It’s been a few short years since my husband has moved up to the SGV area and still need to expose him to more Chinese food. We decided to make it a thing to go out and try a new restaurant once a month. It doesn’t have to be new to him but definitely new to him! And my focus will be to expose him to Chinese food and culture because he is half Chinese after all.
First restaurant we picked was actually his picking. He’s going through a Sichuan phase and loves the numbing spicy. We have tried a couple of places such as Mian and Killer Noodle but there’s so much more in 626 he still has to explore! He picked Sichuan Impressions, which I also haven’t gone to either. It is located in Alhambra and is one of three locations.
Since it was both of our first times, we decided to order a lot with the intention of having leftovers to cover us for dinner the next few days.
Tea smoked pork ribs. Pork Ribs, Dried Chilies, Scallions, Minced Peanuts. Neither of us had tea smoked anything before and this sounded interesting. The pictures of Yelp also look enticing. The pork ribs were cooked perfectly and the meat fell off the bones so easily. There is a slight aura of tea from the tea smoked. Very delicious.
Sliced pork in minced garlic. Marbled Pork, Garlic, Scallions, Cilantro. This looked so good and who doesn’t love marbled pork belly?! Especially sliced thinly! It was served as a sort of cold appetizer dish in chili oil. It was delicious, tasty and savory. Juicy too! Loved this!
Impressive cold noodle. Egg Noodles, Sprouts, Crushed Peanuts, Scallions. The picture didn’t look good but it tasted SO DELICIOUS!!! I loveeee Sichuan cold noodles! It’s very easy to make too! Egg noodles give a slight chew which I like.
Ma-po tofu. Tofu, Minced Beef, Green Garlic Sprouts, Sichuan Peppercorn Powder. Vince has never had proper Ma-po tofu before so this will be his first! He loved it! Soft, silken tofu and very saucy. My only complaint is I wish there were more minced beef.
Mini lamb skewer. Mutton, Dried Chilies, Scallions, Cilantro. I love toothpick lamb wherever I go but slightly disappointed it wasn’t individually stuck in toothpicks. Getting lazy ehhh? I know it’s tedious but it’s part of the experience! Lamb was tender and flavorful otherwise. Nick spicy kick to it.
Taiwanese lettuce (A-choy). Garlic stir-fry. Our favorite and refreshing course because everything else was oily and spicy. It wasted good. Loved the garlic taste.
Everything was order via a QR code and on your phones. You can pay on your phone too! Fast and efficient!
We met the owner on our way out and inquired about the braised chicken in chili oil. Apparently that is only offered in the Irvine location because it involves many variables and steps to make.
Definitely coming back to this place!
