Bar Shu (Sichuanese)
The original of a Sichuan gang that also includes Baozi Inn, Bar Shu is a refreshing change from Chinatown’s mostly Cantonese restaurants. Come here for prairie tripe, fragrant and hot pig’s trotters, stir-fried chicken gizzards with pickled chilli and other fiery tongue-tinglers – just remember to have plenty of soothing tea on tap.
Just outside Chinatown, this is London’s prime exponent of the alluringly fiery and mouth-numbing cuisine of China's Sichuan province.
The distance north of Shaftesbury Avenue, though only 20 metres, is important. Bar Shu (the original of a Sichuan quartet along with Ba Shan, Baozi Inn and newcomer Baiwei) is distinct from Chinatown’s mostly Cantonese restaurants in looks and pricing, as well as cuisine. The dark wooden ground floor is brightened by red lanterns and partitioned by a beautifully carved screen; upstairs is similarly woody.
Despite such rusticity, you could spend extravagantly here – though there are ways to lessen the bill. Order tea (£2 per person) rather than wine (the cheapest bottle is £21.90). You’ll need to slake your thirst to counteract the fiery, numbing and sour flavours that characterise western Chinese cookery. The menu holds much interest, listing the likes of pea jelly, prairie tripe, and stir-fried chicken gizzards with pickled chilli – each dish is depicted.
To start, order from the ‘Chengdu street snacks’ section, rather than the pricey appetisers; sweet-potato noodles in hot and sour sauce was a filling bowlful of noodle soup, chilli oil and numbing peppercorns, for just £4. Main courses of fish-fragrant pork slivers (a pleasing textural mix including wood-ear fungus and crunchy bamboo shoot) and stir-fried long beans, chopped small and well-paired with minced pork, also hold delight.
Drawbacks? Many dishes are hot and oily, so order steamed rice and (expensive) plain vegetables for balance. Service could be sharper too, but Bar Shu nevertheless remains London’s prime exponent of this alluring cuisine.
Bar Shu says
“The food of Sichuan province in south-west China is one of the world's great cuisines. Its most famous characteristic is its fiery spiciness, which comes from the liberal use of chillies and lip-tingling Sichuan pepper. But hot and spicy is only part of the story.
Sichuanese chefs are legendary for their ability to combine many different tastes into exquisite, complex flavours. Some of these are robustly spicy, while others are delicate and teasing. And the use of chillies is so inventive that their taste never pales.
At Bar Shu we want to bring you the best of the authentic flavours of Sichuan. We hope you enjoy your food.”
Address: 28 Frith Street, London W1D 5LF
Tube: Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Road tube
Tel.: +44 20 7287 8822
Email: info@barshurestaurant.co.uk
Website: www.barshurestaurant.co.uk
