Chris E.
Yelp
Didn't have high expectations for Truly Sichuan, but this restaurant's mix of Sichuan and Chinese food was surprisingly decent.
We strolled in on a beautiful Friday evening at 5:45 and the restaurant was fairly empty as you can imagine before 6pm, but, once again, to my surprise it got quite busy by the time we left. I didn't expect this restaurant to be extremely popular in Ridgewood, but the fact that their menu serves Americanized Chinese food was a smart move because I felt a majority of the customers were ordering EXACTLY THAT.
WE, on the other hand, tried to steer clear of the Americanized Chinese food and tried to order a few of their more popular entrees here. First, we ordered the Pork Soup Dumplings and Scallion Pancake to start. Oddly, there were only 5 pieces in the order of soup dumplings for $13. Typically at restaurants, at least 6 are served in an order and, in some cases, even 8! 5 seemed stingy. Also, quite steep for just 5 pieces, but, nevertheless the quality was better than I would have thought. The Scallion Pancake was OK. Nothing spectacular, but it was a nice, simple appetizer.
For entrees, we got the Chicken w. Bok Choy (mostly for our kids) and then went all out by ordering the Truly Sichuan Mala Hot Pot / Spicy Pot and Crispy Duck Special. The Sichuan Pot was hugeee and had lots and lots of stuff in there - chicken, veggies, lots of lotus root, bean sprouts and shrimp. As you can imagine, the pot was red all over with spices and we were not ready for it AT ALLLL. The lotus roots actually numbed our mouth after we ate them! They weren't very spicy, but something in the ingredients completely numbed us. It was an extremely strange feeling and sensation and made the dining experience a bit uncomfortable, but like the troopers that we were, we ATE ON! My wife loved the pot and the food in it, but I thought it was just OK.
The Crispy Duck was quite disappointing for me - dry, not very big and did not look appetizing at all. It was sadly cut up and plopped on top of lettuce. I definitely was not a fan for $25. As for the Chicken w Bok Choy, it was good, but, once again, not the greatest dish you'll ever have, but it was solid.
Could the food have been better? Definitely. Could it have been worse? Yes, I didn't have high expectations. But, it came out to be decent and edible, which was more than I could have imagined. I didn't think we were going to order the Sichuan Pot or Crispy Duck, which were quite pricey. Would we come back? Ehhhhh. One time was good though.