Sichuan Alley Opens in West Hartford with “Modern Sichuan Cuisine”

This new modern Sichuan restaurant promises to go beyond “Americanized” Chinese food, showcasing the rich and complex flavors of the cuisine alongside stylish cocktails.

Sichuan Alley is new to West Hartford, but actually got its start in Singapore in 2016, said owner Michael Jiang, who partnered with the Singaporean owners to bring the concept to central Connecticut. It’s his first restaurant, he said, as he has a background in fashion, owning a business that makes formal dresses for weddings and proms. 

“I’m a foodie, but it’s hard for me to find (authentic) food,” Jiang said. “I wanted something I could bring to the local people here.”

Jiang said he chose West Hartford because of its location and the town’s thriving restaurant scene. The space at 625 New Park Avenue was most recently home to G-Monkey, a plant-based fast food eatery, and before that housed Hartford Baking Co. for many years. 

“We figured that West Hartford has a population that’s willing to try something new,” he said. Though the Hartford area has a few Sichuan restaurants, Jiang said he was looking to offer a more modern experience at Sichuan Alley, reflecting more of what diners would see at current restaurants in Chengdu, the capital city of the Sichuan province.

The restaurant, which has four locations in Singapore, is inspired by Chengdu’s early 20th century “alley culture,” where interconnected alleys were hubs for local street food and gatherings, according to the eatery’s Singapore website. 

“Our mission is to showcase the rich and nuanced flavors of Sichuan, revealing that it’s far more than just spicy and numbing through our use of Sichuan peppers and innovative techniques,” the West Hartford website notes.

Sichuan Alley’s American menu is mostly similar to its Singapore counterpart, Jiang said, but it depends on whether they’re able to source the same materials or ingredients. He said the chefs have also dialed down the spice level a bit and added some sweetness to some dishes to accommodate American palates. 

But they’ve stayed true to authenticity in signature dishes like Sichuan Alley’s mapo tofu, featuring cubes of firm tofu, ground pork and chili oil in a rich, comforting sauce with ginger, garlic and Sichuan pepper powder. The “Find the Chicken in the Chiles” dish features fried bits of popcorn chicken and cashews with an abundance of dried red chili peppers, enhanced with the numbing Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, ginger and garlic. Jiang also notes the dish of fish slices with pickled vegetables, served with tofu, potato noodles, tomato, broccoli and wood-ear mushrooms. 

Favorites among appetizers include bao with Kung Pao shrimp and pork belly; pan-fried pork buns and dumplings, including the restaurant’s signature alley chili dumplings with housemade chili oil. Cold dishes include Sichuan peppercorn braised beef, Chengdu “mouthwatering shrimp” and shredded beancurd tofu skin, in spicy and non-spicy versions.

Popular entrees include Kung Pao chicken and shrimp, braised beef brisket with chickpeas and black pepper chicken, and Sichuan Alley also offers various fried rice dishes, including a mixed-veggie version and others with shrimp, shredded chicken and fried chicken fillet. The restaurant also features ramen options with braised beef, shrimp and chicken, along with classic dan dan noodles with ground pork sauce and sesame paste.

Sichuan Alley’s menu also offers angel hair pasta dishes, with customer’s choice of proteins including braised beef and grilled salmon, and mixed-grain rice bowls with various proteins and vegetables (though Jiang says the fried rice dishes are more popular.)

Desserts include an alley ice jelly, with raisins, red beans, brown sugar, ground almonds and mochi, and a sweet fermented rice ball. An ice cream bomba features strawberry, pistachio and chocolate gelato coated in chocolate with a white chocolate drizzle. 

The restaurant has a full bar, with an extensive list of unique cocktails. The Kung Fu Panda drink has made the rounds on Instagram, a mix of vodka, green tea, lime juice, cucumber and chili pepper adorned with a cute edible chocolate panda. The Godfather of Szechuan is made with bourbon, amaretto and Chinese baijiu liquor, and the bright blue Rain Will Stop drink features gin, lychee liqueur, blue curacao, yuzu, lime and tonic water. The cocktail menu also offers martinis, mojitos, margaritas and sake flights, along with assorted teas and bubble teas (available spiked if you’re of age.) 

“We want people to come and try not only the food, but also the environment and culture,” Jiang said. “This is a place where people can meet friends, talk and relax.”

Jiang said he’s looking to open more locations of Sichuan Alley, saying that the West Hartford restaurant was a test of the concept and the market. 
“So far, we’ve been getting really good feedback,” he said. “We’re thinking about where we’ll open the next location.”

Sichuan Alley is at 625 New Park Avenue in West Hartford. 860-248-6656, https://www.sichuanalleyus.com.