Jen's reviews
Review of Bar Shu
20 Nov 07, 11:56
Unexpected & truly tasty! 
Bar Shu has been around for a year or so and I admit, I just assumed it was a touristy Chinese place best avoided. How wrong I was.
Not a whiff of MSG was to be had: this menu will not leave a nasty taste in your mouth. Bar Shu showcases Sichuan cuisine to great effect: fresh, spicy and imaginitive. Some of the dishes are worryingly referred to as "numbing and hot" but it's the kind of spice you can taste as opposed to the Vindaloo variety. We had a good mix of vegetarian and meat based dishes (the gung bao chicken and the sesame beef were particularly good) and several bottles of rather nice Burgundy. Our bill came to £43 per head - not bad at all for all those taste sensations.
And guess what? Not only did we not feel too full afterwards (believe me, there was enough food left over), we also didn't feel hungry again an hour later. Result!
My one gripe is that the staff kept trying to hurry us up to release our table for the next sitting, but in the end they let us stay an extra half hour (must have been all that nice wine we kept ordering).
Try it - I think you'll like it. I'll definitely be going back!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Gay Hussar
01 Nov 07, 17:17
A character event
The Gay Hussar is not a "normal" Soho restaurant, if such a thing exists. It's more of an experience: less for the food than for the slightly odd slice-of-history-and-culture ambience and decor.
A favourite of mainly left-leaning politicians, their signed mugshots and caricatures are closely-hung on every available wall space along with literary figures like Tolstoy.
It was very busy in the main restaurant so we were shown into the private dining room upstairs (there were 8 of us). A round white linen table in a red room with windows looking down onto the street below, it had a certain faded "gentleman's club" feel: there was no music but we soon made up for that with increasingly raucous conversation. The menu is true to its Hungarian roots but it's not just goulash and sauerkraut - there was enough variety to please even the vegetarians amongst us, all accompanied with Hungarian paprikas for a little extra spice.
We drank a robust red (Bulls Blood) during meal and of course had to sample the Tokaji after dinner - no one was disappointed! Service was attentive and shot through with a dry humour that got everyone giggling.
Let's face it, Hungarian cuisine isn't exactly the holy grail of dining out, but the Gay Hussar adds enough atmosphere and character to an evening to make it a worthwhile detour from the more conventional destinations in Soho. I've eaten there twice now and would happily do so again: it particularly suits a big group.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Hakkasan
10 Oct 07, 16:58
All the fun of the fair at half the price
The legendary Hakkasan has a well-deserved reputation as a top restaurant - sultry low-lit ambience, great service, jaw-droppingly good cocktails and incredible fusion food. The only problem I have found is the price - it's really rather expensive.
I've been for dinner there twice and both times the bill has elicited a sharp intake of breath and a hastily organised overdraft from yours truly. So, when organising a birthday lunch for my partner I thought Hakkasan would fit the "occasion dining" criteria but wondered how I could keep the cost down. The answer is to eat from the dim sum menu.
We had a cocktail each, a few jugs of sake and positively stuffed ourselves with delicious dim sum - all for around £30/head - that sounds expensive for dim sum but a) it's very, very good dim sum and b) it's very cheap for the Hakkasan experience.
So that's my top tip - do dim sum and swank it up! PS. the zesty martini has to be tasted to be believed...
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.