Back in 2003 Tina Li would open a small restaurant on Smith Street. With barely any space, she attempted to bring authentic Sichuan cuisine to Melbourne. Looking forward 13 years, the strong and bold flavours of Sichuan cuisine, as well as the allure of the fragrances emanating through the doors have established Dainty Sichuan as a household name throughout Melbourne.
The success of Dainty Sichuan has culminated in the establishment of many branch restaurants, such as Dainty Sichuan Hot Pot, Dainty Noodle Express and Tina's Noodle Kitchen.
The success of Dainty Sichuan has culminated in the establishment of many branch restaurants, such as Dainty Sichuan Hot Pot, Dainty Noodle Express and Tina's Noodle Kitchen.
Box Hill Central
Chicken skewers
Pork blood curd combination noodle
The pork blood combination noodle contains a plethora of ingredients, including but not limited to pork blood curd, tender beef, spam, quail eggs, various mushroom and fungi, lotus root and tripe. The soup contains immense amounts of spices, Sichuan peppercorns and chilli oil, which I asked to be reduced, as the 1cm thick layer of oil was too much for a light lunch.
Tender beef noodle
The tender beef noodle was similar to the pork blood curd combination noodles, however a number of the ingredients have been replaced by more of the tender beef, as well as a completely different soup base. The noodles used in both of the noodle dishes were very light and smooth, which gave a pleasant mouthfeel.
The dishes offered at Tina's Noodle Kitchen do not hold back any punches. If you are eating here make sure you are ready for the impact of heavy flavours and extremely spicy dishes. Also as a non-Chinese speaker, I felt like the service was considerably worse than if I were with Chinese speaking friends.
Food Rating 7.5/10
Overall Rating 7/10