We first visited Sichuan Restaurant in Burwood back in 2015, before the massive more recent rejuvenation projects that have occurred south of the railway line in the interim. That last visit, our mouths were set on fire with the ultra mild soup base with sichuan peppercorns that we steered clear until recently.

The restaurant looks exactly as we remember it, with booth seating along one side of the restaurant (not pictured) and regular tables and shares occupying the rest of the space.

This time we order half chicken soup and half spicy soup ($15.00). Since our last visit, they’ve updated the menu to allow people to choose what goes into the soup to make it spicy.

We stick with the chilli and pass on the mouth numbing peppercorns in a bid to more fully enjoy our experience.

This is the Fish Tofu ($8.00) with each cube sliced in half. Fish tofu doesn’t have the bounciness of usual fish balls and retains some of the crumbly texture of tofu.

This is the Fish Ball with Shrimp ($10.00). The fish balls are an interesting shape and have a semi liquid yellow shrimp centre, while the surrounding retains the bounciness of the usual fish balls.

These are the Dumplings ($5.00) with a processed pork filling.

This is the Beef Slice ($9.50)

These were Beef Tendon Ball ($8.00). These were big and bouncy.

These were the Oyster Mushrooms ($7.00). We also ordered the Enoky Mushrooms ($7.00). Both are fresh and tasty.

These are the Coriander Pork Ball ($8.00). These taste exactly like meat balls made with minced pork and coriander. They’re easy to overcook and become dry in a hot pot setting, but we enjoy the textures of the ‘real’ meat as opposed to the other processed ones available.

These are the Duck Tongues ($12.00). D and I were stupidly expecting something akin to ox tongue, but were surprised that duck tongues are gelatinous with a big bone through the middle, making them more akin to chicken feet. We’re not fans and should’ve heeded N’s warning!

There are the Bamboo Shoots ($5.00). They taste canned.

Finally these were the Shaved Noodles ($4.00) are the last of the hot pot ingredients. We enjoy the chewy bite of these thicker noodles.

The restaurant also serves cooked dishes to go on the side. This is the Deep Fried Sweet Corn with Salted Egg Yolk ($14.80). The salted egg yolk and the addition of the capsicum is a vast improvement on the sweet sprinkles on the crispy corn pancake from across the road at Mr Stonebowl.

Our stomachs were full by the end of this meal. Essentially, all the ingredients for the hot pot are available from the cold section of an Asian supermarket, so it’s just paying a premium for the added convenience of having everything at hand.

Sichuan Restaurant is located at 248 Burwood Rd, Burwood NSW 2134.