Kinabalu's review of Bar Shu

TL;DR: Average food, Good service, Ridiculous prices.

We tried a number of dishes – ma po tofu, gong bao chicken, twice cooked pork, ants climbing a tree noodles, dry fried green beans, dandan noodles. The dishes were executed at a level one would expect from a competent cook but neither spectacular nor exceptional, and nothing you could not make at home. I was disappointed by the lack of chilli heat and sichuan peppercorn zing. I am pretty sure that was turned down to make it more palatable to “everyman”. The service was good however.

Our bill came to £25 per head which is not acceptable for this level of cookery. Furthermore there was no itemised bill. It looked approximately OK so we didn't make a fuss, but it did rankle. I suspect they are trying to feel more upscale by implying you paid for some kind of service-package-dining-experience.

I would not return here for the eating experience but it would be OK socially, to take rich people to, to experience chinese food that isn't Lemon Chicken and Dim Sum. The atmosphere and service is good so it feels like an upscale restaurant. Just make sure that you aren't paying as the cooking isn't upscale. Also, bring a bottle of chili oil and a duster of sichuan peppercorns.

Finally, there was also a sticker on the restaurant window saying “Michelin guide 2010 recommended”. I thought this was slightly misleading and it did annoy me. The restaurant has no food award in the 2010 GB and NI guide. It has 1 “couvert” for comfort/atmosphere.