Shu Restaurant: Beyond Imagining!

156 Shield St, West Hartford (Shield St. Shopping Plaza)

(860) 519 1740

Click here for restaurant website.

One of the culinary voids long suffered by the greater Hartford area consists of the lack of any decent Chinese restaurant. At last that drought is over. Shu Restaurant brings us stunning Sichuan food, bursting with flavor and spice. The owners of Shu are from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. To Gaspar’s delight, they do not shy away from using all manner of ingredients unfamiliar to the average American palate, such as tripe, frog’s legs, or pork intestines. If you like spicy food and normally laugh off warnings on menus about heat levels – take heed. Some of the dishes may precipitate perspiration on the forehead! But the use of chilies and peppers is handled so masterfully – there is such intense flavor accompanying the spice – that you may find yourself ignoring the milder selections on the menu.

However, milder, more subtle dishes also abound, as well as familiar ingredients like chicken, beef, shrimp and duck. Chicken with multi mushrooms offers a delicate variety of black mushrooms, tree-ears, and other fungi. The Chengdu Style Crispy Fried Chicken is not only crispy but incredibly tender.  One of Gaspar’s favorite dishes is not listed on the web menu, but you can find it in the “hard copy” menu at the restaurant. It consists of a whole sea bass steamed with chilies, as pictured below. Also on the restaurant menu you’ll find the Shu Spare Ribs, which are smoked before being stir fried in the wok. Their smoky bacon flavor, enhanced by fermented black beans, make them irresistible.

All these dishes and many, many more represent a spectacular bargain given their consistent high quality. Enjoy, explore the menu, and do make reservations if you plan on visiting on a weekend!

Steamed Sea Bass with Chilies

Chicken with Multi-mushroom

Shu Spare Ribs

Hot and Sour Soup with Seafood

Sea Scallops with Black Pepper Sauce

Chengdu Style Crispy Fried Chicken

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