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Shirley Lau

Shop 33, KCR East TST station (exit J1),  Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: 2311 9233

Open: Noon-3pm, 5.30pm-1am (midnight on Sundays)

Cuisine: Sichuan.

Price:  About HK$700 for four people, without drinks.

Ambience: The restaurant's name is inspired by the traditional, vibrantly coloured  masks of Sichuan depicting  ancient heroes.  Nineteen large Sichuan masks hang from the ceiling. The dazzling sight, set against  soft light, lends the place an exotic  air, which is accentuated by  traditional Chinese wine bottles and  modern furnishings.

Pros: Dining here is a fun cultural experience. A musician plays traditional Chinese music nightly.

Cons:  Mask of Si Chuen doesn't offer free tea or water - which is much needed to help quench  the tongue-tingling  resulting from the famously  spicy Sichuan dishes. We were disappointed when the waitress told us we couldn't have the baked crab with spice because we didn't  order in advance.  The staff should have mentioned this when we booked   by phone.

Recommended dishes: Many  dishes are marked  on the menu with five chillies (indicating  the highest level of spiciness).  We mostly opted for medium-hot and the results were great.  The dan dan noodles in spicy soup (HK$30) had silky noodles, and the sauce was neither too thick nor too watery. Simmered goose liver (HK$95) was made with Chinese yellow wine, which was rightly understated to allow the tender and appetising  liver to shine. Fried prawns with chilli sauce (HK$120) tasted as if they were   fresh from the sea and they  went well with the divine iron Buddha tea (HK$28 a pot). We also enjoyed the steamed chicken with pumpkin (HK$78).

What else? About three times a year, the restaurant invites artists from Sichuan to stage cultural performances. The next one is scheduled for November, with an artist performing the traditional  art of mask changing at lightning speed.



Mask of Si Chuen