Where a Chongqing native goes to eat spicy Sichuan food in Hong Kong, and her favourite Cantonese restaurants
- Wine writer Natalie Wang knows her spices, being from Chongqing in southwest China. She reveals where she indulges her craving for fiery food in Hong Kong
- Her other love is Cantonese food, whether it’s high-end at Duddell’s or dim sum from Fung Shing
Award-winning wine writer and Chinese social media strategist Natalie Wang is the founder of media platform Vino Joy News, which covers the wine industry in China and the rest of Asia.
I like Sichuan food. Nothing speaks more about home to me than the aromatic flavours of chilli tossed in searing hot oil or the numbing sensation from a bite of Sichuan peppercorn.
As a Chongqinger living in Hong Kong for over eight years, I am always seeking out places that sate my Sichuan cravings, ideally with a friendly corkage policy or a delectable wine list.
Sijie (10/F, Bartlock Centre, 3 Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay, tel: 2802 2250) is an old warhorse in the Sichuan restaurant scene. I visit this private kitchen regularly. There’s nothing fancy here and you won’t find surgical precision cooking or dishes, but I like its rustic and homely charm.
A set menu is HK$350. The cold noodle is one of my favourites, so is the boiled fish in pickled vegetables.
The best part is that there’s no corkage. I have spent many fun nights there.
