Gastronomy Blog

I have walked by Cuisine Szechuan at least a dozen times knowing that its a new szechuan restaurant in downtown Montreal. Rule of thumb: when you see people eating in a restaurant of the same culture, then the food must be good. One fine winter day, I finally decided to go in and see what the buzz was all about.

The chilli’s on the window are NOT part of the logo…it actually means something

I didn’t know that until I looked at the menu. The waiter, who was very friendly and helpful to a first-time customer, informed me that the number of chillis next to each dish on the menu indicates the level of heat associated with it. 1 chilli being the least, and 3 being the hottest. Not knowing how spicy the food would actually be, I opted to go for something that I am more familiar with: Kung Pao Chicken. Normally this dish has some spice to it, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Also, since it was lunch, I got the special that came with a soup to start.

I began with probably one of the most flavorful and deliciously spicy hot and sour soups I’ve ever had (I’m over Wonton soup). Big pieces of shiitake mushrooms and tofu mixed with matchstick slices of bamboo shoots. The soup had a nice, thick consistency as well. Two thumbs up on that end.

Then came my Kung Pao Chicken, served with white rice, a spring roll, and steamed vegetables; all of which were pretty standard stuff. Good, but really nothing to get excited over. The chicken however…WOW. Seeing a few pieces of red szechuan chillis in my food normally tells me that the dish is spicy and I push them to the side of my plate. The thought of eating them is an unpleasant feeling. But when 2/3 of the dish ARE the chillis, that freaked me out a little. I took a deep break, and ate the first bite…chilli’s, chicken, and all. I was not expecting that. Sure it was spicy, but it wasn’t that spicy. Eating a chilli on it’s own didn’t make my mouth burn which is a good thing. The dish was topped with halved peanuts which added a great texture to the dish. I ate it all.

Overall, the food is great. Looking around at what other people were eating, it seems as though the green beans with chillis are their specialty. Most of their meals are meant to be shared since the portions are larger than what you would normally see.

Cuisine Szechuan is a great addition to the many Asian restaurants in the downtown area. What sets this place apart from the rest is the authenticity of the cuisine. If you are in the mood for something that will make you sweat a little, or make your nose run, then this is the place for you.

PS- When I was done, the waiter told me my dish was the equivalent of 1 chilli. I can’t imagine how a 3 chilli dish would taste.