You could not have escaped the bubbling excitement surrounding the opening of a little Taiwanese restaurant in Peckham Rye, serving up delicious steamed bao buns and cocktails. But if you have so far missed out on the hype… Enter: Mr Bao.
Bao buns have been taking London by storm, and it’s no surprise really given how goddam delicious they are (just check out our review of Beer & Buns for a start.) So London foodsters got understandably flustered at the prospect of another bun bar appearing in the capital. We were salivating at news of their soft launch back in January, and after giving them a few months to settle into their stride we popped along last week for the all important taste test.
Just a five minute walk from Peckham Rye Overground station you will find Mr Bao, quietly tucked in among a string of shops on Rye Lane. Founders Frank Yeung and Nick Birkett, particularly chose this spot as they wanted to try and breathe new life into a part of Peckham that seemed to have lost it’s pep. So far Mr Bao has been a runaway success so it would be great to see some of this optimistic spirit flow along the high street. Mr Bao a fairly small place but very cosy with stripped back decor, wooden tables and a very relaxed vibe.
The menu is succinct, but with an extra board of specials on display there’s more than enough to keep you occupied. The waitress informed me that the dishes come as small tapas-style plates so they suggest that you order two to three buns per person and then a couple of sides as well. Equipped with that knowledge it was time to put on my best bun hat and get going!
Imperial Concubine’s Smile (£6.50)
To kick things off I had a cocktail. The Imperial Concubine’s Smile is a delicate mix of vodka, lychee, elderflower and green tea and was amazingly refreshing. The vodka was so subtle that I imagine you could drink about six of these before you realise that you can’t walk anymore. Really lovely, delicate and delicious.
As I sipped my cocktail I also ordered a couple of small sides to nibble on. First there was the Smacked Cucumber (£2.50) which was cucumber that had literally been smacked with a knife to break down the membranes, thus causing it to release its water and make more room for a delicious dressing. The dressing itself was salty and sweet with hints of sesame oil, and the whole thing was very simple and very delicious. One of the nicest pickled Asian vegetable dishes I have had in a long time.
The Taiwanese Sausage (£2.80) was a bit of a dark horse actually as it just looked like a normal sausage but was actually amazing! A really dark, spicy sausage with a dark, sticky, soy dip with and heaps and heaps of garlic. I thought it was great. Apparently they serve these at brunch on weekends so I will definitely be going along to get some more of those babies.
Soy Marinated Sirloin (£7)
One of the specials on the menu that night was this Sirloin that had been simply marinated in soy and cooked medium-rare, served with a few salt flakes sprinkled on top and a side of freshly grated wasabi. It was just a nice, simple, clean piece of steak.
Mr Bao (£3.80)
Finally it was bun time! Of course I had to try their namesake, the Mr Bao, which was a perfectly soft, fluffy bun with hunks of pork belly, a ton of sauce, pickles and coriander. It was really good! Very tasty and as good as any pork bun I have had in London so far, although it was probably not my favourite bun of the night…
Bo Diddley (£4.50)
The Bo Diddley is Mr Bao’s fried chicken bun and is really, really f-ing good. Again with the soft pillowy bun, the chicken is crispy on the outside, juicy and tender in the middle. Frank later told me that the they use tapioca in the batter which makes it light and fluffy. There was a good amount of chilli sauce and wasabi mayo in the bun which didn’t seem to overpower the chicken in the way that maybe the sauce in the pork bun did. I also really enjoyed the kimchi smooshed on the bottom of the bun. It added a nice refreshing texture and flavour to the whole thing, making it quite light and airy with little twangs of chilli that were not overpowering. I think it was definitely my favourite of the two buns I tried that night.
Bao S’More (£4.30)
For dessert there is only one option: a Bao S’More. This was actually a VERY pleasant surprise! I think I was expecting an oily, limp bun with a bit of marshamllow, but what do you get if you deep fry a doughy bun? A freakin’ doughnut of course!! A delicious, warm, crisp little half moon of a doughnut with a good splodge of lovely dark chocolate sauce and then a firm in the middle but melty on the outside marshmallow. Amazing! I didn’t mind at all that this was the only dessert on the menu.
I really enjoyed every dish I had at Mr Bao, everything was tasty and I felt like all of the flavours had been thought through well. I liked the chilled vibe and the tapas-style small plates, it encouraged you to try other things on the menu that you otherwise might have skipped over rather than just eating three buns each and running out the door. There really are some great flavours there to be discovered. I also met and chatted to Frank afterwards and he was super lovely and totally charming! His passion for the food, for the ingredients and for Peckham were really clear. Please make this place a success, it would so great if more people like Frank, and more places like Mr Bao existed in the world.
So there we go. Finally a new restaurant that is worth the hype.
Still hungry? Find all the most delicious places to eat with our best London restaurants section, including this review of Chick ‘N’ Sours, the best fried chicken ever.
