Red Chilli Sichuan

The promise of mouth-numbing Sichuan peppers may intimidate, but there's more here than heat. Aromatic cold noodles with shredded chicken tastes clean and smoky. Stir-fried cauliflower with cumin may have lips tingling, but the simple room and bustling staff exist seemingly to showcase the vivid red that glows from menu gems marked with three chillies. A hotpot with gelatinous fish fillets in hot and spicy sauce - complemented by crisp Chinese cabbage - hits the max for chilli and pepper. The only thing to fear is fear itself. Also at Haymarket, Glebe & Chatswood.