Sichuan Alley opened this fall at 627 New Park Avenue in West Hartford.

By Ronni Newton

Sichuan Alley opened this fall – not only completely transforming the interior of a storefront space on New Park Avenue, but also bringing to West Hartford a unique and trendy style of Chinese restaurant that owner Michael Jiang says is more akin the current restaurant scene in the Sichuan province of China.

“It’s modernized,” Jiang said over a recent dinner, noting that while the food is high quality, the decor as well as menus of most Chinese restaurants in town remind him of what you might have found in China 30 years ago. In the China of today, “everything has changed,” he said, from the way people hang out to the popular dishes and drinks they enjoy.

“We tried to keep the authentic and traditional dishes,” he said, the core dishes that diners will recognize as Sichuan staples, but the preparation is a bit different, as is the presentation, in comparison to what you might find at other restaurants in the area. The look, feel, and offerings at Sichuan Alley are more comparable to what you’d find in a bistro in Chengdu, Jiang said.

Many of Jiang’s personal favorites form the core of the menu and are identified as “Alley Signature” dishes. They include “Find the Chicken in the Chilies,” Fish Slices with Pickled Vegetables, Mapo Tofu, and Yu Xiang Pork. Note: spicy means SPICY. Even a mild preparation has plenty of flavor for those whose palate is not accustomed to the heat of Sichuan cooking.

In addition to the signature dishes, the menu features a selection of angel hair pastas, ramen or rice noodles (beef, ground pork, mushroom, or chicken) prepared in a soup bowl or dry-stirred, and fried rice. The mixed grain rice bowls, Jiang said, “are not only healthy, but they taste good.”

Starters – which are actually ample and shareable small plates – include a variety of dumplings, bao, scallion pancakes, and hot and sour sweet potato noodles.

There’s a dessert menu, too. Included are familiar items like ice cream and chocolate truffles – along with Alley Ice Jelly (made with ice jelly, hawthorne, raisin, red bean, brown sugar, ground almonds, and mochi), a traditional street food found in Chengdu.

Dishes can be customized, and for those who are gluten-free, Jiang said there are multiple options including any of the rice noodle bowls as long as the soy sauce is omitted. Many of the dishes are already vegan, or can be prepared vegan by leaving out the egg.

When Sichuan Alley first opened they didn’t yet have their liquor license, but it was approved in early October. The first few pages of the menu feature stunning photos of creative cocktails – and they arrive at the table looking just like they menu pictures.

The Sichuan province is the home of giant pandas, and pandas appear prominently not only in the Sichuan Alley logo, but there’s also a “Kung Fu Panda” cocktail that’s served with an edible (it’s chocolate) panda floating on top. And be prepared for smoke rising when the “God Father of Szechuan” is crafted table side.

The cocktail menu also offers sake and mojito flights.

There’s also beer, wine, and plenty of non-alcoholic beverages as well – including several bubble tea options and a Jasmine green tea that tastes like springtime and is prepared with tea leaves directly sourced from the tea house.

Virtually all of the ingredients used at Sichuan Alley are sourced directly from China. The West Hartford restaurant is the first in the U.S. – and it’s is being used as a test market for future expansion – but there are four others in China. Jiang has lived in Glastonbury for the past eight years (he also owns a company that makes formal dresses, and his wife is finance professor at UConn), but his business partner controls about 60 restaurants in China. The executive chef of the overall group has been in West Hartford since June providing special training for the kitchen staff.

Many may recall the 625 New Park Avenue location as the original Hartford Baking Company, and before Sichuan Alley it was the plant-based fast casual restaurant G-Monkey. While updates are primarily cosmetic, the decor is completely transformed and Jiang said is in the style of modern restaurants one might find in Hong Kong or Shanghai.

The interior lighting is soft, and a variety of seating options including a long table to accommodate a larger group. There is seating for 40 inside, and the seasonal patio adds 24 more seats.

“In China, dinner is very, very important. Usually the whole family is together,” Jiang said. Creating that traditional experience here is what he is hoping to achieve.

Sichuan Alley is open daily for lunch and dinner. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Take-out is available, as is delivery through DoorDash and UberEats. For more information, visit the website, email [email protected], or call 860-248-6656. You can also follow Sichuan Alley (@SichuanAlleyUS) on Facebook and Instagram.

 

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