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Dainty Sichuan
Ph: (03) 9663 8861; 26 Corrs La, MELBOURNE 3000
chinese, $$ -, * for Food
Open 7 days 12.30-9.30pm; Licensed, BYO, Corkage $2 person
Mietta's Review
Two attached, largish rooms packed with people - mostly Asian, mostly young and mostly eating - are overseen by a concerned gentleman. Behind him, minding the till is his mother, whose arithmetic is better than her English. After waiting in the queue one is eventually seated at a serviceable laminex table still redolent of the spray used the remove the last traces of chilli left by the previous diner. The menu is battered photographic record of the dishes offered with 0-3 chillis denoting hotness. Even to macho Aussie palates three is HOT. The accent on chilli marks this place out from its numerous Cantonese neighbours. Dishes are large with mains in the high teens. Flavours are interesting and the execution good if a little oily. Best with a group so that you can try a variety of flavours. The restaurant is licensed and BYO but this is not the food to eat with a special bottle. Service is stretched and the 'waiters eye' (ie the eye which avoids yours) seems to work overtime.
Other published opinions
The Age Cheap Eats 2008 "Dainty Sichuan Food has ditched Collingwood in favour of this city spot and while wait time on unbooked tables is (thankfully) down, the formula remains intact"
The Age Matt Preston, 3-9-2007 "Collingwood's Dainty Sichuan was a favourite find but it disappeared when the owner's wife got jack of cooking and decided to go back to China for a year. Now she's back with an extended repertoire in a larger, bright laminex site in the city and I'm indebted to reader David Warne for alerting me to this resurrection"
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