Sichuan Food @ Guo Fu

Since Jin Hang closed for business some months back, I'd been desperately looking for a replacement. My fellow Sichuan lunch buddies and I suffered from withdrawal symptoms for a while but we finally found a place that serves decent Sichuan food close to our respective offices. Its a branch of a steamboat restaurant at China Square Central, by the same name ie. Guo Fu. Unlike its main restaurant, the sister restaurant focuses on cooked dishes.

Guo Fu serves 2 types of appetizers at the start of the meal. I like the variety of appetizers as it adds an interesting touch to the meal.The standard of the food varies with every visit. I must have visited this place close to a dozen times by now. After a few requests to the friendly waitress to tweak the flavour ie. to make the dishes a little more spicy and to use more Sichuan peppercorns for the numbing sensation (I know it sounds like we have S&M tendencies but you have to try it to know what we're raving about), we finally arrived at a combination that came close to the taste that Jin Hang used to offer. If you're dining here for the first time, let the service staff know about your preference with respect to the heat/numbing factor. I would suggest that you do not ask for the food to be super-spicy as they've made it so spicy that my Sichuan buddy and I were sniffling and wiping tears away at the table. Considering that I'm known to be very resilient to chili, that is saying ALOT about how spicy they can make it!

Ma Po Tofu @ S$7

Most of us loved the Ma Po Tofu here as it was spicy, numbing, yet flavoursome. The silken tofu cubes were infused with the flavour of the sauce. A perfect complement to a warm bowl of steamed rice. This is a MUST-TRY!

Gan Bian Si Ji Dou (String Beans Fried with Sichuan Spices & Pork) @ S$7

This is my other favourite dish here. The Gan Bian Si Ji Dou (they offer 3 versions of string beans but please order this version as its more authentic) here is excellently seasoned with the numbing spiciness of the sichuan peppercorns and rock salt. My friends and I loved picking the bits of rock salt for a burst of saltiness in the mouth! This is also a MUST-TRY!

La Zi Ji (Spicy Fried Chicken) @ S$8

The La Zi Ji here is well...not too bad, it was not too oily, had a crispy exterior and fairly juicy interior...if only there was just an additional pinch or two of salt. Yep, its bland and its not because my tastebuds are shell-shocked from the Sichuan peppercorns. I think regular consumption of Sichuan food has toned my tongue and made me more resilient. So when your tongue goes numb and your lips swell while eating Sichuan food, don't worry...keep eating and you'll be fine after a couple of visits (and tons of Coke/Chinese Tea). :P

Shui Zhu Yu (Spicy Sichuan Fish) @ S$12

We loved the Shui Zhu Yu (literally means "Water Cooked Fish") too. The fish slices were fresh, the soy bean sprouts were crunchy and the strings of tang hoon (mung bean vermicelli) had absorbed the spiciness of the soup. This is admittedly not the best Shui Zhu Yu I've ever had but its the next best I've had in Singapore since Jin Hang closed.

Guo Fu Kitchen 22 Cross Street, #01-50 South Bridge Court, China Square Central, Singapore 048423 Tel: +65 6536-5803 / 6557-0906 Operating Hours: Daily: Noon to 10pm