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Haozhan

8 Gerrard Street, W1D 5PJ Full details & map

Restaurant: Contemporary

Time Out says 1 Users say 1/5 Rate it

By Time Out Editors Posted: Oct 1 2010

When Haozhan opened a few years ago, it brought a touch of smartness to Chinatown's main thoroughfare. The black wood interior, the primary colour accents, and the more-fashionable-than-usual café-style tables and chairs heralded a new sophistication. Sadly, we've often been disappointed by the fusion-style dishes that emerge from the kitchen.

Coffee ribs are a popular and tasty choice, but the wasabi-flavoured deep-fried prawns are served with rather too much mayonnaise. And when does fusion become a generic mishmash? The menu is peppered with Thai curries and Malaysian flavours, leaving little that is authentically Chinese - despite the restaurant's name and location.

Haozhan's Sichuanese vegetables supposedly take their influence from the fiery western Chinese province, though we found them drab and bland. In contrast, a clay pot of Taiwanese sanpei (chicken thighs braised in their own liquid with peppers and sweet basil) was light and flavourful.

Nevertheless, it was difficult for us to be entirely comfortable eating in a purportedly Chinese restaurant that puts lobster with cheese and ham on its menu - with no apparent irony.

Tags: Asian, Chinese, Contemporary, Creative cooking, Late night, Something different, Central, Chinatown, Mid-range, Restaurant

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Haozhan details

Address

Haozhan

8 Gerrard Street W1D 5PJ

Transport Leicester Square tube

Telephone

020 7434 3838

Haozhan website

Meals served noon-11.30pm Mon-Thur; noon-midnight Fri, Sat; noon-10.30pm Sun

Main courses £6-£38. Set lunch (Mon-Fri) £8 2 courses, £10 3 courses

Credit cards AmEx, MC, V

Facilities

Babies and children welcome ( high chairs ), Booking advisable ( Wed-Sat )

Haozhan map

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Comments & ratings 1/5 (Average of 1 rating)

By Jay Dhillon - Oct 28 2011

1/5

Terrible terrible service.

Food not much above that you'd expect from a greasy takeaway.

Avoid avoid avoid.

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By katy - Feb 6 2011

We visited this restaurant last night and were not impressed. We arrived at 7.30 but as it was busy we reserved a table for 9.30. We ordered pretty quickly and by 10.30 still had no food, and no one had said a word to us as to why. I asked what was going on and the waitress said 'sorry, we had a power cut' which I found hard to believe as everyone else seemed to be being served around us. It got to 10.50pm and we saw people who had arrived after us being served their food, so we decided to get up and leave. A man I assumed was the manager had the cheek to come and ask us for the money for our 2 drinks- without offering any explanation or apology. After seeing how annoyed we were he said it didn't matter but there was still no explanation. Not impressed.