for a set price of HK$300 per person, you choose the number of dishes according to how many diners there are in your group; there were four of us, so we had three appetisers and four mains. The Sichuan cold noodles appetiser was excellent — the sauce was spicy, tangy and numbing (from the Sichuan peppercorns). Pork belly in garlic sauce was a dish of fine, delicate slices of very fatty meat that were soft, smooth and delicious.

Spicy and sour cucumber refreshed our palates. Poached fish in hot chilli oil looked intimidatingly spicy but the warm, oily broth was actually very well balanced and it was a slow burn, rather than a blast of heat. Salt and pepper shrimp — the only dish we picked from the non-spicy section — were cooked so well the head and thin shells were edible. Mapo tofu was a little on the sweet side, but it went well with a bowl of rice.

service was helpful, and they gave us a plate of greens to round out our meaty meal.

the only dish we didn't like was the sautéed chicken with pickled peppers, which was ordinary.

The original Sijie is in Bartlock Centre, Causeway Bay, tel: 2802 2250. They only take cash — no credit cards.