Snazz Sichuan
Restaurant - Chinese in London
New China Club,37 Chalton Street
King's Cross
London
Greater London
NW1 1JD
Contact Numbers
Reviews
Numbing territory.
Paresthesia (sensation of numbness) of the mouth is part and parcel of dining at this place. Thankfully this manifestation is not at all chronic, but downright alluring. Secondly there's also the small matter of the Scoville scale, if you thought that the Vindaloo dish was only fit for the chilli heroes; well not here it doesn't, it simply turns the hotness of the Vindaloo into the pussycat category. Lastly, discerning foodies who crave entrails and offal, your nirvana is here.I've been here a few times and I still can't make my mind whether Bar Shu or Snazz Sichuan is the definitive Sichuan joint in London. I suppose that the ambience of Bar Shu is more luxurious and warmer and the cooking at Snazz measurably more authentic. We started with some outstanding Sichuan-style marinated beef slices (a very hot tasting cold dish). The next two dishes ordered were not for the offally challenged; Fire-exploded beef tripe (mild!!) and Special cooked pig's blood (think red tofu) casserole (devastatingly hot, my dining companion thought it was very nearly inedible). These dishes were a testament to the chef's understanding on turning the acquired blandness of offal into total yumminess. The final dish of Fried bitter melon with green and red pepper was requisite in providing calm and normality to the taste buds after the chilli frenzy. Dishes I also recommend from my past visits include Fish soup with pickled greens and Fire-exploded kidney flowers.The friendly waiter kept reminding us that this is the real Chinese food and it has no equals. That's all very well, but methinks Cantonese cuisine is more universally acceptable. I love this place and so should Fergus Henderson, what with pig's tail, chitterlings, ears, tripe, tongue, etc.
A User - 10/09/2008 | report this review
Authentic sichuanese food in edgy surrounds
The first time I came here I immediately recognised this as the most authentic chinese restaurant I'd visited in London. Not because of the spiciness of the food, or the ethnic composition of the diners, although those can't be ignored. Rather it was due to the fact they had a karaoke setup in the basement and put covers on your jacket (on the back of your seat) to protect it while you ate. Aside from these little touches, the food itself is the main attraction -- gloriously spiced foods, and a broad selection of sichuan's finest. If you've seen Fuschia Dunlop's book on sichuanese cookery, you'll find many dishes - twice-cooked pork, ants climbing trees, ma po beancurd - here. There's also a few dishes I've not seen before - the cumin prawns were a taste revelation.The restaurant does do non-spicy dishes, and does them well, free from the gloopy sauces that plague many chinese restaurants in the UK. However to get the most out of your visit, be prepared for copious amounts of chilli, chilli oil, and numbing sichuan pepper. The hotpot is worth a special mention - you can go for the hot (chilli-based) and/or mild options. You then choose from a list of delicacies, ranging from the usual (beef, lettuce, mushrooms) to the unusual (intestines) to dip in and cook.All up, well worth a trip to Euston to savour the spice. To get the most out of a visit, bring a large group of chilli-enthusiasts, book the private room and sing some karaoke if you dare.
A User - 04/09/2007 | report this review
Good for what ails you
I've dabbled with Chinese Medicine a couple of times in the past. By dabble I mean I once spent £60 on an assortment of barks, leaves and roots that were a sure-cure for my raging eczema. Didn't work. Tasted awful. Snazz Sichuan, however, is another story. With a bad case of conjunctivitis and tonsillitis just on the horizon I braved the unknown and joined some friends for dinner. For those of you wondering why I didn't just stay home in bed, the babysitter was already booked, o.k.? And HOLY MOLY! Snazz Sichuan was like nothing I've ever experienced before. There was offal, lots of it. But it didn't taste offaly if you know what I mean. Perhaps because this is spicy food. REAL SPICEY. Items on the menu come ranked with 1 - 3 peppers to indicate the heat level. We stuck to level two and cried big tears of agony and ecstasy. Apparently the sichuan pepper is like no other pepper in the world. This, I think, was what reduced us all to tears. It was like the strongest coriander, chives, lemon grass and black pepper you could ever imagine all rolled into one.Snazz do set menu's for the indecisive out there, but these looked a bit boring compared to the a la carte options ( as if they were pandering to English tastes). We ordered an assortment of dishes - all designed to be shared amongst the group and washed it down with several bottles of Tsing Tao.So we laughed, we cried, we ate offal, we tasted things we've never tasted before. And the result? Conjunctivitis and tonsillitis gone. That sichuan pepper must be really special.
A User - 09/07/2007 | report this review
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