Chairman Mao

Comrades, take The Great Leap Forward! Smash The Three Olds (ideas, customs and habits) of Chinese Dining! Yes, the fiery food of Hunan stirs in fans a cult-like zeal, worthy of that province's famous son, Chairman Mao Zedong. Mao's appetite for rich, red-braised pork belly is legendary and it's a hot favourite among the rustic, home-style dishes here. Smoky, vinegary and spicy flavours predominate, with the occasional dash of sweetness. There's also a lot of pork. House-smoked pork belly (smoked over rice) with five-spice tofu is a winner, with its wobbly layers of fat, intensely smoky flavour and chewy textures. Stir-fried eggplant with fermented black beans and chillies is a soft, oily slow-burn of green chilli heat, while a lavish serve of on-the-bone, sweet, beer-braised duck is, as the menu description promises, simply 'delicious'. Decor-wise, there's a fair bit of Mao-bilia, while the service, presided over by charming owner Andrew Bao, has a Serve the People ethos worthy of the Great Helmsman himself.