Sichuan Impression

Sichuan Impression Restaurant Review:

Chengdu natives Lynn Liu and Kelly Xiao opened this stylish Sichuan restaurant, with chef Tony Lai presiding over the kitchen. The space features art-lined walls, comfortable banquettes and fashionable bowls, which are designed to accommodate resting chopsticks. At points, the menu reads like a riddle, with adjective-forward descriptions like “mouthful-aroma” sausage, “drunk” wine-marinated whelks and “fiery-temper” quick-fried duck tongue. Not every plate is exotic, though every item qualifies as “impressive,” as the menu informs diners. Clearly, Sichuan Impression’s owners have confidence to spare, and they can back it up. For instance, bean jelly features springy hand-cut noodles tossed with chile oil and fried garlic. Dumplings promise a hou “honest” dao experience, and they are indeed tasty, with skins sporting good bite, numbing chile oil and mostly decorative scallions. Still, the best dish we enjoyed involved “finger-lickingly juicy” sautéed spicy crab, a pair of rock crabs wok-fired with Sichuan peppercorns, chile oil and salt. The meat was ultra-savory, with the crab’s roe and offal especially good over steamed white rice. Unlike most Sichuan restaurants in the area, Sichuan Impression offers some desserts, including rice cakes with crushed peanuts and molten black sugar.