Pure drama at Flesh and Buns, Covent Garden
Pure drama at Flesh and Buns, Covent Garden
Fire up your own marshmallows at Flesh and Buns!
I always appreciate a little playground humour, so it follows that the explicitly named Flesh and Buns has a certain titillating appeal ;)
Although the bao and their fillings are delicious enough to start the meal, the real star is dessert.
This dessert of promised pleasure involves fire and my undivided attention. Its name is simply the s’more, and it consists of marshmallow lollipops held over a table-top flame to toast. The resulting sugar-goo-gunk (the technical term) is then sandwiched between biscuits and matcha white chocolate. Best of all is the hot mallow that smelts itself onto chocolate and wafer, ready to be devoured.
Read more: Rainbow Dim Sum at Baozi Inn, Soho
Oh matron. Ok, Let’s backtrack to Flesh and Buns mains
Flesh and Buns serve steamed Hirata buns. Or bao, I guess. I’ve read that these are a western interpretation of the Taiwanese street food Har Gau. The buns are plump, creamy-white and squashy, and are used to sandwich a variety of ‘flesh’ fillings. Choices include sirloin steak with red onion pickle and sweet BBQ sauce, and salmon teriyaki with cucumber pickles. Although the proteins are properly cooked, they’re sometimes a touch too salty so bite with caution.
Smaller plates include a deconstructed maki of pan-sizzled rice with yellowtail tartare. From these, we love the play of texture in caramelized sticky rice with soft fish. A little less lovely is a teensy portion of soft shell crab, featuring a miniature crustacean. Together with it’s small stature, the batter used is far too heavy for a creature this feeble, and leaves an oily residue.
To summarize, playfulness is the order of the day at Flesh and Buns. As the name suggests, you shouldn’t take it too seriously.
Read more: Dazzling Dim Sum at Yauatcha, Soho
