Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Sichuan Citizen

Been curious about this swankily decorated restaurant on Donghu Lu with its red lanterns and wooden accents. Plus, expats have gave it a lot of hype maybe because its sister is Citizen Cafe and they also serve lovely drinks.

Being only two people at the dinner, the variety of dishes to try was limited. Might as well stick to the standard favorites. We ordered the tea smoked duck, mapo dofu, fish fragrant aubergine, and spicy bullfrog.

Tea smoked duck at Sichuan Citizen

It took a short wait for the food to come out, the first being the tea smoked duck. The duck was not too fatty and the smoked process gave it a nice flavor. It was served warm to room-temperature. The duck was nothing extraordinary and it would have been nice if the duck skin had a bit of crispness to it.

Spicy Bullfrog at Sichuan Citizen Mapo dofu Yuxian qiezi

All at once came the bullfrog, mapo dofu, and yuxiang qiezi. The portions were quite large for two people to share. The tofu in the mapo dofu was slightly hard and not as tender as expected, but still spicy enough. The bullfrog came in a huge bowl of oil and floated around a mess of greens hidden in the depths of the bowl. It was also the same spiciness as the tofu and served really hot. The cuts of bullfrog were large and generous. As for the aubergine, upon the first bite, it strangely had a buttery taste to it. The skin of the aubergine was also slightly tough.

Overall, I would say that Sichuan Citizen is more for the ambiance (or drinks) than the the cuisine. Dishes are slightly more expensive than if you went to a standard Sichuan restaurant. When choosing between Xin Xiang Hui and Sichuan Citizen, always go for the first unless the wait is excruciatingly long down the street.

Sichuan Citizen. 30 Donghu Lu, near Huaihai Zhong Lu. 东湖路30号, 近淮海中路. Shanghai, China

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