Several Sichuan restaurants have tried to spice up their settings by copying the template of South Beauty - made famous for elaborate decor, delicately presented food and high bills that match highbrow atmospheres. But it's the dishes, not the decor, that are brought to the table that keeps customers coming back.

This is exactly why the newly opened Sichuan eatery San Qi Sichuan Restaurant, should expect plenty of repeat customers.

The establishment's "whole-family blessing soup" is a good starter. The soup comes with wild fungus with seafood, including abalone, sea cucumber and clam boiled in a broth that the restaurant regards as a secret recipe. The broth effectively covers the seafood aroma, and it's a bit lighter than such soup would be in most restaurants. Sichuan cuisine is famous for its heavy use of chili and huajiao, the tongue-numbing seeds of Chinese prickly ash.

This spicy stuff is the key ingredient in the restaurant's signature dish: Quick-fried dry preserved fish with chili. This tasty treat is hard to come by at other restaurants in Beijing and is particularly crispy and tasty. The braised pigeon with huajiao is also a flavorful option. The boiled short ribs with spicy huajiao provide a good combination of sweet, sour and fresh huajiao aromas and flavors. Bacon rolls with Sichuan chili are fried with fresh asparagus in the middle.

The fried prawns with tea embody this health-conscious philosophy: The tea not adds flavor but also reduces the oiliness of the dish. San Qi's crisp glutinous rice cakes make for delightful deserts, and are best washed down with the house plum wine - a good mix of sweet and sour that's not too strong at 11 degrees of alcohol.

A white and red color scheme, in addition to plenty of mirrors, sofas and wooden chairs create a comfortable ambience. And the attentive service makes dining all the more enjoyable.

Average spending is 80 yuan per person.

(Beijing Weekend January 10, 2008)