Walking into Snazz Sichuan, you could be forgiven for thinking that someone had imported the entire operation - lock, stock and fiery barrel - from the middle kingdom. The bizarre tone of the decor, the enthusiasm of the staff, the skill and exuberance of the chef (Yang Xiukui, who hails from Chengdu) and the wonderful aromas are all a testament to the authenticity of this latest exponent of London's trend for Sichuanese food.

The two-tier dining room is decorated with a mix of flimsy magenta curtains, bold paintings, framed photographs of contemporary rural China and a Cultural Revolution poster. Surrounded by hip, young Chinese students enjoying tea, a Tsingtao, perhaps a cheeky baijiu (vodka-like wine; not for the faint-hearted), we enjoyed the true-blue, fiery, ma-la (hot and numbing) fare from central China, each bite packing a punch of chilli, a hint of sweetness, a touch of sour, and a rich palette of textures.

The Sichuan-style beef, cold thin slices of lung swimming in chilli oil and peanut pieces, was sensational: the graininess of the lung perfectly offsetting the smoothness of the spicy oil. Equally good was white-braised belly pork in a similarly spicy sesame oil and garlic sauce. Both cold meat dishes are beautifully complemented by a dish of cucumber in garlic sauce.

Ma po dou fu, or pock-marked Mother Chen's bean curd (some names are best left untranslated), was firm tofu swimming with spring onions in a pleasingly spicy and aromatic sauce accented with numbing Sichuan peppercorns. An order of gong bao intestines was pig offal woven with golden peanuts and bright red chillies in a sweet-and-sour sauce.

Yu xiang qiezi (fish-flavoured auber-gine) was given depth by pickled chillies, garlic and ginger. Sweet, sour, spicy and hot, this is one of the gems of Sichuanese cuisine and perfectly prepared here.

Sadly, the hotpot menu is not yet translated into English - but don't let that deter you. We ordered a split pot with two broths - one spicy and chilli-laden, the other milder but richer - in which to cook our meats and vegetables. It's good value at £18 per person, with ingredients ordered for the table and priced between £2 for coriander (a must) and £30 for lobster (don't bother). We enjoyed thinly sliced lamb, potatoes, beef, cabbage, enoki mushrooms and noodles. Fish is also available, as is Spam, for £6.80. This is one of the best nights out in the capital for the money: you can spend hours around a bubbling, fragrant cauldron testing your chilli capacity.

Snazz is distinct from its two fine Sichuanese rivals in London. Bar Shu is a sleeker joint: the design is more sophisticated and the menu more user-friendly. Angeles is cheaper, but the food seems a little toned-down, as if they thought the Brits couldn't handle the heat. Snazz, by comparison, is a more straightforward equation: Sichuanese food is excellent, they know it's popular in China, so they've simply moved a Chinese restaurant to London. What a novel idea! With progress like this, you might never need to eat neon sweet-and-sour pork again.
Sally Peck 

Time Out London Issue 1909: March 21-27 2007

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