Feasting on bao buns in Covent Garden
Feasting on bao buns in Covent Garden
Join us as at our favourite place for bao buns in Covent Garden
I don’t know who first brought bao to London, but they’re the *best*. Bao have quickly gained a lot of popularity for their fluffy texture, and ability to fill with pretty much anything. As it happens, I’m the biggest bao addict there is. And I’m heading to my favourite place for bao buns in Covent Garden, with cravings firmly stoked.
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That place is Flesh and Buns, a basement restaurant opened a few years ago. Flesh and Buns is the sister restaurant to Shackfuyu and is just as fun. It specializes in the humble bao bun and serves it with various fillings.
I’ve been to Flesh and Buns a few times, and their bao offerings are always delicious. So I’m excited to try them again, especially since the restaurant has had a renovation since my last visit.
So what are bao buns?
Also known as steamed buns, bao and have been around for hundreds of years and originate in China. But buns like these go by many names and can be found in different guises across the world.
They’re known for being fluffy and delicious and can hold anything you can think of.
Which is where Flesh and Buns comes in.
Where kind of filling are there for bao buns in Covent Garden?
I’ve seen bao most often stuffed with salmon and beef, but what I really like about Flesh and Buns is the range of fillings you can choose from. They range from beef short ribs with chipotle sauce to grilled aubergine with sweet miso.
We go for the Japanese fried chicken, which has been marinated in buttermilk and red chilli, and then fried up in a wok. They arrive crisp and golden, waiting to be stuffed into our steaming bao buns. We arrange them with dabs of rocoto chilli mayo, and eat! So good.
It’s good, but better still is the crispy duck leg, served whole and then shredded at the table. The skin is crackled and crispy, and the flesh juicy and tender. We stuff mounds of it in the bao buns and then smear on plum sauce and beetroot pickle. It’s delicious stuff.
Eat of the large ‘Flesh and Buns’ plates as they’re known come with two bao buns, but there’s so much filling that you might like to order more buns.
We ordered two more each, and had plenty of fillings for all of them.
Ok. What else can you eat apart from bao?
If you’ve had your fill of bao then you can also order a bunch of small plates. These include the *most* delicious Korean fried chicken wings, which are absolutely massive and come slathered with a spicy and sour sauce.
There’s also a raw fish menu, from which we tried the yellowtail with chilli granita. The granita adds a helluva punch, and it’s another good dish.
Save room for dessert
By now you might be stuffed but do me a solid and order the ‘s’more’…
Talk about drama! Basically, they bring a portable fire pit to your table, and you toast marshmallows on it!
Once the marshmallows are nice and brown, you stuff them between two graham crackers, with a bit of chocolate too. Yum.
All in all we’ve had a great time eating bao buns in Covent Garden. By now there are dozens of places around London to eat bao, so pop in to wherever is closest and get your fluffy fill :D
Is the food at Flesh and Buns, Covent Garden Halal?
The Covent Garden branch of Flesh and Buns serve halal chicken – however because the kitchen is so small, food is often fried in the same oil. The Oxford Circus branch of Flesh and Buns have a bigger kitchen and staff have said that they fry halal foods separately – so it’s probably a safer bet. The restaurant also have some delicious non-fried food, and they raw fish menu is good.
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Have you tried bao buns in Covent Garden?Let us know your thoughts on our Instagram.
The Details
Flesh and Buns, Covent Garden
Address – 41 Earlham St, London WC2H 9LX
Website – Flesh and Buns, Covent Garden
Phone – 020 3019 3492
Nearest Tube – Covent Garden
Disclaimer – the halal food status note for Flesh and Buns is true at the time of writing. Please phone or email the restaurant before you make a booking to double check the halal food status and anything around cross contamination.
We dined as guests of Flesh and Buns
