Ba Shan, Soho
Tonight I had one of the best meals I’ve had in months at Ba Shan, a Sichuanese restaurant on the edge of Soho and Chinatown. It is not a vegetarian restaurant, but its menu has many clearly labeled vegetarian options. Seafood dishes aren’t labeled vegetarian, so the menu appears to have been written by someone who understands that vegetarians don’t eat fish, unlike many of the menus at nearby restaurants in Chinatown.
The food is strongly flavored, heavy on Sichuan peppercorns and chilis. I got a rose-flavored drink, which was tasty but very sweet; slivered potatoes in a vinegary dressing with Sichuan peppercorns and toasted dried chilis; exceptionally good marinated tofu with what was described as celery on the menu but actually must be some slightly similar green vegetable that is more common in China than Europe; and perfect steamed rice.
The restaurant is very clean and pleasant, and the staff were very attentive and friendly. I hope to eat there regularly.
Afterwards I went to Golden Gate grocery nearby on Shaftesbury and bought some gai lan, durian and jackfruit sorbets, peanut and sesame glutinous rice balls, mixed flower tea, and a bag of kumquats, which were globular unlike the the egg-shaped ones I’m used to seeing in the States.
Here are some other reviews of Ba Shan from Time Out and the sadly defunct World Foodie Guide.
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