China Chilli – a Gouger St find
China Chilli belongs to a small chain that is growing because it is doing things rather well.
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Too many chain restaurants now populate our beloved Gouger St food strip, but it’s still a great multicultural hub where you can find interesting things to eat.
The two-storey China Chilli belongs to a smaller chain, growing because it is doing things rather well. It follows a successful Chinese Sichuan formula that has spread to Adelaide from modest origins in Sydney.
Our CC looks the part with red padded walls and fish tanks with lobsters and lazy barra. Upstairs, it’s hot-pot land where the fun is in cooking for yourself.
Downstairs, the glossy picture-book or iPad menu is a quality list that might tempt you to step out of the usual food square. The brave (or well-versed) might try intestines, tripe, tongue and tofu pudding, cold bean jelly or black fungus.
We’ve been led here for the weekend lunch hubbub by in-the-know family who love the “dry soup”. No offal here, and it’s good.
There is a little deeply flavoured stock in the giant shared bowl, not soupy at all. We dip chopsticks in for broad noodle ribbons, thin shaves of beef, greens, wood ear mushrooms, peanuts, and chilli.
It’s hearty stuff, and delicious.
A marinated pork hock dish also is a satisfying pile of spiced crunchy pieces. And, a scattering of crispy pan bits and greens adds oomph to meat easily pulled away from equally attractive lamb ribs.
Only our chilli squid choice is an East-leans-way-too-far-West plate of weirdness. It’s an Asian-ish loaded fries, perhaps aiming for poutine? Chewy squid curls and tentacles mingle with mooshy crinkle-cut chips cloaked in sticky sauce. I’m not a fan.
Nor are the shallot pancakes the best around, but we’ll be back for that “soup”, and generous tea-smoked duck that stars in a theatrical arrival, with dry ice vapors swirling around the meat. This has no discernible effect other than staging a grand smoky entrance, but it’s good duck.
We end the outing a few doors along to watch the changing Gouger St people parade over St Louis ice creams.
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