Qi - House of Sichuan — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

Here we go again - Horrible Management:

I feel compelled to share my deeply disappointing experience with the manager at House of Qi. Unfortunately, my interactions with him have been consistently negative, particularly during a recent routine takeaway order.

I have observed his unprofessional behavior on multiple occasions, including speaking down to customers and displaying racist attitudes. Each visit has been marred by his unwelcoming demeanor, which is disheartening, especially when I have returned for the food I enjoy.

It is clear to me now that I can no longer support this restaurant. His conduct not only affects my dining experience but also creates a hostile environment for other patrons. It is shocking to think that someone with such a lack of civility is allowed to interact with customers in a service role.

I believe future customers should be made aware of this behavior. It’s concerning that such treatment can tarnish the reputation of what could otherwise be a fantastic dining establishment. I urge management to reconsider his position and report his behavior to the relevant authorities. It would be a shame for the restaurant to lose loyal patrons due to his presence.

Have been a loyal fan of House of Qi since it opened, I visit at least 1x a week, if not more. I have seen the changes in management come and go, know most of the staff very well as I go so often. I had an awful experience of calling yesterday and basically was spoken to very rudely and hung up on when I had a question about a menu item. I called again later and came across the same abrasive tone. I then asked to speak to the manager and was informed that he was the manager. I was shocked that the manager of a restaurant would be so obnoxious to long time customers on the phone. The new manager Hunter (Chan?) is an absolute unprofessional and should really address his attitude and demeanour. I placed my order and my husband went up to receive it and had a very firm word with him. The Deliveroo guy standing by to pick up an order chimed in and said that he is always rude to him, as well. Just disappointed that one of my favourite restaurants has such an...

Just heed their warning – the menu is not for the faint-hearted. Unless you have a high tolerance for spice, dishes from the Sichuan region really differs from the sweet, sour, and salty preparations of other Chinese regions. Even if you’ve been to a Sichuan restaurant outside of China, you may not be prepared. I was no match for Qi.

Learn from my mistake. Here are three words of advice:

Skip the hot and sour soup

While the hot and sour soup ($60 a bowl) was tasty, incorporating plenty of thinly julienned ingredients so that each bite was a mix of flavours and textures, the soup was so hot (in terms of spice and temperature) that your tongue will be scorched by the time you’re even a third of the way through. Good luck handling anything else.

Balance out the meal with non-spicy dishes

A good ratio to aim for is about 50/50. Thinking the sugar glazed ginger and scallion beef ($160) would be a dish with respite, in the dark dining room we didn’t notice the chili beside the name on the menu. Indeed, with the first bite you’re greeted with a crispy crust and aromatic syrupy sauce… but then the chili dust mixed into the batter erupts into the mouth. Nonetheless, it’s mellower than all the other dishes we tried, except for the mouthwatering chicken where the diner controls the spice level.

Arm yourself with plenty of water and a cold milk tea

The restaurant is smart to include a bottle of water at every table. In the heat of the moment, you’ll find yourself reaching for it ($70) – although I did see some tables ask them to switch the bottles for a regular pitcher.

Yet, it was the cold milk tea ($45) that offered the most respite. The sweet cooling dairy temporarily quenching the flames. It was the only thing that allowed me to try everything twice, although my husband and I eventually had to tap out and leave most...

We recently had a nice Sunday lunch at Qi House of Sichuan, a Michelin starred restaurant on Ship Street in Wanchai. Reservation was made several days prior to our meal. However, we found the place only partially full so perhaps unnecessary for weekend lunchtime seatings.

The dining environs at Qi are very nice, large open windows allowing adequate lighting for midday dining. Seating area is quaint and well decorated, service attentive, competent and timely.

As for our meal, we enjoyed everything tried. Note, like most Sichuan places, food is rather hot at Qi. There are symbol notations on the meal for Mala (numbing), Spicy, Veg and Signature dishes. Best to select a mix of dishes from the various categories and to not go with all Mala style orders. You'll appreciate having something non-spicy to balance your tastebuds in between hotter orders.

During our lunch, we tried the Kung Pao Chicken with peanuts. Dish was rather saucy. Heat level was pretty hot, accentuating the dish flavours. This was a good spicy order. We also tried the Sautéed Iberico Pork Collar Capsicums and Cashews, finding this to be a good non-spicy dish. Pork was tender and flavourful, blending well with the other ingredients.

We also had an order of the Sugar Glazed Ginger and Scallion Beef. The beef was a good blend of sweet, spicy and savoury. There was probably too much sweet sauce in the bottom of the serving bowl. This overly coated some of the bottom pieces, making them sweeter than we normally like. However, it was still a good order.

Overall, we liked our meal at Qi House of Sichuan. This is a nice restaurant in Wanchai and a good spot for Sichuan if this is what you are looking for during your time...