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Baozi Inn

Address:25 Newport Court WC2H 7JS, Soho
Tel:020 7287 6877
Price: £18.00
Opening Hours:Mon-Sun 11am-10pm

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Like its parent, Bar Shu, the Baozi Inn offers something very different from the Chinatown norm. The menu touts the street snacks of Beijing & Chengdu: noodles in intriguing combinations such as spare rib & winter mushroom, a couple of salad dishes for textural contrast (ginger-juice spinach or spiced peanut, say), as well as dumplings, wonton & the baozi themselves (steamed buns filled with chive, radish or pork at £1.20 a pop). Chengdu crescent dumplings in chilli oil followed by a bowl of Beijing pork noodles impressed with their lightness & freshness, the chilli heat of both dishes subtly multi-layered rather than blow-your-head-off hot. With seating on backless stools in tight, café-like surrounds, this is not somewhere to linger & sadly the service is typically Chinatown – unfriendly & with no apology for language difficulties leading to incorrect orders being delivered. But at these prices, there’s little room for complaint.

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Reader reviews of Baozi Inn:

PK

PK (30s, Male, London)

Went here for lunch on a Thursday. Restaurant was half-full when we arrived and almost full when we left. Decor is a little dark and the tables/chairs are a little low for my liking (I'm tall) but overall it is fine, and does achieve a sort of ‘chinese inn’ feel.

I had the stir-fried pork with dried chillis and sauce on noodles. The pork was very tender, the noodles were nice (though a fraction too soft for my liking) and the overall taste was delicious. The spiciness was just about right – hot enough to be considered sichuan cuisine but not hot enough to put people off (I know a lot of purists would like it hotter though). The dish was a little oily, but that may be more to do with the cuisine than the cooking. We also shared some pork crescent dumplings in chilli oil, which were delicious.

There are cheaper places in Chinatown, but it was very good value for the quality. I will be going back soon to try some of the other dishes (though the menu isn't huge).

20 October 2008
Overall:7
Food and Drink:7
Service:7
Atmosphere:7
Value for Money:8
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M2 L.
Reviews: 1

M2 L. (40s, Male, United Kingdom)

Awful Chinese restaurant — but successful with people (most are tourists and kids) that have no clue about authentic Chinese food.
The noodles are mushy and the soup was bland — and super sodium enriched (plus cold tea was full of sugar).
The service was also pushy — they asked us several times if we wanted another drink, and constantly
annoyed us while eating.
This place is taking us for a ride — but do Londoners really care about good Chinese food,
or just to fill their stomach after a night out?

19 October 2008
Overall:3
Food and Drink:3
Service:4
Atmosphere:5
Value for Money:7
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Daniel H.
Reviews: 1

Daniel H. (40s, Male, United Kingdom)

The restaurant offers a much more limited menu than Bar Shu but the quality of the cooking is very high. It's a great place to get a quick and inexpensive meal. The service was great and it has a very friendly atmosphere. This is also a great place to eat if you happen to be on your own.

25 September 2008
Overall:8
Food and Drink:8
Service:8
Atmosphere:7
Value for Money:10
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