If you promise not to tell anyone, I will confess that when it comes to my favourite dumpling dishes, it is not Polish pierogi, Russian pielmieni, or Polish uszka, that truly rule my heart, but baos. As far as I am concerned, these fluffy Chinese steamed buns filled with meaty or sweet goodness are the closest you can come to eating clouds, and there is one place in Chinatown that makes incredibly good Cantonese baos at a very amiable price to boot.
Bun House on Lisle Street (just round the corner from Leicester Square station) is your perfect Soho spot, whether you’re after an on-the-go lunch, a quick bite in-between bar hopping, or a laid-back but cool Tinder date. And at £2.80 a bun, or four for £10, it will fill your stomach without emptying your bank account (although long-time fans of Bun House will be disappointed to see the post-lockdown 30p increase).
Whilst before the pandemic the venue boasted a mid-century Hong Kong tea room interior, indoor dining has not re-opened at the restaurant since the last lockdown. Guests have to content themselves with take-away or the three outside tables. Despite what the proliferation of fancy bao places over the last decade might have you think, baos are a street-food at heart, and this is the ethic that the Bun House sticks to. Orders are taken at the bar, right next to the entrance, and immediately handed out in small bamboo baskets (or ordinary boxes for takeaway.) The guests are then left to find their own spot to sit at.
The buns themselves are delicious and sizeable, with three constituting a respectable meal. While all the classic bao fillings, as well as one veggie option, are on offer, the cha siu pig bun with sticky BBQ pork belly filling (a Cantonese speciality) is definitely the pick of the litter. The restaurant’s custard bun is also delicious and satisfyingly squirty – a recommended desert for those who choose to go for the four bun offer. An array of street-food sides is also available, along with pork, beef, or egg fried rice.
Given that Bun House has a tea-oriented sister restaurant, Wun’s Tea Room on nearby Greek Street, it will come as no surprise that its beverages deserve a mention. The home-made plum tea, salty in a good way and served cold in a metal cup, is my pick although it is worth remembering that a bun comes free when you order two beers.
Whatever brings you to Soho, Bun House, with its no-nonsense approach to truly delicious baos is a recommended stop on your trip.
Bun House is based on 26-27 Lisle Street, Soho, London, WC2H 7BA. It is open from 12-7:45pm Monday-Thursday, Sunday and 12-8:45pm on Fridays and Saturdays and is a two-minute walk away from Leicester Square tube station.