Szechuen Kitchen — Restaurant in Southampton

Traveled afar from London to the south of U.K, the indecisive me was dragged along by my sister, to lay a foot in Szechuen Kitchen for dinner. My first thought after seeing the layout of the restaurant was: "oh dear, here's to more holes in my wallet. Well but it's MaLaXiangGuo we are paying for so it should be great, let's just enjoy the dinner". It's quite a clean environment, the attendants were really polite and honest on the portion we can realistically finish while we ordered for food.

Halfway through dinner, I realised how wrong I was. Never have I been this poor at making guesstimates about the quality of the food at first glance. Shocked, speechless and disappointed, given I have tasted better versions of mala in the London metropolitan. The dry mala was so oily, it seemed as though it was mala soup except that the soup was an emulsification of oil. It was almost as if I was consuming those add-on ingredients (especially the fish fillet and bean-curd skin), coated with oil, but with a numbing spice to it. Also, the lotus roots weren't properly cooked, they were hard and tasted raw. The seasonings that contributed to the numbing spice were so concentrated to the extent I wasn't sure what I was eating anymore. The fried long beans, ordered as a separate dish to the mala, was salty as hell.............S.O.S!!! I had five bowls (those typical Chinese porcelain bowls) of white Jasmine rice (I usually have 2-3 bowls max) just to go with the saturated mala and the fried long beans. There were three of us and we still had like 20% leftovers since we could not continue further. I ascertained myself I needed Jinli to reconfigure my view on mala.

For roughly the same amount I would order at Jinli Chinatown, London, Szechuen Kitchen costs about 6-7 pounds cheaper per person, which was a relief. You will see me being much more hesitant on having mala now thanks to this place. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I felt so bloated on the train back to London that night, and I could still feel the effects caused by that unimaginable amount of oil consumed until the...

Firstly I want to say that I am a VERY frequent customer of this place. This is the first time writing a review as I was absolutely APPALLED by the service. Not only were they judgmental and rude, but quite frankly horrible.

They interrupted our dining multiple times to tell us certain drinks were not included in the hotpot menu. We knew that, I even said that we know when we got them at the bar. To send over TWO ADDITIONAL staff one after the other, after I've already said I know and am happy to pay is ridiculous. We were trying to enjoy a family meal and condescendingly telling us that certain drinks aren't free is disrespectful!

I have never, not once, needed to "exchange" my empty cans for new drinks when dining. No other group had to do this, in fact they brought their drinks over to them! How absurd to make us prove we've drunk them? I'm paying for it anyways! And once again, to Interrupt our dining to tell us we can't have anymore unless they receive empty cans is disgusting customer service. You need to be better! I can't believe after almost 4 years of dining here that the customer service has gotten SHOCKINGLY LOW!

My poor sister was upset the entire time, saying she felt like we were being judged! It made the whole meal soured! I was hoping to introduce them to something I love but I will not make that mistake again! For £30 each I expected better customer service! I get treated better at a McDonald's!

Admittedly, the food was great but they forgot 3 items on our hotpot order. They also judge us and gave us plates and forks... for SOUP! Had to ask twice for bowls and chopsticks!

If you're happy with terrible customer service, being judged like you're going to "dine and dash" but good food, then sure...

I recently dined at Szechuen Kitchen in Southampton and found the hot pot menu to be an exceptional experience for my family. The variety and quality of the ingredients were outstanding, making for a delicious and interactive meal. However, from a marketing perspective, there are some areas that could be enhanced to attract a broader clientele.

Firstly, while the food is both visually appealing and delicious, a slight rearrangement or update in the decor could make the space more inviting and enhance the overall dining atmosphere. A refresh in the interior design, perhaps adding more elements that reflect the Szechuan culture or modernizing the layout, could create a more appealing ambiance for a wider range of customers.

Moreover, the restaurant could benefit from more proactive marketing efforts to promote its unique hot pot experience. Given the quality of the food and the fun, family-friendly nature of hot pot dining, there's a great opportunity to market this as a unique culinary adventure. Social media campaigns showcasing the interactive dining experience, the fresh ingredients, and the vibrant dishes could attract food enthusiasts looking for something different.

Collaborations with local influencers or food bloggers could also be a way to increase visibility and reach a wider audience. Special events or themed nights centered around the hot pot concept could further enhance the appeal.

In summary, Szechuen Kitchen in Southampton has a fantastic offering with its hot pot menu. With a slight revamp in decor and a strategic marketing approach, the restaurant has the potential to become a go-to destination for a diverse range of diners seeking a unique and delicious...