Ba Shan

Ba Shan is a sister restaurant to Bar Shu (across the street) and Baozi Inn .

The speciality here is xiao chi (small eats/dishes) from Sichuan, Hunan and Shaanxi and like the other restaurants in the group Fuschia Dunlop has acted as a consultant.

The restaurant is divided into several themed sections ranging from a snack seating one at the front to a wonderful shadow puppet theatre and farmers cottage.

My companion and I decided to more or less follow what Helen Yuet Ling Pang (World Foodie Guide, one of my favorite food bloggers in London) had the previous evening but added a few extras:

Five-spiced beef salad with coriander and garlic
Deep fried prawns with chilli sauce
jiamo with cumin-spiced beef
Jiamo with cumin - spiced chicken
Pork chaoshou with spiced soy sauce, chilli oil and garlic
Prawn & water chestnut dumplings served with vinegar
Chicken & shiitake mushroom dumplings served with spicy, garlicky sauce
Shaanxi noodles with pork, beancurd and hot and fragrant sizzling oil
Noodles with red-braised beef and carrot
Braised Aubergine
Dan Dan Noodles
Pot marked old woman’s beancurd

We drank a fairly average Pinot Grigio ,the wine list is very limited and badly chosen just like Bar Shu.

Everything was really delicious as is the food at Bar Shu (currently being refurbished after a kitchen fire).

The dishes that truly stood out for me were all the dumpling dishes (clearly home made) all of which had tremendous flavour and texture – all the ingredients blending in perfectly.

The small bite sized Jiamo were really fresh and satifying.

The Pot marked old woman’s beancurd was actually better that the one I had at Bar Shu and probably the best I have ever had outside China.

However I fund the noodle dishes a bit disappointing probably due to the lack of flavour in the soup This is where Hunan in Pimlico shines, Peng father and son make stocks that are second to none. Stocks in any cuisine are crucial and the more effort , care and attention is taken the better the dish be it a Rissotto , Blanquette de Veau , Avgolemono Soup or Laksa.

I look forward to working my way through the rest of the menu.

Highlights from Dinner May 9th 2009 @ Home

Guests

Subterannean & Steph

Menu

Linguinni with Cornish Crab , Chilli ,Courgettes , Lemon and Parsley.
The Chelsea Fishmonger - Rex Goldsmith

Black Angus Sirlion (Tagliatta) with Rocket (Arugula) , Tomatoes lightly dressed in Olive Oil and lemon juice.
O'Shea's , Knightsbridge

Cheese - Pont L'Eveque , Old Momolette , Gorgonzola Dolce , Bannon and Sardinian Pecorino
La Fromagerie - Marylebone

Mrs Gastro's famous Chocolate Mousse made with Valrohana Grand Cru Guanaja 70% and Italian Organic Eggs .

Wines
Mumm Gordon Rouge NV Champagne - Oddbins
St Aubin 1er Cru ,2006, Les Charmois , Olivier Leflaive - Last Drop Wines Ltd
Guidoalberto 2002 Tenuta San Guido , Bolgheri - Last Drop Wines Ltd
Sassicaia 1999 Tenuta San Guido , Bolgheri - Harrods
Ben Rye 2007 , Passito di Pantelaria - Harrods

Château de Kefraya , Le Nectar de Kefraya - Gift

Hunan - Mr Peng is the Master

Mr Peng the Chef Patron is a genius who does not compromise on quality. He hails from Taiwan but has been taught to cook superior Pan Chinese cuisine with a focus on Taiwanese versions of the best from mainland China0 by a fellow gastro black belt.
Mr Peng has passed on his knowledge and skills to his son Michael and together with Mrs Peng they run a superb operation.
The food is superb and cooked with a light delicate touch despite the fact that Garlic , Ginger, Chilli and Corriander prevail.
There is a well chosen wine list to compliment the food - try the outstanding Feluga Pinot Grigio.
There are a couple of menus but just ignore them and put yourself in Mr Pengs good hands and he will just keep sending a barrage of small dishes.
Circa £35-£50 per head ex wine depending on how much and what you eat.
If you are looking for the standard Cantonese heavy MSG food with lots of rice and noodles stay clear of this place.

I have been coming here for over 17+ years and highlights include an 11 hour meal - lunch at 1pm blended into dinner and we left at midnight - I blame Dan P for this gastronomic encounter :-)

Spaghetti a la Putanesca

Alistar Little recommended in one of his early books that you should always have the ingredients ready for this dish in you larder.
There are as my good friend Umberto once said as many recipes for this dish as puttanas in a certain streel in Naples !
Also there are several theories about the origins of the Putanesca sauce some involving the oldest profession and others not . Wikipedia covers most http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttanesca
Any way here is the one I follow and adore !

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
10 anchovies -
8 whole garlic cloves
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
6 medium San Marzano tomatoes, chopped & seeded with juice, or one can San Marzano tomatoes
12 Kalamata olives, pitted & halved or chopped to taste
3 tsp capers, drained
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
400grams of Dried Spaghettini/Fedelinni or even Linguini, for example Di Martino or your favourite artisan brand , personally I always favour pasta di Gragnano and the Di Martino or Faella brands . The rougher exterior of Gragnano pasta seems to embrace sauces in a unique way. This sauce is better suited to long thin dried pasta (do not use fresh pasta) .

In skillet, heat olive oil. Add crushed red pepper flakes and anchovies (stiring and crushing into the oil) cook for 90 seconds then add chopped garlic . Cook until garlic begins to brown a bit and anchovies fall apart. . Add tomatoes, olives and capers. Simmer sauce 8-10 minutes.Add some of the pasta water to the skillett just before the pasta is ready to serve say half a cup.

Add a bit more chopped garlic, parsley and basil. Simmer a few minutes more. Serve on cooked ( al dente of course ) pasta and then 1/3 of a cup more pasta water when you mix everything up. (No Parmigiano Reggiano or any other cheese for that matter are required to this dish )