Ba Shan Restaurant (Soho)

• Super Hunanese dishes in a setting filled with pictures from chairman Mao
• Plus to the staff for continiously supplying us with water throughout the meal
• The prices were reasonable
• The drawback was the small we were situated in
• Menus read of generic fried vegetables with a stock protein in a thick sauce
• Food is regional and style is distinctive
• The province of Hunan is located in the south central part of China
• A little piece of it can also be found in Soho with the name of Ba Shan above the door
• It boasts an all Hunanese menu developed with Chinese food expert Fuchsia Dunlop
• If your idea of a great meal is having your chops whalloped with fire and flavour
• Stir fried with stiff boards of salty Chinese bacon and slithers of preserved crisp garlic
• Square slabs of crispy fried tofu with soft middles saturated with black bean sauce squelched between the teeth
• The dark viscous extract coating the inside of the mouth with its sloppy fermented pungency
• A heap of aubergine mush pounded into submission with garlic and sesame presented still in its mortar
• Dark wood and walls adorned with images of Chairman Mao
• We were there for two with no problem
• The menu link on their website is broken (prevents pre dining anticipation build up)
• Or Bar Shu which is actually opposite Ba Shan for some Sichuanese that is a little more refined
• On my way to the airport a guy at Belsize Park station noticed my suitcase and asked if I was travelling by air
• T until I was sitting in the departure lounge and saw a big screen with images of a volcano spewing black ash into the air
• Met up with a friend who was in America anyway
• They brought along another girl who was staying at their hostel
• Food we eat is actually Cantonese
• Ba Shan showcases Huanan cooking which is heavy on the heat
• When we arrived at 7.30 we were led downstairs to a small room with six or so tables in it
• Having to self edit in case sensitive ears are offended by our conversation
• The other tables were taken up by couples who all seemed to posses the uncanny ability to converse without actually making any noise
• I am OBSESSED with lychees and unable to order anything else if they are offered in any form
• The food menu comes with rather unappetising photographs of each dish alongside the descriptions
• Chopped choy sam with mushrooms (£
• The fresh clean heat from the green vegetable was a nice contrast to the silky smooth aubergine
• The farmhouse stir fired pork with green peppers (£
• With little nuggets of fried meat served in a sticky sweet sauce with plenty of grilled onions and peppers
• 20 a head it was pretty good value given how much we ate
• M not convinced the food was good enough to warrant going back to such an uncomfortably quiet restaurant
• You get a good whiff of what is in store for you the moment you walk through the doors the good 'ol smell of delicious Sichuan food
• We ordered some cucumber with chilli to nibble on
• We had the 'Immortal' soft shell crab the name itself was enough to intrigue us
• We ordered two pork dishes the braised pork and the dry wok fried pork belly was lovely and tender and full of flavour
• We had a steamed fish dish which was fresh and had a nice
• The fried beans with mince pork was one of my favourites
• The glass noodles with mixed veg was simple and comforting
• The good thing is that the chillies add a lot of flavour
• My dinner at Ba Shan was the first ever time that I genuinely enjoyed food with a good bit of heat
• Was served with spicy sauce
• We ordered the pork with green bell peppers which has a slight gravy
• It's loaded with red chillies so be prepared
• The bean thread noodles with cabbage are also quite spicy
• Course there are plenty of non spicy options as well
• The dry entres like chilli pork ribs were amazing so was the steamed fish with chillies but for the oil

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