Restaurants

By Ian Fenn

This new Sichuanese adjacent to tacky Chinatown market seems to have an outdated view of non-Chinese diners. Rather than explain and celebrate the more earthy dishes of Sichuan cuisine as Soho competitor Bar Shu does, Red 'N' Hot simply hides them. Around a third of the Chinese-language menu is omitted from the English equivalent.

It's a pity. Red 'N' Hot has a sibling in the Sichuan capital Chengdu (as well as Manchester) and everything we tried in the new branch was authentic. But some dishes lacked the requisite zing from Sichuan pepper, an ancient spice which causes lips and tongues to tingle.

Sichuan boiled beef is notorious for making even the most seasoned diner pour with sweat. So we steeled ourselves when a very large plate of beef slices arrived smothered by a huge pile of sizzling ground chillies. We needn't have worried. The meat was tender but not as spicy as would be served in China. A refreshing bowl of firm, tasty 'Chengdu' cold noodles covered in a sesame-led sauce proved a fine companion.

Gong bao chicken worked well, as did our selection of cold dishes, including man-and-wife 'lung slices': the tongue, brisket and tripe came dressed in fiery, bright red chilli oil and topped with sesame seeds - wonderful.

Our bill revealed that our waiter (pleasant, if a little inexperienced) had decided that the 'spicy hot degree' of our food was to be medium, which suggests that more authentic seasoning is available if you ask. The bill also revealed our 'customer type' was given to the kitchen as 'English'. The impact of this is unknown.

Red 'N' Hot is a welcome addition to Chinatown, where most restaurants continue to serve Westernised Cantonese food. But a little lip-tingling and a more enlightened approach to the translated menu would make it even more so.

Time Out Issue 1922: June 20-26 2007