“ Dropped by here close to my hotel because I was craving some noodles. Had the clear bone broth beef noodle soup since I wasn't fond of spicy stuff. Ordered to-go and service was great. They let me sit down at the hotpot tables and there was just a short 5 minute wait. The interior is contemporary and airy with nice big windows. Noodle soup was great and probably Szechuan style with lots of spices and sesame oil, smells good and tastes good. I did drink the soup but I didn't feel too thirsty which means not much msg ”

“ The food here is properly spicy like you would find in China. It is as authentic as you can get from a Chinese restaurant in London. Warning tho your bathroom visit the next day won't be so fun. ”

“ Ended a day of walking in windy London with a meal at Chilli Cool. We ordered the following: - Chicken and taro - Lotus in dried pot - Qiaojiao beef noodle soup One sip of the beef broth and I sensed danger. Considering we were sat in a Sichuanese restaurant you come to expect a certain level of spice with some bold flavours which this did not have. It wasn't exactly plain, there was a gentle meatiness to the soup but when looking at the other plates we'd ordered I could just see this dish disappearing once the palate had been exposed to the oils and heat of the chicken and lotus. A quick and generally effective fix was to order some chilli powder and soy sauce to the table. The saltiness of the soy brought out the flavours that the dish did have and the chilli proved an excellent accompaniment to the gorgeous (and generous) cuts of meat in the bowl. The chicken and taro come in a delicious numbing-chilli sauce. Be aware of the broken bits of bone and also make sure you do not waste the lovely chunks of garlic swimming at the lower depths of the dish. The star of the show which I will remember Chilli Cool most fondly for was the lotus. Incredibly moreish crunchy, savoury delights, I would recommend a visit for these alone. I've eaten a fair amount of lotus but mainly in soups so to have these in a drier form was a mouthwatering treat. One thing I would say and have alluded to is that this is a Sichuanese restaurant but not one that will knock your socks off with heat. The flavours alone were enough to satisfy me but fair warning to those spice junkies after that "extra la" punch at least from the things we ordered. One last tip would be to order "yē shù pái yē zhī", a canned Chinese coconut drink not on the menu. For me to recommend this despite not being big on coconut just shows how special this creamy goodness went down. Not too sweet with an amusing amount of advertising on the can, definitely worth a try! ”

“ An authentic Szechuan restaurant but kinda tucked away from the main streets. Clean and bright seating environment but the kitchen downstairs which is next to the toilet looks oily and bit dirty. Service was just okay. The waitress forgot to give us menus so we had to help ourselves to take some from the counter. But she's responsive to our requests and polite as a whole. Food was served quick. The portion of the boiled fish with pickled cabbage and chili was huge. The fish fillet was tender and the broth was quite savory tho not spicy. But the griddle cooked lotus root slices were mediocre, oily and didn't taste fresh. ”

“ Not the cheapest place to eat but one of the best quality Chinese food I've had in London! CASH ONLY ”

“ Aw guys! Whats with the low ratings here? I'm LOVING this place! 7 of us came to this place, and we were sat near the end of the restaurant (near the backyard). There are two parts to this restaurant, making it easier if you have big groups. I could tell the authenticity of the food here by the amount of Chinese/locals you see eating here. The smell of hot hot chili.... mmmmm! We ordered 8 dishes to split between the 7 of us. Cabbage, chili dumplings and four season beans came first. It took around 15-20 minutes but that's fine with me. Then came beef tendons- chewy and jelly-textured but flavorful yet spicy. Hot and spicy spare ribs cooked fried with chili smelled amazing, and tasted heavenly. It was crispy, spicy, and the sesame that it was cooked with brought out the best of the ribs. Highly recommended. The hot and spicy cold noodle (with shredded chicken and cucumber) was refreshing. The cold glass noodle was spicy and cooked to the right chewy-ness. Then came the delicious fish dish- it wasn't the water cooked fish. It's called sliced fish in homemade twin chili sauce- BEYOND!!! The fish was SO smooth and tender, fresh and just, indescribably delicious. Highly highly recommend again. The dish was HUGE, cooked with tons of fish meat and some vegetables. Not to mention, the chili had a sweet aftertaste... mmm.. The beef with chili and Sichuan pepper was alright, with a fair amount of bean spout, but also spare amount of beef- it was alright. The total we spent for 9 dishes plus 6 bowls of rice equals to around £88. 10% off cash payments!!!!! Overall, a wide range of amazing classic Sichuan food, would definitely recommend this restaurant to all my friends who LOVES spicy food. PS. VERY SPICY. VERY DELICIOUS. AUTHENTIC GOOD FOOD, and 10% off cash payments. DOUBLE THUMBS UP!!! ”

“ Chilli Cool - Pics @ The London Foodie I first learnt of Sichuanese Cuisine when reading Fuchsia Dunlop's book "Sharks Fin and Sichuan Pepper". Fuchsia is an engaging writer - it was great fun reading about her adventures as a Westerner living in Chengdu, and learning about Sichuan and its cuisine. I have bought both her cookery books which are also very good. After reading a positive write up by Mr Noodles of Eat Noodles Love Noodles (this is his favourite Sichuanese restaurant in London), I decided to try Chilli Cool last week. Mr Noodles is a real authority on regional Chinese cooking, and his blog is an excellent source of information on the subject. Dr G and I arrived and headed to the wrong entrance of Chilli Cool - there are two: one for the Sichuanese hot pot restaurant on the left hand side, and another for the a la carte menu on the right. We were directed to the correct entrance (a la carte), and were soon seated. The staff's level of English isn't great, although I found them to be efficient and polite. The decor was simple and with no frills, and the lighting was strong and bright. One unnerving aspect of the restaurant is how greasy the floor was - I could hardly stand on one spot without sliding away. If you can put that to the back of your mind though, you are in for a culinary experience. The menu is well laid out and contains many pictures of the dishes to assist ordering which I found very helpful. Following the recommendations of Mr Noodles, we ordered a selection of dishes from the menu. We started the meal with the less hot "Sea Spicy Shredded Pork" @ £7.80. This was utterly delicious, with the slivers of pork, julienned bamboo shoots and black fungus making for a sensational combination of flavours. The sauce was rich and very flavoursome (I believe this to be also translated as "Fish Fragrant Sauce"), and despite the name, it has no fish ingredients - it is sour, sweet and spicy and made from ginger, soy sauce, garlic, chinkiang vinegar among other ingredients. We also ordered "Sliced Beef Sichuan Style Lavishly Topped with Chillies and Sichuan Pepper" @ £8.80 (Also known as "Boiled Beef Slices in a Fiery Sauce" - shui zhu niu rou). This was another rich and delicious dish, and one of the highlights of the evening. The beef was coated in flour and then boiled in stock and soya sauce giving it a silken texture. The addition of finely julienned celery and spring onions to the rich sauce made it hearty. It was fiery but bearably so. It was about zero degrees outside but I was pouring with sweat - a perfect dish for this type of weather. To accompany the meat dishes, we ordered some plain steamed rice @ £1.50 a portion, and two of my favourite Sichuanese vegetable dishes - "Dry Fried Green Bean with Minced Pork" @ £6.80 and "Sea Spicy/Fish Fragrant Aubergines" @ £6.80. The greens were dry fried until tender and slightly wrinkled, and tasted delicious with the minced pork, Shaoxing wine and soya sauce. This was a simple but very satisfying dish. The aubergine dish was the better of the two though - the fish fragrant sauce was complex and bursting with flavour. I have made this dish many times at home but have never managed to come close to the richness and concentration of flavour of Chilli Cool's version. We also ordered their "Chengdu Dan Dan Noodles" @ £5.80. I have tried this dish at several restaurants but Chilli Cool's was I think the most authentic. It was seriously spicy and delicious with a generous helping of "Ya Cai" a type of Sichuanese preserved mustard green, and a rich sauce made from an assortment of spices. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, and it cost only £44. We ordered enough to feed 4 or 5 people as the portions were rather generous. Verdict - Authentic Sichuanese cuisine in Central London at very reasonable prices. A must for anyone who appreciates this type of cooking. Delicious fish fragrant aubergines, sliced beef and shredded pork and charming service. Highly recommended. ”