Szechuan House - Aloha Hotel - Malate

A Chinese restaurant is served here with exotic food such as frogs. Although I'm not a fan. We still ordered food that is new to us. And luckily, here we find the menu and food of exotic flavor and taste great. Small but nice restaurant in the Aloha Hotel.

The food wasn't as good as the last time we were here about 5 years ago. They had attentive staff, old yet classic interior which is good. But the food wasn't that good. We ordered Xiao Long Bao, Hakaw, Crunchy Noodle, Chicken Noodle Soup, Crab Fuyong, and Steamed Pork Belly with Mantao. The portion size is large so we have to take a lot of food home with us after eating. I was disappointed with the Xiao Long Bao, although understandably few Chinese restaurants get this dimsum right. Don't order your hakaw! Just get this dimsum in other Chinese restaurants! Crab Fuyong was good, but a little salty for my taste. The pork belly is tender and tasty, but full of visible fats.

I always pass by this place  whenever I take the long (for me) drive to MOA, and it would always pique my interest with the name of the restaurant in big, bold letters. I finally tried this restaurant after doing some errands. The place seemed a bit run down. The interiors were old, and a little bit musty. This could've been an added charm, if the food were good. The problem is, it wasn't. :( We ordered the Spicy Dandan Noodles, Fried Spareribs with Salt and Pepper, and rice. The Spicy Dandan Noodles were just okay. A bit on the bland side, it didn't deliver on its promise of being spicy. The Fried Spareribs with Salt and Pepper, a standard fare in most Chinese restaurants, was not flavorful, as well. The meat was also a bit tough.  Szechuan dishes are well known for being spicy and flavorful. Szechuan House does not live up to that expectation. Sadly, not coming back again.

I grew up with Sze Chuan House. This was my late father's standard sze chuan restaurant. He liked spicy food so we went there a lot. I decided to eat there with some friends who were looking for Chinese cuisine in addition to the usual Cantonese cuisine. The restaurant's decor was dated back to the 1970s in China. The food was ok but not as spicy as I remembered it. It used to be better. The service was as good as I can remember.

Ate here Sunday dinner. The place is old. Table with plastic wrap. The food was expensive, nothing special. We had the mild fish fillet with the same, shrimp prawns was delicious, chilli chicken with peanuts was too sweet and the portion was very small, if you order the small size it is really small. Crab Meat Rice. Beef and tripe with hot sauce was a winner.