Though it was an unadvertised soft-opening, Soho Szechuan superstar Barshu was turning away customers this week. But fret not, the restaurant officially reopens its doors Sunday, 6 September. Chef Xiao Zhong Zhang remains in the kitchen, having spent most of the year marking time since the restaurant burned down in January. The Buzz can exclusively reveal that alongside Zhang, consultant Fuchsia Dunlop has added 15 new dishes to the menu, including grilled fish with pickled chilli and prawn dumplings (£28.90) and a five-colour appetiser platter including gong cai preserved vegetables and a variety of signature offal (£22.90). There's also a new lamb rib dish, a whelk dish and a light Chinese cabbage stuffed with chicken and bean curd (£14.90). Many old favourites remain, though the infamous mouth-scalding chilli-oil fondue is long gone. Finally, two private dining rooms have been added upstairs, each seating about eight people (28 Frith Street, W1D; 020 7287 8822).
– Roger Clarke