Yuchuanwei

Yuchuanwei (渝川味) is a casual Sichuan-Chongqing restaurant opposite the east gate of Century Pearl (世纪明珠) in Yanghe Town, Sucheng District, Suqian, Jiangsu Province, China. It is run by a Sichuan owner, which is notable in a province whose own cooking is typically sweet and mild, and it serves the numbing, spicy style associated with Sichuan and Chongqing. Yanghe Town is best known for the Yanghe distillery, one of China's famous baijiu producers, so the restaurant is handy for a meal after a distillery visit. The listed signature dishes are chopped-pepper fish head (剁椒鱼头), a steamed fish head topped with pickled red chillies that is usually associated with Hunan cooking but common on Sichuan-style menus, and water-boiled pork slices (水煮肉片), thin pork slices poached in a chilli-oil broth with Sichuan peppercorns, which is a staple of the cuisine. Other dishes typically on such menus include mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, twice-cooked pork and dry-fried green beans, although the sources consulted list only the two signatures. The dining room is a casual, family-style space with no dress code, and the atmosphere is likely lively and talkative, with a noticeable chilli aroma. Prices and opening hours are not published in the sources consulted, so a mid-range cost per person and standard lunch and dinner hours are reasonable assumptions, with Meituan or Dianping useful for checking on the day. No reservation system or phone number is listed; walk-ins are the norm, and groups may wish to arrive early on weekend evenings. Beverages are mainly tea, soft drinks and beer, and baijiu pairs naturally with the dishes given the Yanghe location. Visitors who cannot handle heat can ask for dishes with less chilli (少辣) or mild (不辣). Payment is normally by WeChat Pay or Alipay, and menus are probably in Chinese only. It is a good option for diners who find Jiangsu cooking too sweet or mild.