all about us | search reviews | links | message board | articles | submit review | ipod reviews | rage | top ten requested reviews | archive | double agents | best burger in London | buy | join spy | advertise on spy | local pages | oldsite | contact us
Home

New Culture Revolution, 157-159 Notting HIll Gate London W11 2LF


157-159 Notting HIll Gate London W11 2LF

020 73139688

To MSG or not to MSG? That is the question. When we went to the New Revolution Chinese we wondered if Red Guard waiters would write our orders in Little Red Books under portraits of Chairman Mao and relay them to a factory field kitchen. But, no. This was not the revolution referred to. Theirs is a cooking revolution, balancing starch, fibre and protein where monosodium glutamate and other artificial additives are eschewed and the reliance is on natural flavours. They also favour the cooking of the harsher climes of North China where the emphasis is on wheat (noodles) rather than rice, though they do serve rice dishes. The place is of average size with plain white walls and minimum decoration. The wooden chairs look like they came in flat packs. I had hot and sour soup and found it neither hot nor sour enough. I don't know whether that was due to the absence of MSG or other artificial additives but whatever the reason I always hope hot and sour does what it says on the tin - and this didn't. My friend had a salad to start which she found bland and uninspiring. Mains were better - I had a quite fiery duck and noodle dish and her squid was good. However, it was the service side of things which let them down. Although they were very polite we did get the impression that they couldn't wait to see the back of their customers. When asked when they closed they said 11 - on the dot - all finish - and they couldn't wait to get finished dishes off the table even if other people were still eating. At twenty to eleven I asked for coffee and was told that the coffee machine had already been switched off. As eleven o'clock approached the atmosphere was more like a pub at kicking out time than a restaurant. No lingering over coffee here - even if the machine was still on. I won't be back. Harry

By m at 19/01/2007 - 12:44 | 2004 | Chinese | London | Rejected | Review | West | £££/$$$ | add new comment | 102 reads