Hot Taste Restaurant - Richmond Hill

Excellent food, with an extensive menu of Sichuan and other spicy dishes. Service is attentive, but like many such places, understaffing results in limited patience from waitstaff. Tables are packed ridiculously close to each other, and the place is crowded. You end up being trapped...in your seat, in a hectic, noisy atmosphere. Don't go there if you're looking to relax in a laid-back surrounding. They are open until a.m., though, so things may taper down late at night. Prices are in line with area restaurants. Parking can be a major challenge on the weekend.

The Dan Dan Noodles with Spicy Sauce were not the typical dam dam noodles type made with peanut butter. Instead, it was a bowl of noodles swimming in a pool of spicy oil. While the dish was spicy, it was still a very good bowl...of noodles. We were able to take the spice. The Szechuan Style Sliced Lamb contained many slices of lamb sitting in a bowl also with spicy oil and sauce. There were also glass noodles and bean sprouts near the bottom of the bowl which soaked up all of the spicy oil. This was a perfect dish to go with steamed rice! The slices of lamb were delicious. The House Special Fried Pancake was really a chives pancake and I've had this many times in other restaurants; it is one of my favourite Chinese side orders to get. I found that the portion size was good here but the pancake itself was very chewy. I wish there were more scrambled eggs and vermicelli inside of the pancake too.

The Dan Dan Noodles with Spicy Sauce were not the typical "dam dam" noodles type made with peanut butter.

Everything just felt super oily and heavy. I had the Water Cooked Fish (essentially oil, dry chilly and lots of peppercorn)And a stir-fry noodle.

3.5 stars The Sichuan style deep fried chicken and spicy beef are well worth the trip to Richmond Hill.