Flesh & Buns, the renowned Japanese restaurant from Ross Shonhan (pictured) specialising in steamed gua bao buns and credited with bringing the ‘izakaya’ Japanese pub experience to the London dining scene, is getting a brand new look next month.
Following a short closure on 3 July and to coincide with its fourth year anniversary, the Japanese hotspot located just off Seven Dials, Covent Garden, will reopen on Monday 17 July with refreshed interiors in keeping with the izakaya concept.
The vibrant underground space, part of the Bone Daddies collection of restaurants, opened to critical acclaim in 2013, with Shonhan changing perceptions of how Japanese food can be enjoyed.
Clichéd clean aesthetics, sushi belts and a quiet dining ambience were nowhere to be seen, instead replaced by cool, edgy interiors and a punchy Japanese food and drink menu, all served in a casual yet quality setting alongside a banging retro rock‘n’roll soundtrack – Shonhan ensures that any song played at his restaurants should be at last 20 years old.
Four years on, and Flesh & Buns continues to excite London diners and foodie tourists alike with its changing menu of Japanese drinking snacks, famous gua bao steamed buns, made-to-order sushi, robata-grilled dishes and inventive cocktails, all inspired by Shonhan’s on-going appreciation of Japanese food and culture.
The talented chef and restaurateur is now keen to fully represent the Japanese izakaya experience with the refurb at Flesh & Buns – working with the design team at B3 Design to create a more defined and comfortable space.
Interior additions will include a larger bar area offering bar dining for up to 10 people, serving a variety of sake brands and a diverse range of cocktails including the signature Frozen Yuzu Margarita, alongside the restaurant’s varied sharing food menu. The new bar will accommodate walk-ins as well as bookings.
Draped fabric ‘noren’ screen curtains will be another new addition to the restaurant, surrounding intimate dining booths and transporting diners to an authentic Japanese drinking den experience.
In a nod to Flesh & Buns’ popularity with large groups of diners, Shonhan will also introduce a ‘Party Flesh’ menu for groups of 6+ as part of the refresh – large cuts of roast suckling pig, ribs of beef and braised lamb shoulder with Kimchee, all served with a selection of sauces and pickles for the table (pre-order essential, menu changing year-round).
Ross Shonhan commented, “Time has flown by since we opened Flesh & Buns, and we feel humbled that the restaurant is as busy now as when we opened. With the fourth anniversary next month it felt like the right time for a refresh. We hope people will like the dining bar and new look interiors, which will be more in keeping with an authentic Japanese izakaya experience – right in the heart of Covent Garden.”