Barshu

Barshu is an elegant building on Frith Street, done up in the gold and red of the Chinese Emperors. The restaurant stretches over several floors, with different types of public dining rooms and 3 private dining rooms too. Sichuan opera masks hang from the ceiling, a statue of the Buddha presides over the main dining room . Hanging lanterns pretify all the rooms and make the gilt and gold glitter alluringly. The food is mainly Sichuan Chinese, so think spicy and good. Fuchsia Dunlop is a consultant for the restaurant, and she's already the author of two great cookbooks on Sichuan cookery, having studied cooking in the country and speaking Mandarin perfectly. She is the leading authority on that region's cooking in London, and has already attracted the restaurant some great reviews.