Lake Forest: Shang Shui Xiao Guan Personal Review 🥢✨

Three people, five dishes + three bowls of rice — total $127 before tip. Ranked by personal preference, as pictured below. 1️⃣ Szechuan Pepper Pork Intestine 🌶️ The intestine and peppers were cooked perfectly! The only letdown was the low spice level — could use a hotter pepper variety. Garlic could also be cooked a touch longer, maybe just 10 more seconds for extra fragrance! 2️⃣ Black Gold BBQ Pork (Char Siu) 🍖 I know this spot shares an owner with a popular BBQ place, but the flavors are different. Visually stunning, but taste-wise, too mild — just a faint hint of honey glaze. A richer marination would elevate it! 3️⃣ Beef & Radish Clay Pot 🍲 Portion was surprisingly small — only 17 pieces of beef in total 🥲 The beef itself was decent but lightly seasoned; the radish and broth were comforting. Feels like it would work better as a soup… or with a lower price point. At $30+, the value just isn’t there. 4️⃣ Stir-fried Pork with Peppers 🥩🔥 Honestly, if the same chef who cooked the intestines handled this dish — it’d be #1! But sadly, the wok heat felt lacking even though their stove can handle high flame. Again, spice level was almost nonexistent — barely any kick from the peppers. 5️⃣ Sweet & Sour Pork with Pineapple 🍍 One friend said it tasted like canned pineapple… I thought it was fresh, but still just okay. Personally, I’d choose sweet & sour pork or crispy garlic pork over this. Only about 10 pieces of meat for over $20 — felt a bit skimpy. 💰 Final take: Decent flavors but spice-lovers might leave wanting more. Portion-to-price ratio could be better, especially on meats. Maybe ask for extra spice if you visit! 🌶️👩🍳 #LakeForestEats #IrvineFoodGuide #OCFoodie #ChineseCuisine #SoCalEats #FoodReview #IrvineLife #SGVFood #ShareThePlate #EatLocal #CaliFoodScene #FoodieFinds