Tiny Urban Kitchen

Exploring Food from Boston to Hong Kong and Beyond

  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • Michelin
    • Subscribe
    • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • Trivet London
      Trivet London - 2 Michelin Stars
    • Bibi London
      Bibi London - Michelin Indian Food
    • Planque London
      Planque London: Tasting the Unexpected
    • Bala Baya London
      Sunday Brunch at Bala Baya London
    • Ta Vie Hong Kong
      Ta Vie Hong Kong 旅 (3 Michelin Stars)
    • Pleka IFC Hong Kong
      Pleka IFC Hong Kong - Italian Japanese fusion
    • Nanjing, China
      Weekend Trip to Nanjing China
    • Po Toi Island and Stanley Hong Kong
      Po Toi Island and Stanley Hong Kong
    • Wakaran Hong Kong
      Wakaran Wan Chai
    • Godenya Hong Kong
      Godenya Hong Kong (revisited)
    • The Chairman Hong Kong
      The Chairman Hong Kong (1 Michelin Star)
    • Hanu Wan Chai Hong Kong
      Hanu (Korean Beef) Wan Chai
    Home » US Travel » California

    Trip Report: Cupertino Village - Szechuan Era

    Published: Jul 22, 2009 · Modified: Nov 10, 2017 by Jennifer Che

    I was recently in the Bay area for a week, so I'll be spending a few posts talking about the great Chinese food I had in the Bay Area. Cupertino has a high Asian population, so naturally, it houses a lot of good Chinese restaurants (not to mention great supermarkets and gift shops!).

    Cupertino Village is a small shopping area that consists entirely of Asian restaurants, stores, and markets. We ate several good meals in the area.

    Szechuan Era is relatively new, but serves up excellent Sichuan food.

    This was an incredible deal - for $6, you could choose three "small eats." We got two plates of these. On one plate (pictured above), we got spicy pig ears (pictured), spicy beef tendon, and spicy beef. 
     
    In another plate we got marinated bamboo shoots, tofu noodles, and marinated cucumber.

    We also got deep fried stinky tofu! To read more about stinky tofu, click here:

    No Sichuan meal is complete without the dish that literally translates to "water cooked fish" or "water cooked beef." The anomalous name actually refers to a fiery hot soup-like dish generously seasoned with Sichuan peppers and peppercorns.  In Boston, you can get an excellent version of this dish, called "sliced fish, Szechuan style" at Gourmet Dumpling House in Chinatown.

    Tea Smoked Duck

    Beef stir fried with peppers (notice the common fiery theme?)

    Ahh - finally, some relief for the tongue! Si gua (A Chinese water gourd) stir fried with shrimp.

    Can you believe this is their beef noodle soup? Look at how red it is! It was really delicious.

     
    This exotic Sichuan hot pot included interesting items such as pork blood cakes! 
     
    The fish dish pictured below was one of my favorite dishes of the evening. Deep fried, spicy slices of oh-so-soft white fish. The fish seemed to melt in your mouth while the fried crispy exterior released a deep, fragrant mix of Sichuan spices, salt, and other very glutamic (i.e. umami) flavors. Excellent, excellent dish. This came at the end of a long banquet, so I was stuffed. Nevertheless, I still inhaled multiple pieces anyway. Oh it was so good.

    If you are in the Bay area, this place is definitely work checking out!

    Szechuan Era Restaurant on Urbanspoon

    ©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
    All Rights Reserved

    More California

    • Michael Chiarelli Ottimo Yountville California
      Bottega + Ottimo Yountville
    • Ciccio Yountville California
      Ciccio Yountville
    • Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California
      Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California
    • Cole’s Chop House Napa California
      Cole's Chop House Napa California

    Recent Posts

    • Trivet London - 2 Michelin Stars July 13, 2025
    • Bibi London - Michelin Indian Food July 9, 2025
    • Planque London: Tasting the Unexpected July 4, 2025
    • Sunday Brunch at Bala Baya London July 1, 2025
    • Ta Vie Hong Kong 旅 (3 Michelin Stars) June 27, 2025
    • Pleka IFC Hong Kong - Italian Japanese fusion June 24, 2025
    • Weekend Trip to Nanjing China June 20, 2025
    • Po Toi Island and Stanley Hong Kong June 17, 2025
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

    More about me →

    logo
    Food Advertisements by

    Explore

    • Recipe
    • Restaurant
    • US Travel
    • World Travel

    Popular Posts

    • Always Joy Hong Kong
      Always Joy Hong Kong
    • Compline Restaurant Napa California
      Compline Restaurant + Wine Shop Napa
    • Napa, California
      Thomas Keller's La Calenda: A Tribute {Now Closed}
    • Ad Hoc Thomas Keller Brunch Yountville California
      Thomas Keller Ad Hoc + Addendum + Bouchon Bakery

    Recipes

    • Appetizer
    • Snacks
    • Meat
    • Vegetables
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Seafood
    • Noodles

    Recently Traveled

    • Hong Kong
    • France
    • Belgium
    • Boston
    • California
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • Spain

    Support Us

    Support Tiny Urban Kitchen by making purchases on Amazon through our affiliate link:

    Recognition


    Featured on the front page
    of the FOOD Section: 2015

    Best Food Blog Awards:
    Restaurant & Dining 2012

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • My Equipment
    • In the Press
    • Project Food Blog
    • Privacy Policy

    Eating Guides!

    Eating & Travel Guides
    Trip Reports
    "Kawaii" (Cute Foods)
    Around the World

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Mail
    • RSS Feed

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Shop at Amazon

    Copyright © 2024 Tiny Urban Kitchen