Gourmet San, Bethnal Green

[Iestyn]

OK, I don't know how to sever a thread, but here are quotes from the original thread where Gourmet San came up off topic to give context, then below those quotes is my new information which I thought worth bringing to the attention of the forum.

I know this is not china town

but someone mentioned sichaun.

I went here last week 

Gourmet San, 261 Bethnal Green Road, E2

heres someone review. 

http://www.deadinsect.co.uk/2007/09/gourme...green-road.html

this place is really good.

we had 8 lamb skewers, covered in chilli and cumin and very well grilled.

chilli chicken, chilli pork,  cooling cucumber, fried beans minced pork, spicy crab which was huge for the price and rice.

total per head was just £11.

Very authentic, everyone eating in there seemed to be young mainland chinese.

Waitress have very little english and menu is all in chinese too.

Place is more cafe then restaurant.

Looked very popular judging by the number of people willing to wait for a table.

Only bummer is it is out in bethnal green and quite a walk from the station.

Having a chinese reader and speaker would help a lot in ordering here. 

Out of my all group this place rated well above Angeles and Bar shu.

so give it a try if you ever in the area

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Gourmet San's great, isn't it. It does have the most baffling menu imaginable, though. Half is poorly-translated pork offal and there are at least four dishes saying nothing more than 'chicken with chillies'.

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Just to add to the thumbs up for Gourmet San, I've just written it up on my blog, link in my signature below, but suffice to say I was very impressed, great value, food is different to the norm and delicious. The place was quite grubby looking when we went, but if that doesn't put you off, I'd say its worth going out of your way for. I'm certainly planning on going back. Its a really good food experience and I'm suprised it hasn't had a bit more attention on the forums.

Sorry that this isn't really on topic for the title of the thread, but since its already mentioned in this thread I thought I'd add to the praise, it deserves to be better known. (Not that its struggling for custom, it was packed when I went). Anyone know how to do that clever thing where the above posts on Gourmet San are turned into a seperate thread, leaving this one relevant?

Iestyn.

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I thought anyone reading the above praise for Gourmet san (which still stands, at least from me) would like to know about this link, posted by a reader of my blog Gourmet San Fined for hygeine breaches , personally, as hinted at above and expressed more firmly in my full review I'm not suprised. I think I'd still go back and hope the fine has encouraged them to improve, or simply rely on my strong stomach as the food is very good. Others of a more delicate disposition I suspect will value the information.

[origamicrane]

too be honest this doesn't really surprise me

this place is so authentic they even have the lacklustre kitchen hygiene of mainland china!

but to quote a friend of mine after a bout of delicious food poisoning at another establishment

"the food there is tasty but dangerous"