SzeChuan Cuisine

Coming from Hong Kong, where GuangZhou cuisine is mainly served, we rarely eat dishes filled with chili peppers. However, as a Chinese, I feel that there is a need to discover different cuisine served in different parts of China.

Amongst the eight major types of Chinese, today's main course will be about SzeChuan food. As the name implies, the origin of the food came from the southern part of China, SzeChuan. Famous for their flavorful spices, the majority of the SzeChuan dishes tends to be more spicy. In Chinese cuisine, even spicy has two levels, there is "麻" (pronounced Ma), the strong numbing taste created with a lot of SzeChuan peppercorn is famous from their spicy hotpot; the second element is "辣" (pronounced Lat), which basically gives the dishes the heat, usually created using SzeChuan red chili peppers.

Some of the more famous SzeChuan dishes are Ma Po Tofu, Kung Po chicken and their spicy hotpot. A particular restaurant I enjoy going to is "SzeChuan Garden", located at First Markham Place on Hwy7. 

One of my favorite dishes from there is their "Fuqi Fei Pian" which is finely sliced beef and tripe marinated in a Ma Lat sauce, the combination of the two spices works in harmony to create a tangy and spicy flavor.

I remembered that day I sat on my chair, looking at the Fuqi Fei Pian, I thought to myself "Toro, what are you getting yourself into?" The simple view of the orange chili oil and the red chili peppers terrified me, I was very hesitant to eat spicy food, but since my friends kept talking about how good this dish is, I had to find the courage to at least try. The dish was very spicy, but the fact that it was served cold made it easier to eat. From someone who doesn't eat spicy food, I think this had got to be the best dish I had tasted. Do not be afraid of the chili oil, its not as bad as you think! It is actually the chili oil that gives it the distinct taste you'll never forget.

This dish is served cold as an appetizer, the "Ma" flavors is meant to stimulate your appetite, but if you can't eat too spicy, you should consider ordering a glass of soy bean milk just to be safe.

I personally think that SzeChuan cuisine is one of the most unique types of cuisine amongst Chinese cooking, since almost all types of dishes are filled with rich spices and packed with flavor. Although they are all spicy, but the peppers and the marinate do not overwhelm the taste of the meat or vegetable. 

After trying the FuQi Fei Pian, I was exposed to even more spicy food. If you can eat very spicy, you must try the Spicy fish served in a hotpot. Don't be alarmed by the red chili peppers that fills the pot, it may not be as spicy as you think! :) My impression was "No way I'm eating that!", but since you're only eating the fish, the heat level is not that high, you can actually taste the different flavors like capers, parsley, and other herbs and spices they put in this dish. But as a result, my lips fell like it was on fire for the next few hours :(

Quality: 5/5
Price:4/5
Spicy level: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Overall rating: 4/5

SzeChuan Garden

3225 Hwy7

Markham, ON

(905) 513-7588

So, can you take the heat?

Royal Teahouse

If you ask anyone what their definition of Chinese food is, many will tell you its "dim sum". The term itself its a directly translated from the Chinese word 點心, which roughly translates to snacks. Originally, the term "dim sum" was only meant to describe different dishes of snacks, but it slowly evolved to a general term for a place that serves "dim sum".

The origin of "dim sum" came from Northern China, where people drank a lot of tea, people often made snacks to compliment the tea. Throughout time, this tradition was flipped around, where people would eat "dim sum" and drink tea compliment the food. 

"Dim sum" mainly falls into two categories, salty foods and sweets. Some of the more popular items are the shrimp dumplings, barbeque pork buns, egg tarts, and as disgusting as it may sound to some people, chicken feet in a spicy sauce. The majority of the dishes are steamed or fried, but the "dim sum" varieties are endless.

The place I want to introduce everyone to today is "the Royal Teahouse" located at the intersection of Woodbine Avenue and Apple Creek Boulevard. Aside from the great quality of the food and decent proportions, their tea leaves they use is also very aromatic.

(Foods in picture to the right: Sticky rice, shrimp dumpling, curry squid, watercress and meat dumpling, fried squid tentacles, custard cake)

Some of my personal favorites from that place is their fried egg plant, where they slice the egg plant into very thin slices and fried in a thin batter, finished with some sprinkles of paprika. The crispiness of the batter gives the soft eggplant a crunchy texture, and the little heat from the paprika gives the dish an extra kick.

(highly recommended!)


Overall, I think this is one of my personal favorite "dim sum" place to go to. The price may be higher than other restaurants, but it is definitely worth the money.


Also, one of their most famous tea is the Jasmine tea. Drinking tea while eating "dim sum" will help with digestion. Let me know what you think of this restaurant!

Royal Teahouse

10 Apple Creek Boulevard
Markham, ON
(905) 946-1898

Food: 4.5/5

Service: 4/5

Price: 3/5

Overall rating: 3.8/5