Bar Shu

A serious London address for Sichuan food, located not in Chinatown but on the other side of Shaftesbury Avenue in Soho. The menu is extensive but easy to navigate if you follow the key (such as the little man breathing flames to represent authentic spicy dishes). Move around the menu, taking dishes from sections headlined Sichuan tapas, salt and pepper tapas, dry wok and Barshu specials. Signatures include fried prawns and bean curd in fish fragrant sauce, roast seabass with numbing and spicy sauce or their legendary dan dan noodles. The informal setting is atmospheric and attractive.