【Sydney Food】Master Bowl .::Sichuan chilli dry wok::.

Master Bowl is one of the few Chinese restaurants that I actually have cravings for from time to time. The distinct smell of Sichuan chilli and peppercorn would immediately grab hold of your senses as soon as you step in.

—–HER{curio}MAJESTY SCORE SHEET—–

Visited: Several times.

Food: 8.5/10 || Ambiance: 6/10 || Service: 6/10

What I love: The dry wok.

Will I come back: Yes.

Chilli Dry Wok is one of the most popular Sichuan delicacies that truly reflects Sichuan cuisine’s four well-regarded elements:  spicy, hot, fresh and fragrant. Master Bowl specialises in exactly this. It’s called “dry” wok to distinguish with “chilli hot pot”, a popular soup-based Sichuan signature.

You pay $5 for the base, and then pick your choices of meat, fish balls and vegetables for your own pot (minimum 5 ingredients). The meat ranges from $5-$9 per choice, and the vegetables $3-$6 per choice.

My favourite ingredients are: fish fillet ($7), beef slice ($8), bamboo shoots ($5), tofu puff ($5), lotus root ($4), mushroom ($6).

Sichuan Style Bean Jelly, $6.9. This is my must-order at every Sichuan restaurant.

Don’t be fooled, this dish isn’t as spicy as it looks (definitely a lot milder than the Chilli Dry Wok). The sourness and the spiciness both have a very noticeable taste, yet they create a perfect harmony in your mouth.

The Chilli Dry Wok menu.

A la carte menu.

Just write your order on the order form and hand it to the waiter when you’re ready.

On the Chilli Dry Wok section, you will have to select the level of hotness and pepper-ness that you want your pot to be. There are five levels:

• 1. None (then I would question why do you even bother coming here).
• 2. Very mild hotness and pepper-ness.
• 3. Mild hotness and pepper-ness.
• 4. Medium hotness and pepper-ness.
• 5. Extreme hotness and pepper-ness

Mike and I usually go for level 3, mild, as it is the most comfortable level for us. Start from level 2 if you are not sure – I hate it when my palate knows something is so good that I must keep eating, yet my tongue simply feels like it’s caught fire and refuses to cooperate.

Whilst I regard the food highly at Master Bowl, I feel obliged to offer a word of caution – don’t expect anything glam, it’s just a small eatery on Dixon Street in Chinatown and it takes a while for the food to arrive. It’s not the cleanest place either, I have seen two itchy bitsy croaches on the wall on two separate visits. (What did I do? I terminated them with a tissue and carried on eating both times)

The good news is, I haven’t seen any in my food yet, so it’s all good.

{Master Bowl}
Address: Shop 42 1-7 Dixon Street, Sydney NSW