Just round the corner from Brick Lane’s tourist-trap curry trail, Bashufang sets out its stall with a mix of challenging Chinese regional cuisine and KTV karaoke. Bright red chairs and mirrored walls set the tone in the dining room, while the menu offers potent flavours and obscure ingredients plus a big dose of Szechuan fire and spice. Appetisers are a happy hunting ground for fans of sweet-and-sour jellyfish, mustard agaric salad or salted ribs with fermented beancurd, while the remainder of the line-up runs from stir-fried French beans with chicken gizzards or baked crab with salted egg yolk to shrimps with shredded mooli or lobster with chilli. Otherwise, delve into the chef’s menu for obscure delights such as braised rooster, stewed pig’s feet or sautéed bullfrog with pickled peppers. Packed lunch boxes are aimed at the local office crowd.