Szechuan Cuisine, Outer Sunset, San Francisco

We went twice in one week (8/2/18). For Thursday's visit, between errands in the city, we popped in, decided to try only dishes we hadn't yet. Above is probably the best thing we've had at Szechuan Cuisine, Duck Noodle Soup with Mushrooms (shitakes). Deeply satisfying broth.

Vegetable and Pork Dumplings, as good as the Pork Chili Oil Dumplings.

Stir-fried Green Beans.

Always a delight to return to Szechuan Cuisine, and on Tuesday (7/31/18) it seemed even better than usual. How is this possible? Szechuan Cuisine is with the upper echelon of fine Chinese dining in the Greater Bay Area, including restaurants like Royal Feast in Millbrae and China Village in Albany. Above: the Pork-filled Dumplings with Chili Oil that we've gotten every time.

Above and below: Mapo Tofu. Utterly sublime, with silken soft tofu, and very fresh spices.

Spinach with garlic sauteed in a rich broth, which tastes like a very refined chicken and duck stock. The stock was so rich, I was tempted to drink it after all the spinach was dispatched.

Yesterday (6/9/18) we had late lunch in the Outer Sunset at one of the top Szechuan restaurants in the Bay area again. Above you can see their Dan Dan Noodle, a spot on definitive version of this classic dish.

Above, one of our favorite Szechuan cold appetizers, Steamed Chicken w/Chilli Sauce, without a doubt the best version I've ever had, because of all the spices (my tongue and tummy was buzzing with pleasure for hours thanks to the chillies & szechuan peppercorns), plus there were all these scallions, peanuts, and other vegetables garnished atop the cold chicken, cooked perfectly and still quite moist.

Pork Dumplings Chilli Oil. We get this every time. There's no better version we know of. Luscious silky dumplings with ground pork filling contrasted by the chili, sesame & scallion sauce lavished on top.

Stir Fried Pea Sprout. Quite similar to their Spinach With Garlic, i.e. pea shoots cooked in chicken stock with garlic, except that Pea Sprouts are in season right this moment, so if you go there in June, this is the best side vegetable to get.

Last night (1/24/18) we returned to this Sunset neighborhood jewel that Robin & I discovered by accident right after the San Francisco Mushroom/Fungus show in Golden Gate Park. We were knocked out the first time, even more now. Above: Spinach with Garlic. Simple & perfect, likely with chicken stock.

Here's those Pork dumplings with chiles and scallions again, made in-house. We're not exactly sure how they're doing it, because we can identify every ingredients deployed (Szechuan peppercorns for sure), but this seems like the freshest most exalted dumplings we've had. They're so good they seem fit for royalty, but the impression one gets with the food presented at Szechuan Cuisine and the cozy atmosphere, is you're eating a meal made at home, lovingly made by a very skilled person who has many decades of experience. And who has selected the very best ingredients. At this point, I'd have to say that nobody can touch Szechuan Cuisine.

And here's their show-stopping Tea-Smoked Duck. Along the lines of the best versions we've had in the city, East Bay and elsewhere. Again, this seems like the pinnacle of this dish. And it's a lot of food, we just had the rest for lunch.

Fried Sliced Mutton with Cumin (& chiles, garlic, scallions, and more). Quite a bit of luscious mutton came with this dish. Delicious deep umami flavor of the mutton complemented by the array of spices and aromatics. Close to China Village in terms of execution, just a different more local regional take.

Poached Fish (Sole) Fillet in Chili Oil. We've had at least 8 different versions of this dish in the last few years, and they're all similar, every version really stands out, probably because the chef(s) are doing what their family made. This version stands out for the inclusion of pickled vegetables and braised leeks cut on the bias, plus the spices (Szechuan peppercorns especially) taste seriously fresh, yielding a tongue-numbing result.

Pork Dumplings with Chili Oil, made in house. And boy can you tell the difference, the dumpling skins were just perfectly supple and consistent, the pork filling exploding with umami and a subtle whisp of salt.

Szechuan Cuisine

415-661-8322

1920 Irving Street

San Francisco