Some like it hot at Empress of Sichuan

Embracing nose-to-tail eating: the Empress of Sichuan’s master chef Kang Dong
10 April 2012

Research at the University of Not A Lot Else To Do in Nottingham came up with the theory that chillies stimulate the senses. In a table that must have been jolly agreeable to compile, "scientists" (my quotation marks) have discovered that consuming a chicken korma increases the heart beat by an extra three beats a minute, tikka masala by four and half and rogan josh by seven (fish and chips barely increases the heart rate at all). The obvious question is, why did they stop there?

A vindaloo, prized by the male of the British species, must make the ticker race faster than Jenson Button. Did you know that it is claimed that chicken phall — a dish of British-Asian origin hotter than vindaloo — derives its name from phallus, signifying the machismo of a bloke who can tolerate such a dish?

Reg, who has a masters degree in Restaurant Critic’s Companion, has come up with the theory that the recent proliferation of restaurants serving Sichuan food is the Chinese bid for the custom of the heavily hot-spice-addicted. There were Sichuan restaurants in London before Bar Shu (now Barshu) opened in Soho in 2006, but the sophistication of that venue, complete with interpreter in the shape of scholar Fuchsia Dunlop, brought the region into focus and made restaurant critics suddenly fluent in phrases like fish-fragrant, man-and-wife offal, and mouth-numbing pepper.

Empress of Sichuan in Lisle Street was previously briefly Keelung (in the same ownership) specialising in Taiwanese cooking. The explanation for the culinary change of tack is that a Taiwanese menu was just marking time until master chef Kang Dong, from Duijang Yan in Sichuan province, was able get here via Germany and Cardiff. Those looking for Taiwanese specialities are directed to Leong’s Legends nearby, also in the same ownership.

The wall of wine and rather odd luxury-lounge décor — very welcome in mainly uncomfortable hard-edged Chinatown — remain, as do the black-and-white photographs of famous Chinese heroes like Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Tom Jones and Frank Sinatra. To get the best from the menu, go in a party of at least four and you can then also express some entitlement to one of the comfortable banquettes. Demure waitresses are in attendance and if either Naomi or Ruby or both are on duty, ask for them; their suggestions are worth following.

Red asterisks on the menu mark the "new authentic" dishes from chef Kang who is apparently known in China as The Tiger of Sichuan Cuisine. Colour photographs, the predominant shade being the red of chillies, illustrate a few of them. A symbol of one or two chillies provides guidance for the sensation seekers.

Folk in Sichuan embraced nose-to-tail eating many many moons before Fergus Henderson was a glint in his father’s eye. Ears, knuckles, kidneys, intestines, ribs and various cuts of pork are used and luncheon meat makes its sine qua non appearance in the Sichuan Special Meat Hot Pot. I appreciate the singular crunch of cartilage and much enjoyed spicy pig’s ear slices where, you can be reassured, strips are so thin their provenance is obscured and also the steamed "Dong Po" pig’s joint (knuckle), a tribute to the Song Dynasty poet Su Dong who loved pork so much he wrote poems about it.

Grilled lamb skewers and "Lantern Shadow" beef are two first courses carrying the red asterisk. The deeply savoury lamb showed how this dish should be done. The equivalent at the recently opened Seventeen in Notting Hill Gate, also of course boasting a Sichuan chef, was a string of gristle. Lantern shadow refers to the fine cut of the beef, so thin it is translucent, cooked in two methods to a sweet/spicy chewy result, more of a snack than a dish. Naomi’s recommendation of marinated cold noodle in spicy sauce had us clashing chopsticks to get at the last strands. If noodles are what you are after, this is better in my view than the Empress’s rather tame version of dan dan noodles.

Between four, Farmer’s Fish baked with black beans and cumin is at £21.50 not extravagant and it is worth ordering for the funky flavours. Bear’s Paw tofu, where the wrinkled surface of the beancurd is supposed to bring to mind a bear’s paw, is braised with thin slices of pork in a silky sauce to beguiling effect. As vegetable dishes I can recommend wickedly spicy marinated black fungus (offered as a starter) and steamed aubergine with green and red chilli which, with its tender white batons, is an agreeably novel take on that purple vegetable.

There are many other dishes to try. This year Chinese New Year of the Tiger kicks off on Valentine’s Day. If your loved one loves spices, here is the obvious venue to make the heart beat faster.

Empress Of Sichuan
Lisle Street, London, WC2H 7BG

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