Red 'n' Hot

ilovelucy

Clue is in the name of the restaurant 1st October 2008

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My chinese student was leaving London for good so we decided to go for a farewell meal in town. As he was born in China and exposed to Sichuan cuisine practically everyday I was interested to find out his opinion about Sichuan cuisine in London. I had already been to the very fashionable Bar Shu so i was keen to try somewhere else. Therefore I did a bit of research and picked Red 'N' Hot which had pretty good reviews. It would be easy to miss the restuarant which is flanked on either side by shops selling cheap tat for a few quid so we were not surprised that it was pretty empty. The decor was nicely done, in a modern chinese way, black lacquered furniture and red pattered walls. We got stuck into the menu. Qiang informed me that we had order cold dishes to accompany the hot - so the Yin and Yang would be balanced. There was so much to try but as it was only the two of us we went for the cold sliced belly pork in mashed garlic sauce, pockmarked lady's tofu with minced meat, and the sliced beef lavishly topped with chillies and sichuan pepper - one of their signature dishes, rice and vegetables. We got stuck in - the tofu was amazing - much better than the versions i had tried in the chinese restaurants on Gerrard Street. You could actually taste the creaminess of the tofu. The beef arrived in a vat of oil surrounded by the chillies and the pepper - the portion was enormous enough to feed a family! It was very delicious, beef was beautifully tender - Qiang said the food was the most authentic he'd tried in London. It was very hot food - I have high tolerance levels for chilli but this was indeed a test. Fortunately they were pretty forthcoming with the tap water. On a table near us - i spied a couple eating the chinese hot pot - a pan of stock whereby you cook your own vegetables and meat to your liking. I realised that every table had this facility and vowed to come back to try it out. Not many chinese restaurants do this anymore. I was pleased that Qiang liked the food. The cost was reasonable - we paid £18 each without alcohol. I will go back again once my tastebuds return to normal.

Niamheen at 01/10/08

This is somewhere that I really want to go but I've heard that if you're not Chinese you don't get the same menu, or same food, which is a shame. I am a big fan of firey sichuan cuisine!

I have lined up dinner there with a friend and her friend from Sichuan and am hoping to have the same positive experience that you have had :) I'll let you know how I get on!

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