Spicy Fish

Red is the colour of happiness and prosperity in China, and so it is at Spicy Fish. Red seat coverings, red wall decorations... and fragrant red chilli oil dripping down your chin. This heady liquid bathes the eponymous spicy fish (fleshy chunks of cod languishing in chilli flotsam) and forms slick puddles around flavoursome fat prawns in sticky Sichuan sauce. If red's not your colour, choose flaky pastries filled with turnip, or bouncy steamed buns stuffed with fresh-tasting mushrooms and greens. Cheap lunch deals and authentic Sichuan dishes keep the place humming at all hours, as do on-the-ball staff who top-up teas and graciously supply extra serviettes.