Kat's 9 Lives

Recently I saw on Jolly Angel’s FB update about Lamb! I had to ask her where she went and she told me about Spicy City. I guess I don’t make it over to Heritage Plaza much and overlooked this new place. They have only been open a few months and have taken over Phoenix Inn’s slot. They offer spicy Szechuan cuisine here, so if you love spicy flavorful foods then this would be the perfect place for you.If you walk all the way to the back you will see the cold table where they have a wide selection of pre-made cold appetizers. I believe it is 3 choices for $5.99. An amusing incident happened as we were ordering the appetizers. The sweet lady asked me if I recognized her… I stood there puzzled trying to recall who she might be. Apparently they worked at YunChuan in Monterey Park that I love. The chef left them and moved down here to open his own restaurant so the food is suppose to taste the exact same as up there. Lucky for me I guess, she gave me extra goodies. O=) P.S. Ms. Lin and co all made fun of me about my recognizability, I really can’t commit any crimes because I’ll be caught and identified immediately!For the cold dishes I selected the Smoked Chicken, Five Spiced Meat *Fu Chi Fei Pian*, Pickled Green Beans *Jian Doh*, and she gave me Beef Tongue for free. My favorite is and always has been the Fu Chi Fei Pian. It was really flavorful and just like the ones they serve in MP. I thought the smoked chicken was tender and smoky. The Jian Doh was not bad but I wished it was a bit more firm. I thought the tongue was nicely cooked and had just the right texture.
One of my favorite dishes these days is Boiled Fish Fillet in Hot Sauce. Don’t let the word “boiled” fool you. Under no circumstance is it submerged in water, instead it lies drenched in a pool of oil! Lol Spicy chili oil that is and topped off with ground and crushed peppers. My Aunt won’t stop raving about their fish and how wonderful this dish is. I don’t think I am quite as excited as her but I think they use a nice cut of fish with no dirt taste. The spicy flavors emanate in every bite and pairs well with rice. I always ask for more garlic because I love the taste.
Back at YunChuan Garden my favorite item is the Spicy Wontons in Chili Oil. It was not quite the same, but still good. I felt that they needed to drain the wontons a bit more so that the sauce wouldn’t be so diluted. The flavors are there but toned down because it was so watery. I still love the one in MP more, but I am hoping the next time I go it’ll be just as great or even better.
Since I was lured here by the promise of delicious lamb, how can I not order a lamb dish? Lol At first I asked the server which dish was best and she told me that the Local Flavor Lamb wouldn’t be too spicy, so we ordered it. OMG that was SPICIIIIIIIII! It was full of crushed and sliced peppers. What really gave it that extra kick were the seeds from the jalapeños! Even though we can eat extremely spicy, we probably wouldn’t be able to enjoy this dish with that high of a spice level. It’s not when you eat it that makes it spicy, it’s the after burn. @_@ They were super nice and took back the dish. At first they offered to dilute it but they exchanged it out.
We got the Stir Fried Lamb that was much better. I wished it was just a little bit spicy but the lamb was super tender! Warning, it is closer to being a little bit undercooked. I love it that way because it has that tender texture with a chewy exterior. Yum! They also pile it on with lamb meat! YAY! I am so coming back just to eat more lamb! I can see why my pal raved about lamb here. They do use pretty good lamb meat and cook it the way I like.

All in all I like this place. I will be back again since my Aunt can’t stop raving about it. All I eat these days are spicy dishes or my favorite Spicy Boiled Fish! Lol So bad but so delicious! Next time I have a lamb craving I will be sure to come here. I hope the sweet lady is around to top of my cold appetizer plate with more goodies!

Spicy City
14310 Culver Dr
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 733-9200