Pale screens decorated with calligraphy and botanical artwork create a serene mood in this regional Chinese restaurant pitched midway between Spitalfields and Whitechapel. The 100-dish menu is pure
Szechuan – a blend of anatomical curiosities with tongue-numbing hits of spice and fire that might yield sliced whelks with green Szechuan pepper, spicy sliced pig’s ears or ‘husband-and-wife’
offal slices, as well as big helpings of ‘fire-exploded kidney flowers’, shredded squid with pickled chilli or fragrant-and-hot frog’s legs – not forgetting must-have sides of dry-fried green
beans. One-plate rice dishes – plus a free bowl of soup – are a lunchtime bargain at £5.50, while ‘eat as much as you like’ hotpot feasts weigh in at £19.80. The restaurant is favoured by the local
Chinese community, and also has two ‘party rooms’ for private bashes.