Dainty Sichuan goes for the hat-trick

Dainty Sichuan, the regional Chinese restaurant with a fiery menu and a loyal following - including international chefs such as David Chang whenever he's in town - has opened a third venue in Box Hill. ''It's completely different to our other restaurants,'' co-owner Ye Shao says.

The menu is based on individual hot pots, rather than the traditional one-for-the-table hot pot, and customers can choose from 12 soup bases, 100 food items and then choose their own sauces from a table of 30 house-made condiments. Many of the choices are not too spicy, which makes the 220-seat venue ''very good for families'', Shao says.

Shao and his wife and business partner, executive chef Tina Li, opened this concept in Box Hill because they always want to ''bring something good and authentic to Melbourne'', he says. The couple are from Chongqing in the province of Sichuan and opened their first Dainty Sichuan in Collingwood in 2003; their newest city-based restaurant opened at the end of 2012. Dainty Sichuan in Box Hill is open daily for lunch and dinner.