It's going to be a very chilli summer this year, due to a low front of Sichuan cooking coming in from the west of China. Babies and those who like it mild are advised to stay indoors. The rest of us can head for Angeles in Kilburn, Snazz Sichuan in Euston, Red 'n Hot in Manchester and the West End, Red Chilli in Leeds and Manchester, Bar Shu in Soho, and the new Baozi Inn in Chinatown.
If I hadn't known Baozi Inn was from the people who own Bar Shu, I would have thought it was just another cheap, cheerful, mediocre Chinatown noodle bar. But the woody, folksy, hutong-like interior and Mao-inspired knick-knackery shows a bit of humour, something of a rarity in Chinatown, and the picture menu of Beijing and Sichuan street food tells the real story.
As well as a range of baozi – giant Northern Chinese steamed buns that would bully their Cantonese char sieu bau cousins into the corner of the steamer - there are some intriguing "small eats" such as ginger juice spinach, laver seaweed and egg soup, and aromatic sliced boiled beef, and a range of gutsy noodle dishes such as fragrant-and-hot pork noodles (£6.10), and Peace and Happiness soup noodles with mixed meats, pickles and toon tree shoots (£6.10).
Hot and sour "flower" beancurd (£4.50) is a ripper, juxtaposing silky, creamy beancurd with a wham-bam sauce of soy, vinegar, chilli oil, preserved mustard greens and mouth-numbing Sichuan pepper. A big bowl of pork broth with pork-filled dragon wontons (£6.10) is a Chengdu classic made famous by the Long Chao restaurant in Chengdu.
Next time, I'm going for the three-sliver salad (kelp, carrot and beanthread noodles with chilli oil - £4), and the classic Sichuan dan-dan noodles (£4.50) rich with sesame paste and chilli oil, topped with minced pork.
Baozi Inn doesn't have the cool factor (or the £3.50 pricetags) of the new Cha Cha Moon off Carnaby Street, but you get a lot more guts, flavour, pepper and chilli oil for your money. Maybe summer is going to be hot after all.
Baozi Inn, 25 Newport Court, London WC2 Tel: 020 7287 6877
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