
Spicy and hard beef with peanuts. This was a good starting base to get you better acquainted to their level of spice, with a lot more from the others to come.
Pickle bamboo shoots for a briny refresh.
The pickled chill cucumber was a lot sweeter here than I have had it in the past.
Although the strongest pickling was in the radish.
And the roasted and salted peanuts were helpful in tempering the heat.
The aforementioned heat did set your mouth on fire, but not enough to deter you from having more, as the flavours were so good. And deep down you knew the spice was satisfying.
But to help quell the fire I would recommend one of their beer towers for the table. A chalice and tap for you to self serve your own pints. Fun to perk up the party motif.
Although if that doesn’t work and you still catch your nose running, simply reach out for the tissue box made available at each table, for that very reason. Great for the sniffles or a sweat.
Seeing an order of it walk across the room, I had to have the Handmade Chinese Donut. Each made in house and not frozen. Made to order so there is a wait. When it arrives, it comes in a whole slab the size of your forearm. This is then cut down before you to more manageable share-serving bites. Absolutely the best Chinese donut I have ever had. Crispy and soft, it kept its texture, and was still crispy after 30 minutes.
I was intrigued by the Pickled pepper bullfrog, as something you don’t often see on many menus. It was passed on that these were farm raised frogs, raised to be a food source so believed to be cleaner. Served in shallow bowl with a lip, the dish ware matched the lanterns overhead in bold colours.
As for the frog it was small chunks of meat on bone, but each meaty. And yes frog does taste like chicken with their similar white meat texture. However it is a lot more work to eat thanks to the much smaller bones you have to nibble around. It was served in a flavourful chicken broth that included a soft tofu that absorbed the sauce and baby branches of celery for freshness.
A good test of Szechuan food for me is Dan Dan noodles. I am a fan and have tried it on any menu that offered it. And these here at Szechuan Tales did not disappoint. Hearty with saucy coated noodles that retained its great chew from first bite to last.
And for dessert the Pumpkin glutinous rice pancake came highly recommend by the staff. This is one of their best sellers, hand made on location. Apparently this is a very common dessert and many Chinese children grew up with this one. Their version has no sugar added and utilizes the pumpkin in full. The fibrous nature of this dessert makes it very filling.
And if you are looking for something a lot more photogenic for dessert, you have to go with the lotus flower pastries. It included a show where you have a freeze dried rose passed to you, so that you can crush it over the dessert as a finisher. I didn’t order it, only got a chance to look envious at the directions of the table that did.
In closing this is my new go to and recommendation for Szechuan cuisine in the city. Delicious authentic dishes, courteous staff, and a good time in a fun setting.
Szechuan Tales
8111 Leslie Rd, Richmond, BC V6X 1E4
778-297-8880
szechuantales.com
