Hunan

Time Out says

Tue Oct 16 2012

Browsing around the farmers’ market on the small square opposite Hunan helped hone our appetite. Inside, the plain white-walled dining room, furnished in pale wooden furniture, is cheered up by elegant Chinese prints and artefacts. For many years, the kitchen here has specialised in regional Chinese food – often chilli-hot, Hunanese-style; sometimes Taiwan-influenced.

We were informed about the ‘no choice’ menu and asked how spicy we wanted our dishes. Next, a dozen tapas-sized dishes arrived in a random sequence. First was a tasty minced chicken with diced vegetables on a lettuce leaf. The portions may be small, but don’t expect dinky flavours: we were never far from a garlic and chilli hit. Japanese influences came to the fore with tofu wrapped in seaweed, and then, best of all, a feather-light tempura of french beans. Stir-fried lamb with baby garlic shoots was another rousing success. The only duff note came at the end, with a chewy red-bean pancake (saved by a delicate almond-flavoured agar-agar jelly).

Service is friendly, although staff can get confused with the order in which dishes appear. An enterprising wine list rounded off a splendid lunch.