Michael Jiang is bringing a taste from the streets of his native Chengdu to Connecticut.
Jiang, 48, spent the first 40 years of his life in China and moved to Glastonbury eight years ago. He now owns the newly opened Sichuan Alley on 625 New Park Ave. in West Hartford. Chengdu is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan.
Jiang said there are four Sichuan Alley locations in Singapore, and this is the first he’s opened in the U.S. The West Hartford restaurant recently had its grand opening.
Jiang describes the restaurant as “modernized Chinese cuisine with Sichuanese influence.”
“We make Chinese food with our new creations, and we want to introduce it to this part of the world,” Jiang said. “We have slightly adjusted the menu to suit the local customers.”
“We like West Hartford,” he added. “There are so many young people here and we want to introduce our concept to them. It’s a lifestyle more than food. It’s a culture. Where people eat this food is typically a relaxed life in that region of China.”’
China and Jiang said people in Chengdu there would sit down and have some good, small portions.
“It’s not a bigger dish,” he said. “It’s different flavors and it’s about having different dishes and drinks with your friends, and we are trying to introduce that to West Hartford. … In Chengdu, friends would walk together, eat some street food and talk. It’s a Chinese style that we want to mimic here.”
Jiang said a chef from one of the Singapore locations is at the restaurant training the kitchen staff.
As far as specialties, Jiang suggested the chilli chicken ($17.95) or fish slices with pickled vegetables ($23.95).
“These are very traditional Sichuan dishes with traditional flavors,” Jiang said. “We have other creative dishes like mixed grain rice bowls that are healthier options.”
Courtesy of Sichuan Alley
Owner Michael Jiang said fish slices with pickled vegetables is one of the specialty dishes at Sichuan Alley. (Courtesy of Sichuan Alley)
The teriyaki salmon bowl ($28.95) is one of his main recommendations. The restaurant also has options in ramen and rice noodle bowls.
The restaurant also has various kinds of fried rice and angel hair pasta dishes as well as tofu, beef, shrimp and chicken dishes.
Sichuan Alley is still two to three weeks away from getting its liquor permit, but the restaurant offers mocktails, coffee, iced tea and specialty bubble tea.
Once the liquor permit is approved there will be a vast drink menu including beers, sakes, wines, dessert cocktails, margaritas, mojitos, martinis and signature cocktails.
Jiang said all recipes are China originals, but it’s also a Singapore fusion. The West Hartford location uses the same recipes as the ones used in Singapore — with some tweaks.
For dessert, Jiang said handmade Alley ice jelly ($7.95) would be his suggestion as a “very traditional Chinese dessert that is hundreds of years old.”
“It’s a popular choice,” Jiang said. “It originated in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It’s a common dessert that’s sold on the streets in China.”
The ingredients are ice jelly, hawthorn, raisins, red beans, brown sugar, ground almonds and mochi.
“You can’t find it anywhere else. I would definitely try the dessert,” Jiang said. “I would try that, a multi-grain rice bowl, ramen, chilli chicken and fish filet and veggies.”
Courtesy of Sichuan Alley
Chilli chicken one of the restaurant’s traditional Sichuan dishes featuring traditional flavors. (Courtesy of Sichuan Alley)
Sichuan Alley’s 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,” according to the website. “We recreate the setting of traditional street food establishments with bamboo chairs, rattan cabinets and rustic barn tables.”
Restaurant hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays are from noon to 9 p.m.
