Szechuan Tasty House

[MarketStEl]

I’m not by any means knocking the use of heat, or even STH.  Although I’m not a chili head, I really do love hot food and consider myself as having a high tolerance for capsaicin.  But damn if the five pepper blend didn’t steal the thunder from the other dishes!  Either the majority of you have an extraordinary tolerance for pain, or our table just happened to draw the pepper placenta/seed lottery.  I’m looking forward to a return visit to sample something other than a five pepper dish… but I fear I may be returning alone!

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If you need a dining companion to take the bullet on a five-pepper dish, I live not that far from STH. Time and funds permitting, I'd be glad to sacrifice my taste buds for the experience. Give me a heads-up.

[Daniel]

Sunday night my girlfriend and I went here for dinner.. I was running a fever and was looking for some spicy food to kill my cold.. We had a really enjoyable dinner here..

I started with the Hot and Sour Soup.. This was truly the best version I have ever had.. It was excellent..

Next we had the spicy dumplings that came highly highly praised.. This did not disappoint.. Less spicy then I prefer (still fabulous) it came sitting in a sweet garlicy sauce. The pork inside the dumplings were really meaty and cooked to a perfect pink.. And eight dumplings for 3 bucks I think.. You cant beat it..

We also had the sliced conch in a very similar sauce as the dumplings.. However it was different.. A little less sweet.. The pieces of conch were of amazing quality. I often get chewy grisley pieces, this was not the case..

We then had the cellophane noodles with pork.. Along the lines of the Sichuan Dish ants climbing a tree. This had a really nice spice to it.. The cellophane noodles were a wide flat noodle, which is something different for me.. I liked this a lot..

Our last dish was a super spiced beef dish.. I am forgetting them name.. But it came in a saucy dish.. They then poured over top all this crushed red pepper.. It added a nice spice.. I really liked how the celery worked in this dish..

This restaurant is a gem.. Different then any other Sichuan Restaurant I have been to.. I cant figure out if they are Americanizing there versions or if this is the vision they have for there food.. Either way, it works, and I really liked it alot..

[Jeff L]

Sunday night my girlfriend and I went here for dinner.. I was running a fever and was looking for some spicy food to kill my cold.. We had a really enjoyable dinner here..

I started with the Hot and Sour Soup.. This was truly the best version I have ever had.. It was excellent..

Next we had the spicy dumplings that came highly highly praised.. This did not disappoint.. Less spicy then I prefer (still fabulous) it came sitting in a sweet garlicy sauce. The pork inside the dumplings were really meaty and cooked to a perfect pink.. And eight dumplings for 3 bucks I think.. You cant beat it..

We also had the sliced conch in a very similar sauce as the dumplings.. However it was different.. A little less sweet.. The pieces of conch were of amazing quality. I often get chewy grisley pieces, this was not the case.. 

We then had the cellophane noodles with pork.. Along the lines of the Sichuan Dish ants climbing a tree.  This had a really nice spice to it.. The cellophane noodles were a wide flat noodle, which is something different for me.. I liked this a lot..

Our last dish was a super spiced beef dish.. I am forgetting them name.. But it came in a saucy dish.. They then poured over top all this crushed red pepper.. It added a nice spice.. I really liked how the celery worked in this dish..

This restaurant is a gem.. Different then any other Sichuan Restaurant I have been to.. I cant figure out if they are Americanizing there versions or if this is the vision they have for there food.. Either way, it works, and I really liked it alot..

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Nice review, glad you guys enjoyed my new favorite Chinese in Philly. Too bad they don't offer chefs tasting menu with wine pairings there...you could have saved at least $350 by my reckoning when factoring in the tip

A shame really about your Vetri experience.

Edited October 3, 2006 by Jeff L (log)

[ladydisdain]

My husband is dying to try this place, but I have zero spicy food tolerance. I mean, zero. Are there any dishes on the menu that are not hot?

[KatieLoeb]

Daniel:

The Hot and Sour soup at STH is good, but next time try the H&S soup a couple of blocks around the corner at Lee How Fook on 11th. It rocks the house and is just the thing to blast a cold out of your head. It's my go-to soup for a head cold.

Those spicy dumplings at STH are the best spicy dumplings ever. For regular pan fried dumplings I usually stick with the ones at David's Mai Lai Wah that come with the killer gingery dipping sauce. Something else you should try on your next foray into Philly Chinatwon.

[Daniel]

Thanks for the kind words Jeff..

Lady D,

This was my only experience here, so I dont know if anything qualifies.. However, nothing was outrageously spicy that I ate.. However, i would steer clear of the beef dish I ordered..

Katie,

Thanks for your suggestions, if thats not the best Hot and Sour Soup.. Then I might have to leave for Philly tonight!! I really am looking forward to hitting up more spots in Chinatown.. Thanks for the suggestions..

[Jeff L]

My husband is dying to try this place, but I have zero spicy food tolerance. I mean, zero.  Are there any dishes on the menu that are not hot?

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The golden coins are not hot to my recollection and probably the best thing on the entire menu. I think if you asked them to lower the heat they would do so. They seemed accomodating the times I've eaten there. But really the name of the place says it all

[philadining]

There are actually several really good things on this menu that are not spicy at all:

As mentioned, the Golden Coins (deep-fried eggplant stuffed with ground pork,) Ban Ban Chicken (cold chicken breast with a sesame sauce,) Dan Dan Noodles, Chang Du Cold Noodles,Ginger Shredded Duck, Pork with garlic Sauce (sounds boring - isn't!) there's more...

Even the dumplings in spicy sauce are all that spicy, depends where your threshold is.

All of those are dishes I'd recommend from experience, and there's lots more on the menu for the heat-averse. I can't vouch for the more conventional entries on the menu, I just haven't tried them, but they might be very good.

Obviously the strong suit of this place is the spicy stuff, but you'll have no trouble getting something tasty while your husband leaps into the flames.

[philadining]

Daniel, was this the Beef you had?

Braised Beef Filet with Szechuan Style

I really like this! It's not as savagely hot as it looks, but there's certainly some pepper in there.

I'm very fond of the Tasty House, but just for the sake of doing the survey, next time you're in Philly, try Chung King Garden (right across the street) they do some serious Szechuan food there too, that I thought compared well with Grand Sichuan International and Wu Liang Ye.

Not to steer you away from STH, there's plenty more good stuff to eat there.

Oh, wait, it's Daniel: go to BOTH!

Or no, I can see it now, we can hit all the best dishes in Chinatown in one day - PM us - we'll get a crew together!

[Jeff L]

Daniel, was this the Beef you had?

Braised Beef Filet with Szechuan Style

I really like this! It's not as savagely hot as it looks, but there's certainly some pepper in there.

I'm very fond of the Tasty House, but just for the sake of doing the survey, next time you're in Philly, try Chung King Garden (right across the street) they do some serious Szechuan food there too, that I thought compared well with Grand Sichuan International and Wu Liang Ye.

Not to steer you away from STH, there's plenty more good stuff to eat there.

Oh, wait, it's Daniel: go to BOTH!

Or no, I can see it now, we can hit all the best dishes in Chinatown in one day - PM us - we'll get a crew together!

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I'd like to be part of that crew sir

[Daniel]

Daniel, was this the Beef you had?

Braised Beef Filet with Szechuan Style

I really like this! It's not as savagely hot as it looks, but there's certainly some pepper in there.

I'm very fond of the Tasty House, but just for the sake of doing the survey, next time you're in Philly, try Chung King Garden (right across the street) they do some serious Szechuan food there too, that I thought compared well with Grand Sichuan International and Wu Liang Ye.

Not to steer you away from STH, there's plenty more good stuff to eat there.

Oh, wait, it's Daniel: go to BOTH!

Or no, I can see it now, we can hit all the best dishes in Chinatown in one day - PM us - we'll get a crew together!

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That was the dish exactly..I unfortunately was sick this weekend, so my eating was cut in about half.. Next time we are in Philly a group Chinese Crawl might be in order..

Edited October 3, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[I_call_the_duck]

..I unfortunately was sick this weekend, so my eating was cut in about half.. Next time we are in Philly a group Chinese Crawl might be in order..

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Silly me, and to think you did plenty in the few days you were here! Count me in for the Chinese Crawl. I'm dying to try those offal carts. Edited October 4, 2006 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[Vadouvan]

Another delicious meal......Phil ?

[philadining]

Just a reprise of some old faves:

A big bowl of crushed red pepper, with some beef and Chinese celery hiding in there somewhere, otherwise known as Braised Beef Filet with Szechuan Style

Very hot, but delicious, featuring very tender beef.

Szechuan Twice-Cooked Pork

Fatty, salty, spicy, what else can you want?

Sliced Chicken with Spicy Tangy Sauce

I think this one gets overlooked for some of the more dramatic preparations, but this has a great flavor, and no small amount of heat.

Thanks to V for recommending the perfect accompaniment to all that spice: a big bottle of Lindemann's Peche Lambic.

They were pretty busy on a sunday night, and the woman who i presume is the manager said they've been really full much of the time, enough so that they're thinking of expanding to a larger place right nearby. They have the Best of Philly award and Laban's 2-Bell review proudly posted on the wall, and I have no doubt both have helped them.

Service was friendly, if a little frazzled, it took several requests to get glasses for the beer, but they had a big table of rowdy guys at the back, most of the other tables were full, they were doing some take-out, and I think it's one guy in the kitchen. But that guy can cook.... Great stuff.

[mrbigjas]

Szechuan Twice-Cooked Pork

Fatty, salty, spicy, what else can you want?

you know sometimes i think that is just the perfect dish, and everything else can just stop trying.

[Daniel]

Phila,

your photos are always awesome.. Really, I have eaten there and it didnt look that good in person.. Seriously though, the place is very solid.. I too had a group of guys in the back demanding most of the attention of the staff..

[philadining]

Thanks Daniel!

And yeah, it's a weird thing: pretty much every time I go in, there's ALWAYS a big group jammed around that back table. The rest of the place might be empty, but that big round table is full of people. I don't think its the same folks all the time.

I think I'm with you Jas, that twice-cooked pork is a dish I pretty much have to get every time...

[rlibkind]

I finally got to STH this past Friday with She Who Must Be Obeyed, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. SWMBO is considerably more moderate than me in her appreciation of heat, but found the kung pao chicken to her liking (even if it had too many carrots). I started out with the spicy dumplings (I concur with others' evaluations: delicious, but at least as sweet as it is spicy) and then knocked off an entire plate (leaving only a few peppers) of twice cooked bacon, er, I mean twice cooked pork. mrbigjas is correct: it's perfect. It certainly satisified my craving for pork belly (for the moment).

[philadining]

Another quick dinner at STH:

Twice-Cooked Pork (just TRY to stop me from ordering this!)

Three-Pepper Chicken: that combo of fresh peppers, dried peppers and Sichuan Peppercorns is both delicious and intriguing. Had us sweating a bit...

Golden Coins: each time I marvel at how perfect this is.

Sautéed Snow Pea Greens: not on the menu, but it pays to ask. They were sweet, still crunchy, garlicky, and a great safe-harbor from the spice.

Overall a great meal.

And come on, fess-up, who else was there last night? We overheard some conversations about Ansill from a table behind us, and the guys next to us had some crazy wines and their own glasses.... not your average random wednesday-night diners.

Somebody else took photos for a change, but then, I think we have pix of all this stuff in this topic already.

[percyn]

Picked up some Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce when we went for Dim Sum on Sunday in nearby Chinatown. This dish should not be mistaken for the pedestrian pork and "brown garlic sauce". This one packed a punch and tasted almost like it had pickle spices in it.

[katbert]

Yesterday for lunch: Turnip Patties, Dumplings in Spicy Sauce, Golden Coins, and I think the Sliced Chicken w/ Spicy Tangy Sauce.

The turnip patties turned out to be completely different from what I was expecting- those pan fried turnip squares at dim sum. Instead, they were circular flat patties, sesame covered and deep fried, with an almost shredded texture on the inside. I really liked these, but vegetarians be forewarned that they contain both shrimp and a ground meat (probably pork). The dumplings were ok, but nothing special (came in a pool of chili oil and under a layer of diced garlic) and a little difficult to handle with chopsticks.

The golden coins/deep fried eggplant slices were terrific and came with a side of thick chili laden sauce. Get them. If you are impatient, you will burn yourself taking a bite from the first golden coin because it just came out of the deep fryer. You'll say "Owh! Hawt!" And if the other people at your table are impatient, they'll then proceed to do exactly the same thing. The chicken was spicy enough to give me a little bit of a runny nose and tingly tongue, but not so hot that I couldn't taste anything.

Philadining says that the sauteed snow pea greens aren't on the menu, but my takeout menu says: 112. Chinese Peas Green under the Vegetable category. I'm going to guess that these are the same thing. Another thing to note is that they deliver on orders >$15.

[mrbigjas]

they do indeed deliver. and they do it when they say they will, too.

recommendation: if you get the twice cooked pork, and you save it to finish the next day, and you have any delusions about the amount of pig fat you're eating, be SURE to heat it up the next day without looking at it.

because one glance at the pile of meat pieces and peppers suspended in solidified pig fat will quickly dispel any thoughts of health.... if you heat it up though, you'll never notice...

Edited March 2, 2007 by mrbigjas (log)

[Andrew Fenton]

You speak the truth, on all points.

STH has been our go-to delivery joint for a while now, and I've been completely satisfied with their delivery track record. (It probably doesn't hurt that I make a point of tipping very, very well.)

But man, that food is greasy. The combination of oil and spice pretty much guarantees that I'll be up in the middle of the night... The twice-cooked pork is an obvious culprit, but the Szechuan braised beef and the ma po tofu are also pretty bad, that way. (Ironically enough, the deep-fried food is less oily than a lot of their dishes.)

It's just a shame that their food is so, you know, tasty. Because it really just doesn't agree with me so much.

Edited March 2, 2007 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[Tim Dolan]

That Szechuan braised beef looks pretty scorching...

[I_call_the_duck]

Yesterday, we started off with the Dumplings in Spicy Sauce, and proceeded to the Szechuan Twice-Cooked Pork and Ginger Shredded Duck. Such nice chunks of garlic in the dumpling sauce, and just spicy enough without hurting. The pork? Amazing. That had such a nice kick to it, and so flavorful. And the duck was great — nice and mild, which was a good contrast to the spice from the pork. Oh, and fried bananas for dessert. Excellent all around. I don't know why I don't go to this place more often.

mrbigjas, do they indeed deliver to your house? I didn't think they delivered that far, and you're just a block away from us.