Sichuan Bistro — Restaurant in Mason

I've been here 5 times over 1.5 years trying to form a fair opinion of this place. I'm never going back. This restaurant is like an abusive relationship. The fact that the food is descent is what kept me coming back. The problem is that their service is the worst I've ever seen.

You'll soon find out that you can come in with maximum group size of 3 people to possibly get okay service. Any more than 3 people, maybe even 2 people and you are in serious risk of not eating at all or never leaving the restaurant in a timely manner. (Sometimes even as a pair, you'll get your food 15 minutes apart)

You may order first, but it's entirely possible that the people who just came in that ordered the same food as you will get your food, and the restaurant will forget all about you. Waiting patiently will NOT work, because once again, they forgot you exist. It's possible that they may even charge you for the non-existent food, and then you'll have to add even more time straightening that out. You may ask for a takeout box to resolve this problem, but once again, that takeout box may never come.

When you eat as a group, your bill will ALWAYS be a group bill, you cannot ask for an individual bill unless you are less than 3 people. To pay the group bill, you have to lineup at the checkout counter and pay for each receipt item individually. This is another time sink. The checkout man regularly takes phone orders, and completing a phone order is his priority. You can imagine how slow and frustrating that can be, waiting in a long line for a long time, finally getting to the front, and then waiting some more because the guy is doing both checkout and phone orders.

Finally, these people are rude, unhelpful, and sort of go "Oh! Woops!" when these problems arise, as if it's the first time they're encountering it. They apologize, feign embarrassment, and then proceed to f**ck you over anyway.

Save yourself from stress and anxiety. DO...

I ordered the "Chongqing Mala Chicken"... which, by the name I naturally expected to be Laziji. It was not.

UPDATE: I gave them a second chance and, since there are photos posted to this review section that definitely look like Laziji, I tried ordering the other item on the menu that sounded correct: Red Dry Chili Chicken (Also from the "Authentic" section). It came out as definitely Laziji.

First, the "actual Laziji" Red Dry Chili Chicken: Not horrible, but it didn't seem like they had marinated the chicken much. While it absolutely had the lovely presentation, and the chicken was wonderfully crispy, The only real flavor was salt, MSG, and "spicy hot". The shocking part was that there was no tingling sensation, only "hot".. they hadn't apparently put much "Ma" into the "Mala" in LAZIJI.. which is a crime.

Then I noticed a pepper grinder on the table filled with Sichuan peppercorn... so I get it now.. you are supposed to add it to your preference. But they were just raw unprocessed peppercorns, uncooked in any way.. and the grinder was absolutely clogged with them and wouldn't even work, other than to spit out a few large chunks of bitter peppercorn husk. So... yeah.

Now, the "Chongqing Mala Chicken": The chicken was very low quality rubbery ick that almost seemed to be steamed in sauce or something.. just... blech.

The sauce itself had some kick. It got my nose running, which means it was spicy. However, it really wasn't all that tasty other than tasting of "generic spicy Chinese food", and almost entirely lacked the fantastic numbing sensation that Sichuan food in general, is known for.

Crab rangoon was mostly just sweet cream cheese, but that's typical for most Chinese joints. Egg roll was way too doughy, even though it had an alright flavor.

Not the worst "Chinese" food I've ever eaten, but certainly far...

UPDATE: Andrew has gone above and beyond to remedy my concerns and has provided exceptional customer service. If his response, and immediate resolution of my difficulties, is any indication these types of reviews will rapidly cease and be replaced by only 5 star reviews soon! I truly feel honored at how Andrew so quickly and completely rectified this situation. GREAT WORK ANDREW! "I am surprised...and not in a good way. This is not authentic Chinese cuisine. It may be American Chinese but is certainly not authentic Chinese food. I ordered the Kung Pao chicken and the chicken bits, not squares, were full of gristle that could not be chewed. The peppers were undercooked like biting into raw red Chinese dried peppers. I ordered bai mifan, white rice, and received fried rice instead. I spoke Chinese to the server and she went over to the other servers, all seated at a table, and made fun of me in Mandarin. I lived and worked in China for 8 years and have a pretty good command of the language albeit not an expert. From the poor service, being made fun of, cashier chatting on WeChat the entire time, and the bu hao chi, I will not be back. As a side note, I noticed many people discussing the "mandatory tip problem". I went up front to pay and left $0 tip. I will not tip for rude, inept service, and poor food. Go at your...