All reader reviews by toj

Angeles

I have no doubt that this restaurant may serve some of the most authentic Sichuan cuisine in London. The trouble is that you have to be Chinese to "deserve" it. We've been here four times now. Twice we had hotpot (not on the "western" menu), and it was great - but getting help in making the sauces was like getting blood out of stone - the waitressess just weren't interested in helping us.

And it was even worse when we tried to order from the menu. Having just been to China and enjoyed some genuine Sichuan cuisine, we were hoping for something great… The trouble was that we were given the menu for “westerners” (i.e. us) -- not the plastic red one that all the Chinese guests were given. When we asked about the difference between the two menus, we were told that ours was simply a translation of the Chinese one – never mind the fact that we couldn’t find a single dish on our menu that matched anything that anyone else in the restaurant was eating. When our food turned up – surprise, surprise – it was the usual western “Chinese” fare – boring, boring, boring. We won’t be going back (unless we have a real craving for hotpot and can’t find anywhere else in London that does one) – and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else unless you’re brave enough to ask for the Chinese menu and a translation of every item on it. What a shame…

Monday, May 25, 2009
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1