A couple of weeks ago, we were able to experience a very authentic Szechuan gem located in Southwest Denver. Bear and Troy met us out for dinner.

Ambiance and decor: what you would expect for really authentic food. This is not a place you go for the decor.

Menu: it is full of extremely authentic Szechuan cuisine. Some you will find somewhat familiar, but most will be a brand-new experience!

We started with the fried pork dumplings. They were mouth-wateringly delicious! The dipping sauce was bright and fresh and not too hot. We also ordered garlic chicken wings. They were unusual. The garlic flavor had been baked or infused, and there was no sauce; they were extremely garlicky!

Then we ordered a large bowl of hot sour soup! For $8.95, this is an extreme bargain! This adequately fed all four of us! It was rich and flavorful, and not too spicy! Honestly, I would go back just for the soup. Bear has tried the egg drop soup and said how amazing it was in an earlier review.

We each ordered an entree which is a huge amount of food!!! I would recommend one entree per two people. Because they were so large, and we were already getting full from our appetizers and soup course, we decided to eat the four entrees family style that in order to try more flavors.

Troy ordered the most mild dish, Hunan style pork. Bear ordered the most rich dish, called twice cooked pork with Chinese chili sauce. The pork was what westerners would call pork belly. It was very rich. At first we didn't think we would be able to eat very much, but Troy and I kept digging-in. Bob ordered chicken slices in cumin. It was exactly that. Very cumin-forward. I ordered the Chong Qing spicy chicken. Bear and I found this to be the most complex of the dishes, and was his favorite. Troy especially liked the cabbage from this dish. The consistency of the chicken reminded me of popcorn chicken, but the spicy heat factor was a little too much for my American taste buds.

All of the food was cooked fresh to order by a female chef in the back. It was definitely like taking a trip to Szechuan! Although I am not fully immersed in that particular region of China, Bob and I have both traveled to China several times and found this cooking to be extremely authentic. Don't get me wrong, I love American-style Chinese food, but if you are in the mood for trying something really authentic, definitely go support this local establishment!