The best Sichuan restaurants in Singapore

TRY Mapo Don

An offshoot of chef Chen Kentaro's one-Michelin-starred establishment Shisen Hanten, this casual eatery in Downtown Gallery merges the Japanese donburi concept with Sichuan cuisine. Its standout dish is the Mapo Don ($10). Tender cubes of silken tofu are cooked with minced meat in a thick spicy gravy flavoured with fermented soybeans and toasted peppercorns. The mapo tofu is then poured over sticky Japanese short- grained rice. This mild dish is a good introduction to Sichuan cuisine for those who can't quite handle their spice yet.

TRY Ching Qing grilled fish

Forget your regular mala hotpot – this ancient dish created by fishermen living in Wanzhou is so much better. Grilled fish is covered in different types of flavourful broths and served with other accompaniments of your choice. Get your fix from the first restaurant to introduce the dish to Singapore, Chong Qing Grilled Fish. Choose from five types of grilled fish (prices start from $32) and seven punchy broths, including its spicy and fragrant signature made from dried chillies, peppercorns, chilli powder and a secret spicy sauce.

TRY Dan dan mian

The most famous noodle dish in Sichuan cuisine is dan dan mian, which is named after the bamboo shoulder poles (dan) Chinese street vendors used to carry the food they hawk. Try the traditional dish at Qi – House of Sichuan. Springy noodles topped with minced pork fried with preserved radish sit in a rich and creamy savoury peanut broth that isn't spicy so everyone can enjoy it.