Shan Shui Jian — Restaurant in London

I entered this restaurant by chance on a rainy evening. In a moment I was brought back to 90s London – the unassuming décor with shiny dark wooden tables and chairs, the toilet at the top of a staircase through the side door (with very dirty walls and an even dirtier and worn carpet) these are all sights that are no longer so familiar, although 25 years ago were normality. I was a little nostalgic but undoubtedly unimpressed and definitely wasn't expecting the food to be any better than the surrounding.

I couldn't have been more wrong as I was about to experience some of the best Chinese food I have ever had (for the standards of a foreigner, as I have never been to China)... We ordered the beef with peppers in black bean sauce and the homestyle tofu with cucumber, carrots and mushrooms – both were outstanding. The tofu was soft and flavoursome, covered in huge pieces of dried chillies, and served with these extremely jelly-fish-like slimy mushrooms, which I had never seen before and couldn't get enough of. The dish was so hot that I cried all the way through eating it, but it was totally worth it! The beef was exceptionally soft, never had anything like it before, it was so tender it almost melted in the mouth but still had a firm consistency, it was peppery hot and extremely morish.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant, and looking back I think the décor probably added to the charm of...

Absolute horrendous service and was treated very rudely from the staff. Never have I ever experienced such. Wish I recorded it. Even if they called the police - they would have laughed.

I had not seen the waitress before. Coming from a family who owns businesses, things break at times and accidents happen. I’ve never seen a restaurant ask to fix things and at this time of night. They didn’t want to let me go. 😳 I was just going to the bathroom and the handle snapped (not even broke off) - snapped like a twig.

I did a simple google search which resulted: “If you accidentally break a handle at a restaurant, most establishments will not make you pay for it as it's considered a minor accident and part of their normal operational costs; simply inform the waiter about the broken item, apologize, and they will likely clean up the mess without further issue.”

I did exactly that! I informed the waiter, I apologised to be told that “sorry doesn’t mean anything”

The food is average. There are tons of Chinese restaurants in the area. Don’t let service and atmosphere ruin your night!

Greedy businesses like this will never...

Wonderful Chinese food in London. Thanks to the chef and our savvy friend, everything on the table is delicious. My first time trying the lamb spine 羊蠍子— very tender and most meat falls off the bone easily. The broth is herby and aromatic.

小雞燉蘑菇 Chicken and mushroom tastes great and I picked up all the mushrooms.

酸菜魚 Fish and fermented cabbage are also nice though can be slightly more sour/spicy.

麻婆豆腐Mapotofu has slightly firmer tofu but I like it too.

地三鮮 The eggplant potato and peppers are tasty, especially the well cooked and flavorful potato

炸醬麵 The noodle with fried bean sauce was quite different from the more common Beijing version. It is lighter in taste and contains egg instead of diced meat. (I did some research and found the egg version is more northeastern style.) I was not a fan of the overly salty and sweet sauce in Beijing and this one is actually delightful.

Food came fast and service is nonintrusive. Perfect for friends’ gathering. Price...