Qi - House Of Sichuan Singapore - One Star Michelin Restaurant from HK

Qi – House Of Sichuan Singapore is the Singapore branch of the one-Michelin-starred restaurant, Qi – House Of Sichuan of Hong Kong. Located at the Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC) near Shenton Way, this new restaurant serves contemporary Sichuan dishes. It is next door to another new restaurant – Forbidden Duck, the first Singapore restaurant by Hong Kong’s famous chef Alvin Leung.

The decor of Qi – House Of Sichuan Singapore is one of casual sophistication. Mostly dark surfaces maintain an atmosphere of seriousness. One end of the restaurant opens up to a view of the surrounding Marina Bay Financial Centre precinct. Attractive murals line the walls. We like the combined result of these elements.

Qi – House Of Sichuan Singapore Menu

The Qi – House Of Sichuan Singapore menu is a simple one. There are many sections but the choices in each section are limited. For instances, there were only three options in the dim sum section. But it was enough for us to go on and we had a mixed selection from different parts of the menu. Sichuan cuisine is famous for its ma la taste. We are fine with the usual “la” or spicy taste but we are not fans of the “ma” taste. The latter is the numbing , buzzing sensation brought about by a certain type of Sichuan pepper. We avoided those dishes with high levels of the “ma” and requested the kitchen to reduce the level of spiciness overall. We were happy that the overall result was good, they had tuned down the level of heat but there was enough to make it clear that we were in a Sichuan restaurant in Singapore. Here are some of the pages of the menu.

Qi - House Of Sichuan Singapore Dim Sum — Qi – House Of Sichuan Singapore Menu

Our lunch started with a vegetarian d’oeuvre ($6) to be shared by the table. It was good to have this as our palates received some warming up to get used to the ma la dishes that were to come. The item on the right was said to have a medium level of “ma” that day. It was possibly the highest level that we could appreciate. Thankfully, all of the other dishes that day were milder and so it was plain sailing after this.

The lettuce wrap ($13) was a simple and enjoyable appetizer. Minced meat with nuts and other crunchy bits were eaten with fresh lettuce. A very tasty dish.

We had the sizzling eggplant with pork slices ($18) to go with steamed rice. They make a great combination. The level of spiciness of the eggplant dish was just right.

The smoky hot tofu with chestnuts ($20) looked scary with all the dried chillies. But it was quite a gentle dish. I did not get to taste any of the chestnuts. My dining companions may have eaten all of them.

The pan-fried pork dumplings were excellent. The contents were tasty and the skins were fried to the right level of golden brown crispness.

The Kung Pao chicken with peanuts was not so outstanding as the others. It was a good dish but not too different from those at other Sichuan restaurants in Singapore.

Finally, no visit to a Sichuan restaurant would be complete without trying the dan dan noodles. The one at Qi – House Of Sichuan Singapore was very good. Noodles with a springy texture in a delicious gravy.

Overall we had an enjoyable lunch at Qi – House Of Sichuan Singapore. The dishes we had that day were humble dishes with no exotic ingredients. What we think makes this place stand out from others is the balance of flavours. The blend of different tastes and textures was well handled. Service at the restaurant was friendly and helpful.