restaurants

Dainty Sichuan Food

Dainty Sichuan is a popular Melbourne Chinese restaurant specialising in Sichuan cuisine that has been quite the rage for some time! Having heard so much about it from everyone, it was so lovely to be invited in to try their hotpot. I went in with average expectations that were definitely exceeded – there was such a vast choice of everything, the ingredients were not only fresh, but also beautifully presented, whilst the service was fast and efficient. Their prices at Dainty Sichuan are slightly higher than others but for such a vibrant environment and quality, I cannot wait to come back here and warm up from the Melbourne winter chills with some authentic Chinese hot pot (featuring Sichuan special ingredients that were unfortunately too spicy for me…) The good fat: I’ve always loved how personalised you feel when hot pot places gives everyone an individual pot each whilst all the ingredients are shared in the middle. The electric plate in front of each seat was also very simply to adjust yourself to control the heat. I ordered the Abalone and Black Chicken soup as my hot pot base, and it was so mellow but rich in flavour – taking my taste buds to their happiest place, cosy and rich Chinese home cooked soup. My top pick of ingredients would have to be the prawn mash, the squid balls with abalone, and the wagyu beef slices. The wagyu was marbled, tender and fresh – a perfect texture when we cooked it in our soup that you didn’t really even need the sauce. Both the prawn balls were so so delicious! Light in taste but worked so well subtly in the hot pot – one was a classic spherical ball, whilst the other prawn could be scooped out and placed into the pot so you could shape it your own size! The presentation of the seafood platter was stunning and we were provided with gloves, as well as utensils to help us eat the crab. The platter itself featured 3 sizely scallops, 2 abalones and multiple mussels along with a crab, all on a bed of ice. The bad fat: The prices here are a little on the higher side, especially for its vegetables which you could order anywhere. So I would recommend ordering their unique options, such as the handmade black tofu, and definitely the meatballs! SHOULD YOU GET FAT HERE? YES – OMG Dainty Sichuan is a fun, warm experience that epitomises Melbourne’s Asian cuisine – gorgeously presented hot pot ingredients, fresh to be placed in my steaming pot of flavours! FAT-O-METER: 4.5/5