Red chilli, Manchester

The newer Red Chilli on Oxford Rd is my favourite restaurant in Manchester. Absolutely love it. Same menu I think.

Red Chilli isn't your average Chinese restaurant. Indeed, look at its website and you'll see that it has the rather laudable aim of enhancing your 'pocket, stomach and soul'. From a lesser restaurant, this is the kind of sentiment that would make you snort in derision. However, after a meal at Red Chilli, not only will your stomach feel decidedly enhanced, but you'll also see why so many people rave about this place and its truly lip smacking selection of food.

Red Chilli specialises in serving up authentic Szechuan cuisine - a type of highly spiced Chinese food filled with innovative and decidedly different flavours. And looking at Red Chilli's menu for the first time, you could be forgiven for scratching your head at the rather poetic names of dishes. After all, what on earth should you choose? Should you go for the 'Husband and Wife Lung' or 'Pockmarked Mother Chen's Tofu'? However, take my word for it - whatever you choose will be delicious. It will also make your eyes, your lips, your tongue and pretty much your entire body water. Seriously - this is the kind of food where you will require serious liquid refreshment, if only so you don't become a decrepid dried out husk by the end of the meal.

If you're not sure which dishes to try, just ask your waiter for their recommendations. I did this the last time I paid Red Chilli a visit and was rewarded with a truly delicious crab dish which I still have very erotic dreams about. The prices here are also outrageously cheap - a huge portion of food will set you back around a tenner and you'll have more than enough to share, and shovel into a doggy bag to take home with you afterwards.

Red Chilli serves complex, delicious and mind bendingly spicy food. If you're ever in Manchester, don't waste your money at any old identikit China Town eaterie. Come here instead. You won't regret it.

A very fine Chinese restaurant indeed. A really interesting menu and very fresh, tasty food. Everything is well flavoured and the seafood in particular is fantastic.
Just read on Manchester Confidential that Moso Moso has reopened as a new Red Chilli - fab!

not really impressed with this restarant
went in and had a few dishes.. one of them a fish one
we discovered the fish and the batter on it was still uncooked… we told the waiter but they did nothing about it or even apologised..

never been back since

I’ve been meaning to eat here for years and finally bit the bullet on Saturday. What a revelation. Quite possibly the best Chinese restaurant in Manchester (Yang Sing perhaps, for the time being, aside). As has been stated by many reviews (including a rare positive Jay Raynor in Manchester review) this is authentic Szechuan Chinese rather than your standard ‘Chinese’ on every high street. I’m pleased it’s in Chinatown too rather than in a totally different district - it qualifies our Chinatown as a serious food place rather than tourist trap.
The menu is extensive and rather odd sounding at times. Myself and a friend really had a panic on our hands when it came to choosing. After a frantic fifteen minutes of menu perusing we were still no closer. Fortunately the staff on hand (all superb) helped us pinpoint a meal to suit us. I was close to ordering the ‘Husband and Wife’s lungs’ and almost the frogs legs dish but chickened (literally) out at the last minute. This isn’t called Red Chilli for the sake of it: my dish (hot fried chicken and red chilli) was contained about twelve thousand tiny red chillies. It was hot but a instant hot rather than the lingering burn often associated with chillies (more so in fresh chillies - these were tiny dried chillies). My friend had the chilli beef which was as perfect as my dish. The starters (crab soup and beef spring rolls/dumplings) were so good I still have the taste synthesized in my brain several days later. The restaurant was chock full and we were lucky to get a table (had a short wait which we didn’t mind), and many of these diners were Chinese which usually means you’re in the right place.

Red Chilli is located on Portland Street Manchester and is the best Chinese i have ever eaten in, the chef whom come out to see you if you are enjoying the meal he has cook and i can certainly say i do ever time!! I love the Sweet and Sour Chicken and the amazing fluffy Egg Fried Rice. They Offer a great all you can eat buffet for less than a tenner. Fab Fab Fab!!!