Bar Shu (28 Frith Street, London, W1D 5LF) On saturday night, we went to Bar Shu for dinner for the second time. The first time, my husband and I really loved the food, so on Saturday we took our parents and sister along for a meal. It was, quite simply, awful. We were put in the private dining room area (that's fine, but it was like a tomb, no atmosphere at all) which is sealed off from the rest of the restaurant so you can't flag down a passing waiter. Service was so-so. We asked for tap water (that didn't go down well) and were given two small glasses. We couldn't flag down the waitress for top-ups so we asked her to leave the jug of water and she declined. My mum had the chinese tea, which she usually loves but she couldn't drink what she was given as it was very bitter, not at all what you would expect. The food was the absolute opposite of what we loved so much the last time. It was spicy, sure, but that wasn't the issue. There was some odd, almost aniseed-like taste permeating everything. We had some of the same dishes previously and they didn't have that taste, so I was completely bemused. It was just awful. The spare ribs were cold (we asked about this but the waitress said that that was how they were supposed to be – yeah right!), the main dishes were permeated with that horrible aniseed flavour and the whole experience just left us feeling sick and flat. I really think that Bar Shu needs to up its game. Service, food, atmosphere, everything needs a kick up the bum. Currently not value for money.
Link to this reviewNovember 2010 | 
Rana T.30s, Female