The Empress of Sichuan, Chinatown

Boldly going where other reviewers have gone before, we followed the well-beaten trail to one of Chinatown’s more upmarket establishments, the Empress of Sichuan. The smart image of this Tardis-recessive-interior restaurant was somewhat dented on the evening we visited by a bucket collecting the constant leak from upstairs; a Chinese water torture-lite for the couple at the adjacent table - Chinese water irritation, perhaps. On the ground floor, the restaurant seemed busy, but diners were being strategically seated to plug gaps; downstairs, one empty room receded into another. But this was London’s bleak midwinter week, and the streets outside were unwontedly cold; Soho was not pullulating as it should do and, across the river, the Tate had been gratifyingly empty. A good half of the Empress’s diners were Chinese, though, auguring well.

We gluttoned out with three starters. Lamb skewers were spiced like Indian curry, a flavour that seemed entirely incongruous for a Chinese restaurant – it wouldn’t have mattered, but the meat was unfortunately chewy. Sliced pig’s ear was much better; salty, pliable crackling soaked in oil infused with chilli and lots of raw garlic. But what really made the meal for me was our third starter, Lantern Shadow Beef; thin slices of dark, hard crunchy beef like jerky, oiled with sesame and – unexpectedly – juniper. Lovely.

In terms of the mains, shredded pork with black fungus was poshed-up sweet-and-sour pork, but the slithery black fungus was a gratifying extra. Steamed beef with rice paste was more interesting on account of the spice mix; the rice paste had been ground up with coriander, ginger and cloves, flavours that sit unexpectedly and refreshingly beside the beef.

Perhaps not an unmissable restaurant, pricier than the average Chinese, spicy in line with what one expects from Szechuan cooking, and one probably needs to tread carefully when ordering; but there is a lot of scope for interest here, and the Lantern Shadow Beef alone would tempt me to return. For that visit also remain the Dong Po pig’s joint and (maybe) the very very spicy fish soup. 

6-7 Lisle St., Soho