By Cortez Cruz Serrato
Located in the city of Alhambra, Szechuan Impression serves up Chinese cuisine that firmly separates itself from other restaurants in the area.
Szechuan food is a style of Chinese cuisine that comes from the province of Sichuan in China.
Szechuan cuisine is known for using an abundant amount of garlic, spices and chili peppers.
The restaurant opened in September and has generated a lot of buzz from many in the community.
The affordable prices and wide variety are what separates Szechuan Impression from other Chinese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley.
Szechuan Impression serves up delicious chicken and beef plates, rabbit, lamb, duck, and eve frog for those who are interested in trying something a little different than what they are used to.
Customers are instantly welcomed when entering Schezuan Impression.
The wait staff takes no time in greeting customers and is willing to answer any questions that they may have.
The menu is very helpful in letting customers know how spicy each dish is by putting images of chili peppers next to each specified dish.
Appetizers range from dishes that most customers are familiar with, like dumplings and fried rice, to bean jelly and starch noodles with pork intestines.
The staff was persistent in saying that their teas and plum juice were not only refreshing but authentic to the beverages served in southwestern China.
The plum drink is refreshing and freshly juiced throughout the day with very little sugar added.
The large selection of entrees and appetizers makes it difficult to choose what to order, but the servers’ suggestion is usually to go with the duck and fish fillets in chili sauce.
The duck is smoked multiple hours, which makes the meat tender and moist.
The smoking technique and the fattiness of the duck makes the entree succulent and delicious.
The fish fillets in chili sauce is for those who enjoy the extra kick of spice.
The fish fillets are boiled until tender, but the chili sauce is what makes the dish worth ordering.
The sauce is packed with intense flavors of garlic and chilies, which will leave some customers wiping their noses throughout the meal.
Though the dish has a fair amount of spiciness, it is not so overwhelming that the customer is unable to taste the other flavors in the dish.
Customers can also order a side of white rice or one of their several fried rices.
Szechuan Impression serves healthy portions that will leave all appetites satisfied.
The restaurant offers both lunch and dinner service.
Lunch service is from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner service is from 5 p.m. until 10:30 p.m.
Due to Szechuan Impression being a fairly new and quickly popular restaurant, the wait can become long.
The wait for a table can be an hour during the dinner service on weekdays and well over an hour on weekends.
Szechan Impression is located at 1900 West Valley Blvd. in Alhambra.