Ba Shan

We went in August 2011. Basically most dishes on the menu are covered in chilli. We sought to order food with mild or no chilli. Unfortunately some of the food was so just not nice.
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2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Sunday, October 23, 2011

This is much the best restaurant Chinese food I've had in Europe, or indeed anywhere outside of China except in San Francisco.

I was raised on Hunan food, which is gutsy, pungent, and wonderfully chili-rich; it's everyday home-style cuisine without all the glossy sauces and overworked presentations of banquet food, and a million miles from the fatty, flourescent orange sweet & sour of Chinese takeaway. Chinese food is, in my opinion, the most sophisticated and nuanced of all cuisines, but you don't necessarily get that at Ba Shan except through their attention to texture, which is absolutely vital to proper Chinese food but seems to be the first thing to go by the wayside when it ventures abroad. Witness our lunch today (which also featured the chili in all its forms)-- slickery pickled potato needles of surprising heat, with crisp-fried dried chili; bouncy, tender cold-dressed wood ears (there's no texture like that in the world) with a kiss of sesame and just a couple sliced fresh green chilis; chopped green vegetable with pork & fresh red chilis, juicy, wrinkled and wonderful; clear-steamed (that is, without beans) catfish with pickled green chili, easily the most succulent fish I've had this decade, with the flat fatness of the fish on the tongue offset by the unexpectedly mild & refreshing green chilis; home-style (Peng's, on the menu) tofu, which is itself a small symphony of tender/firm, juicy/dry, crumbly/elastic, just as it should be. You may have guessed that I'm a fan of sorts of Ba Shan. I am. I wouldn't order the pork dumplings, which are clearly house made but a bit insipid compared to everything else, or the bamboo-pith fungus, which has nice texture but is otherwise unremarkable, and has the lamentable bland glossiness of a lot of fancy-days Chinese food, but everything else I've had there I could eat for weeks on end. Ba Shan is a jewel (also, the divisions aren't meant to be cramped, they're meant to be cosy & intimate). This is what your Chinese granny would make if she were a much, much better cook than she is, and though it's not cheap it is worth every penny. Go there, and order adventurously.
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sarah
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Saturday, September 17, 2011

Authentic Hunan food in London - spicy and superbly cooked with a great atmosphere. My favourite Chinese restaurant outside of China. The menu includes many items that may not be instantly familar, but don't be shy about trying something new as you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised. The flavours are well balanced, rich and with a wonderful spice. I lived in Hunan for a number of years, and this place is a complete treat. I've taken many friends and family to eat here and they all say it's the best Chinese food they've eaten.
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StephenVanvieng
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

I am quite surprised by the negative comments on Ba Shan, although it seems a lot of them were written over a year ago.

I went there on a whim a few weeks ago on my own, ordered a very simple tofu dish and spinach fried with Sichuan peppers. I was intrigued to see that the emphasis seemed to be on Hunanese food, rather than the Sichuanese cuisine I had hitherto thought was the restaurant's speciality.

It was a simple meal, the service was pleasant and not overly attentive. The food was well cooked and extremely tasty. I took the leftovers home, as it was far too much for me too eat there and then.

All in all, I was very pleased to have popped in a for a quick bite and will be going there again to see in the Chinese New Year with friends for a proper meal.
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8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Thursday, January 27, 2011

I should probably start by saying that I know nothing about Szechuan food so I couldn't tell you whether what my husband and I ate at Ba Shan last night was authentic or not. But we did like it.

I was slightly disappointed by the menu when I first arrived; I expected there to be more 'small bites' and fewer main dishes. There may have been more than I saw, though, as the menu is in large book picture format and isn't easy to navigate because there are no page numbers (something to think about perhaps?). Once over this hurdle, we found it easy to choose what we wanted as the pictures give a very good idea of what you'll be getting.

We decided to get everything together, and had the stewed chicken and bamboo shoots (with chillies and sichuan pepper), the pot sticker dumplings with pork and chives, dry fried green beans with minced pork, and the fish fragrant aubergine hot pot.

I've read a few reviews elswhere suggesting that the food here isn't hot or spicy enough. That certainly wasn't true of the stewed chicken. I don't go out of my way to eat spicy food, but I'm not averse to it - but this really, really was hot (the table next to us agreed!). It was tasty and unusual, but I couldn't possibly eat all of it, even with my husband's help. The waitress did warn us it would be hot....and we probably should have listened. The other dishes, which weren't particularly spicy, were all delicious. I particularly liked the aubergine hot pot, which had a lovely underlying sweet flavour. The pot-sticker dumplings were fresh and succulent inside.

For drinks, we avoided the wine list (a bit pricey) and had a couple of beers and jasmine tea, which went nicely with the food. Service was polite, helpful and attentive. I did like the decor, but the place is slightly strangely set out, divided up into small areas containing only a few tables each, which arguably detracts from the atmosphere.

So the really hot Sichuan-style cooking probably isn't to my taste, but I did enjoy the other dishes, and this place has something for everyone. It was, I think, a tad overpriced, but I didn't leave feeling as though I'd been robbed. We're definitely planning to go back to try some of the other "small eats", so I think overall I'd count this one as a success.
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Anna - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I too was looking forward to eating at this restaurant, but found myself leaving with a bitter taste in my mouth...

Having spent last summer travelling around China, I was really excited about eating some authentic Szechaun food again. My fiancée and I ordered the dim sum for starters - these were quite tasty but far from anything special. Then came our main dish of Gung Bao Chicken accompanied with steamed rice and a small side dish of Choy Sam. The only way to describe the Gung Bao Chicken is, quite crudely, peasant food sold at western tourist prices. The 'chicken' was a struggle to find and when we did find the little pieces they were nothing more than chicken fat.

Then came the bill. I had already worked out the approximate cost of all of our food and drinks (Note: a regular size glass of Coke costs £3.20!), so I was somewhat shocked when I received a bill receipt for £10 more than I had expected to pay. There was no break down of what we had ordered just this rounded up figure in the centre of the paper.

As this was meant to be part of a special and romantic evening, I didn't want to spoil the mood by making a scene and insisting that they break it down for me. But I did feel that I needed to confirm to the waitress, who was waiting for her tip, that the service charge must have already been added given the total cost. She smiled and confirmed that it had. Working on my calculations they charged me 30% service charge without declaring it and then waited for more.

This is a restaurant that I will definitely not visit again and would recommend that others avoid. Their prices are extortionate given the poor overall quality of their food and their dishonestly left me with a bitter taste in my mouth for that evening.
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L Everatt
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Really looking forward to this place.............WHAT A MISTAKE!

The waitress was really sour and when I sent a drink back because it was too sweet and it came out of a tin, if looks could kill!! And looked at me very strangely when she asked me if I wanted any dim sum and I said no because I did not like dim sum.

The food did come really quickly, a bit too quickly if you ask me. There were only three tables occupied.

We had some spicy beef salad (which was not spicy and swimming in oil) and a chicken dish which was tasteless. Then I had something called ants on a hill which was very fine minced pork on glass noodles. This again had no flavour and could barely pick it up with a fork let alone chopsticks - the food kept going everywhere. One saving grace was a dish again with noodles, but it had (I think) chicken or pork, mushroom, cucumber and a lovely spiciness to it. That was about it out of the whole meal.

It was good value for money, but left very disappointed.
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6 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 5
Monday, October 26, 2009

Bad news on the food front I'm afraid - awful. Don't be seduced by the rather charming facade. Lovely though it might be, the cooking is not. Quite apart from being tucked away into a cavernous alcove, removed in every way from any atmosphere other than that which we conjured with our two alcove mates opposite, the cooking was just plain bad. A poor, churn-it-out approach in a place that feels like it could be much better, if it only cared to.
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4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Monday, September 21, 2009

While service is attentive, it is pricey for the quality you get. If you want the ambience, go for it; if you are a real foodie, you get much better food elsewhere.
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Real Foodie
8 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, August 04, 2009

As a dumpling-lover, I was at ease. I found the place charming and with a menu that departs from the beaten track. We went for an early lunch on Sunday and the restaurant quickly filled up. Service was most attentive and willing to help.

But we still miss Bar Shu!!!
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Susana - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Saturday, June 20, 2009