Having worked all Sunday and missed out on Chinese New Year festivities, I was determined at least get a little bit of China into my weekend. That evening, I trekked through puddles and sleet only to be faced with multiple tube closures and bad TFL advice, argh!
An hour and half later, I arrive at Sichuan Folk, numb and chattering with cold, and ready to swap my condition for sichuan peppercorn induced numbness and chili heat.
Sichaun Folk, tucked between Spitalfields market and Brick Lane, is just the thing. It offers a large range of authentic dishes, albeit a tad less spicy that we had in Chengdu. It was set up by the ex-head chef of Bar Shu in Soho and costs a fraction of the price.
We ordered:
Smashed Cucumber
Cucumber and peanuts in a sour, spicy, sesame oil sauce that is surprisingly good.
Sichuan Spare ribs
Deep fried, subtly aniseed-y and with a gentle numbness.
Hot and fragrant frog's legs
Also deep fried, oops! I had meant to order the frogs legs with preserved ginger but in my hunger and cold fuelled rush, I forgot to make that clear. These were still delicious and the most peppercorny thing we had.
Pork slithers and garlic shoots
This is not particularly Sichuanese and more like the stir frys you get all over China but very nice nonetheless and a good break between spicy dishes.
We had steamed rice on the side, and Tsing Tsao beer to drink - perfect to wash it all down. In fact, I really wouldn't recommend ordering wine, especially expensive wine, with this kind of food since as soon as you crunch on a whole peppercorn you won't be able to taste a thing!
I would also recommend the jellyfish which are like slightly slimy, firm noodles in texture, the black fungus, the lotus and Guang Bao Prawns.
I also really liked the look of their hotpot - a Sichuan version of fondue where you cook various raw ingredients in hot oil or stock. The ones we had in Chengdu were a hellish sea of glinting red chillies and peppercorns that we would masochistically make our way through in the Summer heat. Sichaun Folk's is more user friendly, made up of half stock and half chili / peppercorn oil. Definitely a reason to come back.
 |
| My hotpot in Chengdu |
Our whole meal came to around £23 each and was way too much for us (a group is perfect here so you can sample loads of dishes). We took our leftovers home and had them the next day for dinner and it was still delicious.
Flo and Elle Sichuan Folk, Sichuanese food london, Bar shu and sichuan folk, chinese restaurant london, sichuan folk review, sichuanese hot pot london, london food blog
