Revolutionary fervour achieves desired result!

Ba Shan, 24 Romilly Street, W1D 5AH

Meal for two with a couple of beers: £50

Back from a week-long conference in tourist-trap-hell, I was overcome by the need to immerse myself in London.  What better way than trying a restaurant with a re-invigorated take on Chinese cooking, showcasing the cooking of Sichaun's less-renowned neighbour: Hunan?

Ba Shan is the middle sister of three. The newest of the family, it positions itself somewhere between the smart but pricey Sichuan at Bar Shu and the cheap, cheerful and plentiful street fare of the Baozi Inn. Fuchsia Dunlop, food writer and alumnus of the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine in Chengdu, provides advice to all three. And in the case of Ba Shan, she has also played a role in the recent redefinition of the restaurant. Ba Shan originally specialised in "small-eats", which received a lukewarm reaction from critics and bloggers alike. This reputation for average food at above average prices effectively deterred me from visiting until I saw the news that Ba Shan was launching a new menu incorporating food from Hunan. I knew the time had come to give it a chance.

There was little evidence of tapas-style dishes on the menu, a page of dumplings at the back is all that remains of its former aspirations. Instead, they have developed an expansive menu drawing on the cuisines of Sichuan and Hunan, including some offerings from Dunlop's books on the subject. 

We started with Hunanese Four Treasures. Clean, crisp vegetables and peanuts with a lively dressing were a good way to prepare our palates for the spiciness that we knew would follow.  Alongside the treasures, a plate of crispy beef and onion was intriguing. Oddly reminiscent of old fashioned English cuisine, the beef was fabulously frazzled, the onions slightly softened and served in a light, spicy sauce that complemented rather than masked the flavours of the main ingredients.

After a short pause, the mains arrived. They were spectacular.  A giant platter of fish topped with chillies and submerged in broth and chilli oil was perfect: meltingly soft fish, lots of chillies and a spicy but somehow also quite subtle broth. Naturally, it was hot but done in a way so that the heat did not overpower the gentler flavours of fish and ginger. It was the sort of dish that makes you think about returning with all of your friends so that they too can experience its awesomeness.  

Hand-torn cabbage in vinegar was also nicely done with simple flavours which acted as a welcome accompaniment to the other, intensely flavoured, dishes on offer. We were flagging a little by the time the final dish arrived: Chairman Mao's red-braised pork. Full of treasures and fish, we lamented my tendency to over order. Not for long though. Coronary-inducing levels of fat in the chunks of pork belly, held together by a dark sauce flavoured with star anise. Comfort food of the highest order. Our inner-revolutionaries were sated.

We left trying to decide whether what we had just eaten was merely the best Chinese meal we had eaten recently or whether Ba Shan was already on the way to becoming our new all-time favourite Chinese restaurant. High praise indeed.

The food of Hunan has eluded London diners in recent years, so the redefined Ba Shan is a welcome addition to the city's restaurant scene. Ba Shan has also managed to do something quite rare in London. It serves excellent Chinese regional cuisine without the slightly aggressive service and dingy environment that we often accept as normal in this fair city. I am immensely fond of our dingy cafes - a price we often pay for authenticity - but at Ba Shan excellent authentic and reasonably-priced Chinese cooking is served in a stylish environment and in a way that has the potential to appeal to the mainstream, not just hardened foodies and Chinese students. That can only be a good thing.