Mountain House — Restaurant in New York

Absolutely amazing!! I first fell in love with the quality and delicate flavors of their sister restaurant, Cheli, but as a spice fiend, I knew I had to give Szechuan Mountain House a try. They absolutely did not disappoint — every dish was packed with flavor (not just spice, but deep, rich flavor) and struck the right balance of showy, beautiful presentation and really good, flavorful food. The restaurant itself is beautiful, and the staff is great — Sichuan food can sometimes be a bit tough for me since I’m pescatarian and allergic to peanuts, but the staff was super helpful in navigating the menu. We ordered a pretty big spread, including the crispy tofu, stir fried green pepper and eel, water spinach, pickled cabbage fish soup, and baby cuttlefish.

Everything kind of just arrived when it’s ready, so it came out a bit piecemeal; this was honestly perfect since it gave us the opportunity to fully appreciate each dish before moving onto the next one. We started with the baby cuttlefish, which was perfectly tender and had a great punch of fresh, herby flavor from the infused oil. It wasn’t particularly spicy unless you ate a pepper, so it wasn’t a good choice for the less spice-inclined.

Our other seafood dishes were definitely far more spicy. I’m obsessed with pickled cabbage fish soup, so I was super excited to try this Sichuan specialty. It had the perfect level of spice — enough for you to notice, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed — and a great sour, slightly funky flavor from the pickled cabbage. The fish was super tender and flaky, and all around a wonderful soup. It paired well with the stir-fried eel, which was (1) amazing, and (2) way more spicy than it looks! I rarely get to have stir-fried eel in the US, so this was definitely a special treat!

For our vegetarian items, we enjoyed the water spinach, which was stir-fried perfectly and had a good amount of garlic flavor, and the crispy tofu. The tofu was served on a hot plate and coated with a thick glaze of some sort. It’s outstanding, but you definitely need to eat it right when it comes out. The crispy exterior goes wonderfully with the soft interior of the tofu, but it gets soggy quite quickly. It’s also one of their few non-spicy options, so it’s quite tasty between bites of other...

Mountain House serves truly authentic Sichuan food in NYC. The spice is numbing and tingly, but still delicate and never overwhelming. Tldr: the desserts are phenomenal, so definitely save room.

Walking in felt like stepping into an old Chinese village. The place was packed even on a weekday. Highly recommend making a res!

＊Swing Pork Belly 晾衣白肉 $15 * One of the most iconic dishes here: pork belly with cucumber, served with a garlicky-spicy dip that hits just right. Must try.

＊Szechuan Cabbage & Fish 老壇酸菜魚 $33 ** A standout dish. The broth was tangy from the pickled cabbage, with a heat that warmed me up slowly. The black fish was soft and silky, absorbing the sour-spicy flavor. I especially enjoyed the wide glass noodle (寬粉).

＊Ma-Po Tofu 麻婆豆腐 $16 ** Definitely the spiciest dish on the table. It tingled and numbed my lips, but somehow it was addicting. Ngl it might be the best mapo tofu I’ve had in NYC.

Golden Corn Kernels 鹹蛋黃焗玉米粒 $18 * So amazed to see each corn kernel coated in salted egg yolk—savory on the outside, sweet and juicy on the inside. I couldn’t stop scooping it.

Fried Rice w. Szechuan Pickles & Bacon 泡菜臘肉炒飯 $19 The wok aroma of the fried rice was rushing out when it was served. It was delicious but nothing special — I might skip this next time.

Stir Fried Cabbage 乾鍋手撕包菜 $17 Simple but done well. It was packed with wok hei, and we were surprised to find pieces of pork in the dish.

Purple Yam Mochi 紫薯水麻薯 $9 ** My favorite dessert here. The mochi was milky with an almost custard-like texture. The purple yam paste was smooth, thick and lightly sweet.

Sweet Drunken Jelly 花田醉冰粉 $9 ** A perfect end to a spice-heavy meal. Light, refreshing, and floral. It was topped with all sorts of crunchy and chewy textures like crushed peanuts, 山楂, mochi...

Need to spice up your life? Then head to Szechuan Mountain House for some heat! Expect bold flavors, and numbingly spicy dishes. As soon as you enter the restaurant, you’ll feel as if you’re transported from the bustling New York streets, to a dimly-lit zen garden. A complimentary bowl of spicy pickled cabbage is served as a starter while you browse the menu. There are plenty of dishes to choose from, but I would recommend the Szechuan Numbing Chicken and the Fu-Qi Special to start your meal. The chicken is spicy, but not a fiery, make-you-sweat-and-want-to-chug-water-type of spicy. As indicated by its name, it’s “numbing,” so prepare yourself. If you can’t handle spicy foods well, the Fu-Qi Special is pretty mild, with tender beef and tripe slices doused in peanut chili sauce (more like oil). The Ma-Po tofu is a signature dish of this cuisine—you can’t go wrong with it. The Ma La Lobster is amazing and may be one of my favorite ways it’s ever been prepared in Asian cuisine. My preferred dish here, if I had to order one thing, is the Beef Sour Soup though. I’d like to think of this as an elevated version of hot and sour soup. In this version here however, the soup is filled with beef slices, enoki mushrooms, and even includes yam noodles and rice cakes (not specified on the menu, but a delectable surprise)! The broth is light, savory, tart, and (numbingly) spicy. If you’re looking for a veggie dish, the Sautéed Chinese Long Beans with Eggplant is great. A traditional dish mostly consisting of eggplant and hardly any long beans. If you don’t mind that, then it’s a solid choice (a mild dish as well).

Truly obsessed with the food here, and shoutout to the attentive and friendly staff. Counting down until my next visit to Szechuan...