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How a 3.8 Star Rated Sichuan Restaurant Chungdu Chungdu Became Koreans & Chinese Favourite Restaurant

This is day six of highlighting small businesses, and today we’re at Chungdu Chungdu in Chinatown. Known among Koreans for its mala xiang guo, this Sichuan spot is actually part of Jin Li. Don’t miss the Garlic & Spicy Vermicelli Prawns (#27) and fragrant grilled fish.

This is day 6 of highlighting small businesses, and today we’re visiting Chengdu Chengdu in London’s Chinatown. At first glance, the restaurant shows a 3.8 star Google rating, which might seem average. But in this case, it’s not the whole story.

Why Chengdu Has a Following

Chungdu first became popular with Koreans after a Korean YouTuber featured their mala xiang guo. The menu even has Korean translations because of how many Korean diners started coming. I once got a DM from a Korean follower who recommended it to me.

What’s less known is that Chungdu is actually part of the Jin Li group. Unlike Jin Li’s flagship, which offers a wide mix of Chinese food, Chungdu focuses closely on authentic Sichuan dishes. All of the chefs are from Sichuan, and the menu reflects that.

What to Order Beyond Mala Xiang Guo

Mala xiang guo is the obvious choice, but I found the clay pot dishes to be just as interesting. The Clay Pot Garlic and Spicy Vermicelli Prawns (#27, £26.5) stood out. It comes with glass noodles, enoki mushrooms, prawns, and their spicy sauce, finished with layers of chopped garlic. If you like garlic and chili, this is the one.

Clay Pot Garlic and Spicy Vermicelli Prawns

They also have clay pot enoki mushrooms with marbled beef (Tom Yam soup) which was really good.

Everything is sharing size so the price is a bit high, but if you split it to two or three I think it is pretty normal price for Chinatown.

Understanding the Rating

A Chinese friend explained that many diners don’t trust Google Reviews because service complaints drag down scores. Instead, they check Red Note (小红书) to see if a restaurant is actually good. By that measure, a 3.8 score is fine. And since the customer base is mostly Chinese, Chungdu also doesn’t add a service charge.

Here are some dishes worth exploring from the menu:

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