I had eaten here (Amara Singapore Level 2, 6879-2555) a few years ago, and remembered it being decently good. So I was happy when we came here tonight as the taste of the little starter dishes was still just as I remembered them (and was even surprised by the Sichuan spiciness of the little pickled vegetables). The Shark's Fin Soup as well as the smoked duck also reinforced my opinion.
Oddly enough though, the mainland Chinese colleagues that I dined with this evening told me that this was not very authentic and still wasn't spicy enough. I started to see why when the dishes started to go downhill, most notably with the string beans, which were soggy and lacking the greasy crispy taste that I love. Some pieces of cod dipped in batter seemed a bit out of place too - almost reminding me of some strange fish & chips that I had the other day. I guess this also explains the inconsistency at their sister "express" version at Millenia Walk. I'd still prefer to fill up on my Sichuan food at Chuan instead.
Well, one thing that made the meal interesting tonight though was the S$150 (US$88) bottle of Chinese moutai alcohol that we got. Not only did the bottle look like it was a little bottle of propane for use in a portable grill, but the contents burned on the way down your throat too (this one was 55% alcohol by volume). The taste nonetheless was still like most Chinese "white wine," although this one didn't taste quite as much like Jolly Ranchers as some others that I've had.
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