http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan <b>Hunan</b><br />London, 51 Pimlico Road, SW1W 8LL, United Kingdom en http://trustedplaces.com/uploads/placepics/trustedplaces.comaPlacePic['name']}.140.jpg http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/195c77
Review by hollowlegs

Rating: 4.00
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When I heard about Hunan, about 6 months ago, I had to go. A Chinese restaurant, named after the region in China known for it's liberal use of chillis. Perfect! Although they do claim that their food isn't strictly Hunanese on their website, what sealed the deal for me is that they don't offer menus. Instead, they bring you out food of the choice of the kitchen and don't stop until they tell you to.

So, tonight was the night. We arrived in Sloane Square, feeling a touch out of place, being the scruff bags that we are. The restaurant is not your typical Chinatown caff, but rather a sleeker affair. Extremely courteous staff sat us down, and away we went, furnished with a bottle of Chilean Sauvingnon Blanc.

To start, we also had marinated cucumber and some peanuts. A soup came out, steamed in a bamboo cup. A deeply savoury broth with ginger, shiitake mushrooms and pork mince came out accompanied by chicken mince in a lettuce leaf with a sauce to drizzle over it. We didn't know where to start really. The soup was gorgeous and the lettuce wrap a really pleasing texture contrast.

Next came some spicy green beans, in a light tempura-like batter. I must attempt to make these at home; not a hint of grease, but a pleasing amount of crunch, garnished with spring onion and mild(ish) chillis.

The salmon and snapper roll was interesting, but flavour-wise it was somewhat bland. I think it was meant to be, as it was quite refreshing on the palate.

In quick succession came one of my favourites of the meal - pork belly braised with star anise and ginger. The pork belly fell apart with a prod of the chopsticks - it was unctuous and melted in the mouth. I wanted more.

Various dumplings followed, some memorable, others not so. In particular a king prawn dumpling stuffed with a fish mousse and water chestnuts was particularly clever, and tasty. A prawn-topped bitter melon didn't reveal any hint of bitterness, but was well executed and beautifully presented. Tofu parcels came out, confusingly called "turkey wrapped ham" by the server. Debate between us quickly ensued - the boyfriend berudgingly admitted it was tofu, and deliciously so. Lamb parcels then came out, which reminded us of a gourmet version of sesame prawn toast; covered in sesame seeds, the lamb was barely there but enough to make it's mark. A spicy beef dish was amazingly tender, and perfumed with the smoky dried chillies nicely.

Finally, the big dishes came out. "Are you too full?" enquired the waiter. "Keep it coming!" Steamed sea bass in ginger and spring onion was perfectly cooked, and served from the beast table side. It proved to me that the restaurant didn't need to make any fancy dumplings or rolls for it to show that they can cook well.

Bewilderingly so, we were then given crispy duck and pancakes. Perfectly nice, but we did wonder if it was a mere filler.

Next, came Twice Cooked Pork in Lotus Leaves with egg fried rice and stir-fried veg. This really did top us off. The pork was a little dry, but the sauce was dark, rich and fruity.

We finally ducked out when the boyfriend gasped: "Enough! I'm done". I scoffed at him, even sulked a bit but clearly he knew better; after a small dessert of home made red bean balls, stuffed pancake and coconut jelly, I was fit to burst. We waddled off into the night, after having been eating for almost 3 hours. I'm still full now; I'm not sure sleeping is a good idea at the moment.

There is an element of trust when it comes to the bill as it was indecipherable, but it was very reasonable indeed. If you're not a fusspot, I suggest you go.]]> Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:56:20 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/195c77287037835 hollowlegs 51.489923392703 -0.15195636522804 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1z19s8
Review by sokratis

Rating: 5.00
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Gastro1 is absolutely right. Don't try too hard to decide on the menu. Youâ¬"re much better to allow the very friendly and discrete staff to take care of you. Let them know how hungry you are and if you have any general preferences and they will happily oblige. I went there with one of the venueâ¬"s best customers who knows the owner for about 20 years now, so had even more reason to sit back and simply enjoy.
Of course you have to be prepared for the downside. The food is so good and the atmosphere so relaxed that you will find yourself spending much longer than you planned for.
Our dinner started at 7pm sharp and finished at 11:15pm. During those four hours we proceeded to eat a wide variety of things that walk the earth, swim the oceans and fly the skies. I couldnâ¬"t possibly go through the list, but I would recommend that you try the shoulder of pork, which melts away at the slightest of spoon nudges and the crab with crispy noodle. We finished our meal with some greatly refreshing, frozen lychee liqueur served as a compliment. Great way to end the meal, which surprisingly (given the amount of food and drink consumed) did not leave me feeling bloated at all.
Towards the end of the night Mr Peng also walked the floor and greeted the customers personally. Itâ¬"s a very small, family-run place and such personal touches add very nicely to the whole atmosphere. Highly recommended.
]]> Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:16:44 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1z19s8347307816 sokratis 51.489923392703 -0.15195636522804 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1n8747
Review by petermcc

Rating: 5.00
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I agree pretty much with the other reviews - take a chance and let them bring you delicious food...BUT last time I was there (in fact every time I've been there) we have enjoyed superior (Billaud-Simon) premier cru Chablis at a bargain price. because it's lightly oaked, it is remarkably versatile and i think CAN handle the spice.


]]> Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:57:35 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1n8747838989556 petermcc 51.489923392703 -0.15195636522804 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1l17t7
Review by DanversBaillieu

Rating: 5.00
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I have been going to Hunan for at least 15 years, with friends and family. It has rarely disappointed (there was one episode with some lobster on "special") and frequently exceeded expectations. Memorable evenings include celebrating our engagement with my wife's family and my brother's stag dinner (in the upstairs private room), as well as dinners for two. As described by other reviewers, it is essentially a tasting menu experience but on a flexible basis - i.e. say what you like and don't like and say if you want more or less. Would suggest a budget of at least £50 per head including alcohol (suggest beer or sake - the food is generally too spicy to make wine worthwhile). ]]> Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:28:03 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1l17t71135918504 DanversBaillieu 51.489923392703 -0.15195636522804 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1b6767
Review by gastro1

Rating: 5.00
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Mr Peng the Chef Patron is a genius who does not compromise on quality. He hails from Taiwan but has been taught to cook Hunanese food by a fellow gastro black belt.

Mr Peng has passed on his knowledge and skills to his son Michael and together with Mrs Peng they run a superb operation.

The food is superb and cooked with a light delicate touch despite the fact that Garlic , Ginger, Chilli and Corriander prevail.

There is a well chosen wine list to compliment the food - try the outstanding Feluga Pinot Grigio.

There are a couple of menus but just ignore them and put yourself in Mr Pengs good hands and he will just keep sending a barrage of small dishes.

Circa £35-£50 per head ex wine depending on how much and what you eat.

If you are looking for the standard Cantonese heavy MSG food with lots of rice and noodles stay clear of this place.]]> Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:03:27 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1b67671653437433 gastro1 51.489923392703 -0.15195636522804 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/138547
Review by alexandergreene

Rating: 5.00
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fishy, spicy, utterly delicious... best Chinese restaurant in London- I thoroughly recommend letting the family chose the food for you and eating far too much... the duck (if you ask for it) is wonderful as are the green beans. Do book...]]> Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:35:08 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1385471205084714 alexandergreene 51.489923392703 -0.15195636522804 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/164478
Review by lenalouise

Rating: 4.00
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This is a great place to go to if you don't like deciding what you want because you want a bit of everything! They bring out a variety of dishes one by one so everyone shares the things on offer, similar to a tasting menu really. I've had some interesting dishes here that I haven't had before that remind me of home which is great :D

The only negative thing that I can say is that the order that they serve the food isn't always the best. Sometimes you get something spicy and then the next dish will have subtle flavours.]]> Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:18:34 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1644782099032412 lenalouise 51.489923392703 -0.15195636522804 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1574w7
Review by herrylaw

Rating: 5.00
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Most Chinese restaurants in Europe serve Cantonese food - the food of Southern China and Hong Kong - and although generally light and fresh, it can also be rather bland. Other regions of China feature more robust and spicy dishes . particularly the Sichuan and Hunanese styles. Hunan is an outstanding example of the latter and an entertaining experience as well. We began our evening with a glass of champagne at Carole Bamford's Dayleford Organics deli-cafe opposite the restaurant and arrived at Hunan smartly on time, as the owner, Mr Peng, is known to chew his guests up for breaches of etiquette. In fact he wasn't in attendance the night we went, but his son, who maintains his father's old-fashioned courtesy, was.

As recommended, we didn't ask for a menu, but said that we would leave it to him to bring us whatever he wished, save only that one of the party prefered vegetarian dishes. This is also to be recommended since they excel at vegetarian cooking and as all dishes can be shared, all can try everything. A eight-course banquet followed that was some of the best Chinese food I have ever had - even in China.

Fortunately somewhat 'nouvelle' in portion and style, the dishes flowed smoothly one by one (rather than being piled up on the table all at once) from our attentive waitress, with the spicing light and interesting and never fierce. Superb lamb, minced pork, salmon and seabream rolled together, double cooked pork, crunchy tofu and superbly sauced vegetables made for an outstanding meal. There was a full wine list, and Mr Peng is known to be an expert, but we washed the meal down with tea, the Chinese way.

The room is quite small and simply decorated with paintings of Chinese emperors and empresses and the atmosphere more French than Chinese, so don't go for a noisy convivial evening; just appreciate the superlative cooking and courtesy. Young Mr Peng shook our hands on leaving and wished us to return, which we certainly will.
]]> Sun, 12 Aug 2007 10:34:25 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1p32f7r/hunan/1574w71179530818 herrylaw 51.489923392703 -0.15195636522804