Big Leap Forward - a new low in restaurant naming? - June 2013

When you get collared into giving a sympathetic ear to a tale of work woe, I've found that the only thing to do is to take them for a spicy lunch to blast past the doldrums. It's my version of chicken soup for the soul and on that basis, the new Chinatown diner advised by spicy Sichuan specialist Fuchsia Dunlop (a critical part of the successful Bar Shu and Bar Shan) should have been a slam dunk.

Positives first, the food is pretty good. Mapo Dofu, that gunpowder spiced tofu wonderment, wasn't as spicy as I'd prefer but definitely hit the spot for my guest (it was also randomly twice the price of my main). My bowl of Dan Dan noodles, slow cooked pork mince in a powerful rich sauce, another dish that Ms Dunlop has brought to prominence, was umami powered perfection with a slow build of the numbing pepper and chilli heat as you moved towards the base of the bowl. If I still worked round here, that'd be lunch. Daily.

A fine, cheap and large portion of five spice roasted duck on the side tasted as expected but could have done with a dip of some sort and maybe some pickle or cucumber spears to counter the slightly dry meat. The only real disappointment came with aubergine fritters, one of my favourite veggies (particularly when dealt with by the Chinese) but a slippery critter once cooked, stuffed here with a frankly slimy pork and green veg mix, the thin fried coating offering little protection.

Worker's canteen seating, a patriotic martial soundtrack and 'We All Go Gloriously Together' propaganda posters of shiny tractors and bucolic peasantry with bulging biceps evoke the early optimism of the Communist revolution - Think back to the first days of Tony Blair and everyone dancing outside to D:ream in 1997, now multiply it by several million...

Optimism aside, I'm not entirely sure they've really thought the naming concept though... Those up on their 20th Century Chinese history know of the Big Leap Forward as an unmitigated collectivist disaster that caused the death by starvation of over 18m Chinese in the following 4 years - about as inviting as an abattoir themed all you can eat BBQ place or a bakery and cake shop called Marie Antoinette's Place. Try googling the place and you get pages and pages of famine references, hardly an optimal pre-dining experience...

For this quality at a tenner a head in this part of town, I'll be back. It's a good little option opposite the stage door of the Hippodrome. I'm not sure it's special enough to warrant a trip on it's own though.