Bashuge Sichuan Restaurant

74 Koornang Road
Carnegie VIC, 3163
Ph: 9568 8687

Bashuge Sichuan Restaurant is located on Koornang Road in Carnegie, one of my favourite streets for good cheap dining now. I used to lament how there were so few choices to eat from during lunch time, but now there's a whole host of them on Koornang Road. I have eaten at most of the places and they're regular haunts but I'm so used to them that I don't even bother blogging them. I must rectify that and blog them all, especially one of my favourites, Aunties Dumplings.

So on Koornang Road, some of the options are
7&7
Kimchi Grandma
Shyun
JJ's Express
Aunties Dumplings
Kuala Lumpur Malasian Restaurant

Now I can add Bashuge Sichuan as one of the good cheap eats restaurants. Bashuge is fairly new, and so far, only I-Hua seems to have blogged about it. It serves traditional Sichuan food, with the dishes having a good fiery kick to them. At lunch time, they have really cheap lunch specials that come with a free drink. You heard right, you get any drink you want. Their is Asian drinks like plum juice, aloe vera juice, soy milk, various iced teas, grape juice and then regular soft drinks.

We always order a bunch of dishes and then share them. The Crispy Fried Chicken is perfectly cooked, with a spicy chilli powder dusted onto the chicken lifting it that bit more. The Sichuan Dumplings are always a favourite, with the garlic and chilli sauce being the highlight, making an otherwise simple dumpling into a sensational one. Soy Chicken Wings are gloriously coated in a thick soy sauce that you get all over your hands when eating the wings, unless you're like me and have mastered the art of using your chopsticks to eat them. I'm like a chicken wing eating machine. I stuff the wings into my mouth in various ways and out pops the bones. No hands needed.



The Kung Pow Chicken is probably my favourite dish, with chicken tossed with fiery chillis and vegetables, full of wok breathe. A Stewed Eggplant is nice and soft, albeit on the salty side so you must eat it with rice. The Fried Rice may look quite ordinary but is surprisingly delicious. Again, it's that wok breathe that really makes the dish.



Other dishes you may find on the lunch menu (eaten previously but not photographed) include Dan Dan Noodles, which are extremely spicy and have a good bounce. Dumplings in soup are good but lack a bit of punch. Stir fried dishes of various meats are all tasty, and at $8-$10, are a bargain. Don't forget you get a free drink with that dish.

The restaurant is nicely decorated with heavy ornate timber tables and chairs. It's still new so is very clean, and the staff are extremely helpful. It's fairly quiet in the restaurant at lunch time so you can enjoy talking to your friends without having to shout. I really enjoy eating here and will continue to do so. Hopefully they get more customers as I don't want them to close. But at the same time, I hope it doesn't get too busy so I can never get a table. Oh the conflicts of a food blogger.

Overall Rating: 13/20, Good cheap Sichuan food in the suburbs.

Scores: 1-9: Unacceptable, don't bother. 10-11: Just OK,some shortcomings. 12: Fair. 13: Getting there. 14: Recommended. 15: Good. 16: Really good. 17: Truly excellent. 18: An outstanding experience. 19-20:Approaching perfection, Victoria's best.