In a departure from our usual NYC venue reviews, this review is for a restaurant from our hometown in Rockville, Maryland. For those of you familiar with the area, this restaurant is located in the Rockville Town Center close to Bob’s Noodle 66, one of our favorite Chinese restaurants. Sichuan Pavilion specializes in Sichuan cuisine (obviously) which is a style of chinese cooking involving lots of garlic, peppercorns, and chili peppers. And here’s a disclaimer: my dad and I love melt-your-face-off spicyness so when I say its spicy I mean really spicy.
The restaurant had a nice ambiance. A little small, as it gets crowded in the waiting area during the dinner rush. One side has enough tables to host large parties while the other is lined with a few booths and intimate two person tables. The booth side also has a counter for take out orders – definitely a nice option if you’re in a rush.
The first dish that we got, 夫妻肺片 (pinyin: fū qī fèi piàn), is a staple dish at Sichuan restaurants and is my family’s favorite starter dish. On the menu, it’s called “Beef Tendon & Tripe w/ Spicy Sauce”: chilled thinly sliced beef tendon and tripe served in a bowl of fiery, mouth-numbing sauce. Thankfully it’s served cold; it would be pure agony to eat it served hot.
Another classic Sichuan dish that we got is 回锅肉(pinyin: húi gūo ròu). The dish is on the menu as “Double Cooked Pork w/ Crispy Bread”: pork belly that is first cooked in boiling water then stir-fried with peppers and scallions, hence double cooked, served with crispy tortilla-like pancakes. The dish has very bold flavors and may be too salty for some. Unfortunately, the version served here was a bit too oily and fatty.
The 樟茶鸭( pinyin: zhāng chá yā), or “Smoked Duck” is a must-have if you’re a fan of Peking Duck or any duck dish. The smoked duck is sliced thin Peking Duck style then lightly battered and deep fried (excessively delicious). It’s served with steamed buns instead of the wraps but most of the garnishes are the same. The bun was cloyingly sweet and detracted from the tasty duck but otherwise this was a very nice dish.
The final dish we had was 涼粉豆瓣鱼 (pinyin: liáng fěn dòu bàn yú) or “Whole Fish and Bean Jelly in Hot Sichuan Sauce”: whole tilapia cooked in a very thick and savory soy based sauce. I wasn’t impressed with the bean jelly cubes which had a weird creamy and sticky texture and lacked taste. The fish itself was slightly over cooked so it was a little tough and rubbery.
Overall, I was pleased with my experience at Sichuan Pavilion and felt that it delivered a good sampling of Sichuan cuisine. The quality of some dishes was a little lacking and now I know which dishes to avoid next time around. I’ve had better Sichuan food in the area but Sichuan Pavilion is closer and more convenient. Still if you’re in the Rockville area and have a craving for the spicy stuff, Sichuan Pavilion should be one of your top choices.
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