After a fire forced them to close in January, Barshu finally reopened at 3pm last Sunday. The name (formerly Bar Shu) has been changed due to ‘trademark reasons’ and we waited all of five hours before we headed for Soho for a Sichuan feast. As it was a flying visit, we barely made a dent in the menu but will definitely be back for more.
While the restaurant was closed, we tried a few other Sichuan places in London and visited Ba Shan (their sister restaurant) three times for delicious dumplings and fiery potato slivers. Barshu’s menu is more substantial than Ba Shan’s snack-style offerings and there are helpful pictures and chilli ratings to save first-timers from spontaneous combustion. (That said, there were still a few flushed faces around the room when we visited, including a well-dressed man on the verge of tears - bless!)
Some of the most interesting dishes are tucked away at the back of the menu in the snack and appetiser sections. Here you’ll find classics like Bang Bang chicken, dan dan mian noodles in a slick of vivid red chilli oil, and more unusual treats like jellyfish ribbons in Chinese vinegar. The crescent dumplings were so soft and plump, sitting in their chilli oil bath, that we could have happily eaten a bowl each. Their delicate skins yielded under the slightest pressure to reveal a tasty finely minced pork filling, spiked with spring onion and a splash of soy. The thinly sliced pork rolls were equally more-ish, stuffed with vermicelli noodles and basted in a spicy garlic sauce. If your chopstick skills aren't up to scratch, you might want to wear black to avoid chilli oil splashes.
The finely shredded potato slivers are available cold with extra chilli or served warm with slightly less fire. We chose the hot version (having sampled the cold at Ba Shan) and agreed that, while still delicious, the refreshing vinegary flavour packs more of a punch when served chilled. Some of the noodle dishes are also served cold so it's best to check before ordering if you like your food piping hot.
Snacks aside, the menu is great for adventurous eaters with eel and tripe mixed in amongst fiery seafood dishes. Feeling slightly overwhelmed, we went for a tried-and-tested classic - Gong Bao chicken. Packed full of dried chillies and crunchy roasted peanuts, the sauce is a light but full flavoured mix of garlic, ginger, soy, Shaoxing rice wine and Chinkiang vinegar. It’s a far cry from the sticky chicken dishes served up in nearby Chinatown, with none of the cloying MSG nastiness. Fuschia Dunlop, who acts as consultant for the resaurant, has posted the recipe on her website and it’s well worth recreating at home, adjusting the chilli as you see fit.
The crispy beef dish, packed full of dried red chillies, was the hottest dish we ordered but had that mysteriously addictive quality we now associate with Sichuan food. The spice levels can make the surprisingly good wine list seem pointless, but the rosé by the glass was very drinkable. Tsingtao beer worked well but the winner on the drinks front was the Plum Sunrise - a bizarre-sounding but very refreshing blend of lemonade, ice and salted dried plums. (There are fruit and green tea versions available if you’re not into salty-sweetness).
Service is slick, with the dining room patrolled by mostly female staff in smart suits and ear-pieces. The only downside is the pricing, which isn't exactly brutal but can mount up if you don't keep an eye on what you're ordering. Avoid the pricey seafood and head for the back of the menu if you're on a budget and stick to water if the £4.50 iced drinks seem steep. Granted, there are probably cheaper places to get your Sichuan fix but few are as central as Soho and none are as easy on the eye as Barshu. We will definitely be back.
As a Chinese person I was distinctly unimpressed with the food, which was extremely poor value compared to some other Chinese restaurants in London
Posted by: G Chan | April 29, 2010 at 03:07 AM