Address: 35C Burwood Road, Burwood, Sydney, NSW, 2134
Hours: Sun-Sat 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-10.30pm
Contact: (02) 9745 2258
Transit: Car (metered street parking, free street parking, shopping centre parking with 2 free hours), Train (Burwood station)
Price: Market Price
Website: http://www.redchilligroup.com.au/
Ambience:
A busy, casual dining style restaurant ideal for families, friendly get togethers and even couples. It is located just outside Westfield shopping centre in Burwood and is a two-levelled venue with a compact dining layout. The rooms were well lit and the decor was conservative and modest.
We were directed to a two seater table on the upper level which was arranged with bowls, chopsticks, chinese tea and a box of tissues.
Order:
- Stir Fried Mud Crab with Hot Chilli - $68.80 (three chilli rating)*
- Stir Fried Clams with Chilli - Chef’s special $25.00 (one chilli rating)*
- Steamed Rice $2.00 pp
- Chinese Tea $1.00 pp - provided on the table and charged to the account if used
- Tsing Tao beer $6.50 per bottle
* all chilli dishes are given a chilli rating from one to three (mild hot to very hot)
Presentation:
Taste:
The crab had been stir fried in chilli oil, dry chilli and chinese vegetables with an abundance of chinese mushrooms. The mushrooms had a pleasant, mild flavour with a firm texture. As expected, chinese peppercorns were mixed through the dish, enticing their characteristic tongue tingling sensation. The crab shell was coated in a mild, floury batter which was flavourful and light on the palate. The crab flesh itself was sparse, and with the exception of part of a claw and a couple of the legs, had a generally mushy texture, short of the flaky, firm texture that is usually expected from fresh crab.The Tsing Tao beer was refreshing on its own but it could not be fully appreciated because of the tingling sensation caused by the peppercorns.
Verdict:
Firstly, the size of the crab is small for the price paid and it is insufficient to satisfy two people without at least one other accompanying dish. The quality and freshness of the crab can also be questioned based on the mushy texture of the flesh. However, we do realise that this is not a specialised seafood restaurant and we did not walk in expecting exceptional freshness, which saved us from serious disappointment. The three chilli rating is an overrating in our opinion as the dish was not overly spicy for us; however, it must be noted that we are seasoned chilli lovers and are of chilli loving backgrounds. We think that a one to two chilli rating would have been more appropriate to cater to the more discerning diner.
Another noteworthy point is the small size of a two seater table. Managing two or more dishes with rice and drinks, was challenging, but could be achieved with some crafty manoeuvring.
This is one of our favourite restaurants to eat out at and is always good to satisfy a genuine chilli craving, but sadly, the crab dish is not one of our favourites. Please refer to the Red Chilli Sichuan drop down menu under the The Chilli Challenge tab for reviews of the clams as well as other dishes from this restaurant.
Tips:
To avoid a wait for dinner, make sure you go early or book ahead. The wait is usually 10-15 minutes if in a small group of 2-4. We highly recommend that you book ahead for larger groups.
Red Chilli Group also states on their website that they do cater for non-chilli diners, so if you fall into this category please make sure you mention this during your order so that they can specifically cater to your tastes.
