Sichuan Grand Oxford Branch 成都府牛津店 — Restaurant in Oxford

Original Chinese food, great portions, great value for money. For a very detailed review, see below.

I have been going to this restaurant every 6 months or so for the past 4 years. As a self-proclaimed connoisseur of East Asian cuisine, I can confidently say it is the most original Chinese restaurant in Oxford.

The restaurant is always full of Chinese customers and very few Europeans, which is always a sign of an authentic menu. Most Brits can't handle plates that are actually tasty - they stick for the bland ones, which is why British cuisine has gained notoriety internationally.

The menu is also not what you would find in most westernised Chinese restaurants. Forget the endless lists of tasteless noodles and soups. Apart from some of the "standard" dishes that everyone can try, this restaurant will serve you century eggs, fried jellyfish, pig intestines and chicken gizzards prepared in all sorts of ways, cow aortas, and chicken that is spiced to a degree that tests the limits of even the most experienced palate.

I see that most negative comments here focus on the attitude of the staff, and the potential freshness of the ingredients. I'll tackle both points.

Politeness does not generally characterise Chinese restaurants, both in Europe and in China. One goes to an ethnic restaurant to eat, not to receive an ego-boost. But anyway, the staff have always been very friendly to me and my company, and we don't speak a word of Chinese.

Regarding freshness, I cannot say that it is one of the defining traits of Chinese cuisine, which is why there is a large number of dishes involving preserved foods. Same goes for many Eastern European dishes, as many might know. Its like someone who is eating a juicy KFC expects that the chicken came from a free-range farm and was fed organically sourced maize. So some of the ingredients may not have been sourced 24h ago and brought to your plate, but the taste is superb, it is of course hygienic and safe, and it has never caused me or my friends any intestinal trouble. And we always go for the dishes that are really challenging for Europeans like ourselves.

On the topic of price, it is somewhat on the higher end, although the portions are massive, so it is a great value for money.

This is by far my longest review, but this restaurant is worth it.

I strongly recommend this restaurant to westerners who want to get a taste of real Chinese food, to Chinese people who miss the food of their home country, and above all, to folks who just want to have a good meal.

Don't go every week though, otherwise you'll develop coronary disease...

We booked for 9:30pm and when we got there and ordered starters the waiter said we would have to order main and have it at the same time because the kitchen closed at 10:30pm

Eventually after speaking with manager they agreed there was time to eat starters first. We got half way through our starters when most of the main course arrived. The rice was very cold do we sent it back only to get it back two minutes later and it had obviously been microwaved but came in more or less one lump and tasted awful so we left it. We were almost finished and still hadn't got a pork dish we had ordered. I asked about this and was told they had forgotten it and would cook it for me. I informed the manager that it was too late as all that was now left was cold. We told her the rice was cold and inedible and she asked if we wanted to take it away to heat up at home. I felt sorry for the waiter as he spoke very little English and had just started working there. He seemed really fed up and kept apologising for the bad food and service. Another large waiter appeared with the bill and was the most miserable person I have ever seen. We did not pay for the rice or pork nor leave a tip. Would I recommend this restaurant yes but only to someone I really hated. Avoid it at all costs- you have been...

We were a large group of 20+ who preordered some set dishes for a Friday dinner. Andrew was really helpful about ensuring we had the exact preorder we wanted and getting that all ready precisely. It was very easy to put together a menu to suit a mixed group of vegetarians and meat eaters.

We were sat across three large tables in a side room with no other parties, so it was essentially like having our own function room where our party could mingle and move around without feeling like we might be upsetting other diners, so this was really ideal and made for a wonderful atmosphere.

The food was fantastic with generous portions. The light/cold dishes are always a highlight here for me and I would strongly encourage be adventurous with these if you generally stick to hot dishes only. The rest of our party commented that the meal was fantastic with many different highlights.

Andrew was extremely helpful in letting us settle the bill as suited us but in hindsight I think we caused him a lot of stress and we will be more organised next time!

Overall this is a fabulous choice for a very large group, the team are very capable with turning out a...