Si Chuan Dou Hua Tokyoten

Decent upscale Chinese restaurant. May be went with very high expectations that’s why was not very impressed. Food is good and bigger highlight is the performance of the staff member who serves tea.

Visited June 2019

I find it interesting that the other 2 reviews of this restaurant in English give it such poor ratings; especially considering that the "Chinese" food served in 99% of the establishments in America couldn't possibly be less authentic. Either the TripAdvisor reviews in Japanese are painting a far mor...e accurate picture of this establishment or it has improved significantly over the last few years. This restaurant is actually a satellite location of a successful Sichuan restaurant group based in Singapore with just seven locations worldwide as of early 2018. The signature table side tea service utilizing the trained art of the long pot is a spectacle worth experiencing in and of itself. As a bonus, the jasmine tea served with fresh chrysanthemum flowers, dried red dates and other botanicals was extremely aromatic and also delicious. This made for a great start to our meal. Rather than ordering from the set menu, our group of four chose to order 10-12 different plates from the a la carte menu and we all shared everything. I think this proved to be a better way for us to sample a large variety of preparations while maintaining more control over what we were served. My personal favorites were the Chong Qing chicken in spicy black bean paste and the expertly prepared shrimp dumplings. Everything we sampled was full of flavor with the spicier plates balancing the chili peppers and the Sichuan peppercorns perfectly. This kitchen is not afraid to use plenty of garlic either and there was also a good balance of other vegetables used throughout the plates. The restaurant wine list features an abundance of high quality options and everything on the list was well priced without an excessive markup. This definitely enhanced our overall experience. By comparison, the food pricing was a little on the high side, which has to be considered in terms of the overall value. However, our party mitigated the cost of our dinner greatly by ordering off the a la carte menu. I would certainly recommend this alternative to anyone who has any qualms about the set menu choices or the pricing.

Visited December 2017

My first impressions of this restaurant when I walked in is that it was a more upscale Chinese place, and due to the name would be specialising on cuisine from Sichuan. The main feature of this place was without a doubt the tea guy in his traditional outfit pouring tea in different ways. A nice lit...tle feature. The decor was quite classy and I had high expectations of the food. We ordered the course menu and being a non seafood eater, they were informed of this in advance. The first course was a bit of a sampler, all very good, but I found out that one dish was more of a Japanised version of a Chinese dish which made me realise quickly that this place was just another Japanised version of Chinese food in an area where they can afford to attract people and charge high prices and get away with it using the pretentious interior as a selling point. The second course appeared and the waiter asked if I was able to eat the 'shark fin soup', having been told 3 weeks in advance when the reservation was made that I do not eat seafood. The answer is pretty obvious there. I waited for my soup and it appeared, and midway through the same waiter dashes over and takes it away, no apologies during or after. It appears that one of the members of staff had given me the shark fin soup! I have an allergy to squid, their error had the potential to have ruined the day. The lack of apology got under my skin. The rest of the food was average, greasy, usual standard Chinese food in Japan stuff. The experience was pleasant due to the occasion and the company i was with. Give this place a miss. They will stay in business because people will be dumb enough to eat here to give passersby the impression that they have wealth which is often the case with pretentiousness in Japan, sadly. The tea guys are worth watching though.

Visited May 2016

This is an overprice Chinese restaurant - you pay mainly a premium due to the landmark of the tea boy performance (who should at least smile - it was like he hated his job or someone was dead). Food: this is average Chinese food for this standard - not so much flexible to change a bit. There are so...me meals that you would expect that are missing. They should be more careful with the cleaniless as I got a dirty/black towel. The tea that they serve is pretty good and original (especially serve by the tea boy). Staff: should be more smiley and observe better guests (e.g. I had to wait 30minutes before they remove my plates).

Visited December 2014

I went with a group and we were treated to an amazing evening. This dinner was hosted by one of the owners so I am sure it wasn't a routine meal. We must have had 8 or 9 courses; each beautifully presented and delicious. The tea service was unlike anything I have ever seen.

Visited September 2011