Bao London, founded by Shing Tat Chung, Erchen Chang and Wai Ting Chung, has reopened the doors to Bao Fitzrovia today.
Bao-lovers can expect a new menu of dishes inspired by classic Taiwanese recipes, while bartenders mix a line-up of cocktails including both BAO signatures and new drinks created by mixologists from London bars.
Teams from Happiness Forgets, Satan’s Whiskers, Three Sheets and A Bar with Shapes for a Name have created their own unique cocktails, inspired by Bao, to add to the Fitzrovia list for the autumn months.
Hoxton bar, Happiness Forgets has created the Ceremony Collins, a fresh highball made with cold-distilled Oxley gin, Noilly Prat and Chin Shin (a Taiwanese green tea), topped up with mango soda.
Freedom Pineapples by Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green blends the tropical flavours of Banks 5 rum, pineapple, coconut and sake, while Three Sheets in Dalston has devised the‘Long Oolong’: Aberfeldy whisky, toasted rice, oolong tea and a splash of soda.
Finally, A Bar with Shapes for a Name has created BAOhaus-Hi to the list: a blend of St Germain, Choya yuzu, verjus and sparkling smoky tea. They’ll be accompanied by Bao favourites such as the Umeshu Negroni and the Sweet Potato Sour.
From the kitchen, traditional flavours and ingredients nod to Bao’s Taiwanese heritage. The menu begins with Xiao Chi Snacks such as Crispy Noodle Chips to be eaten by the handful at the bar, or Whipped Tofu, Cong Zhua Bing: a crispy pancake shredded into whipped tofu with century egg, fermented greens and Sichuan oil.
Raw Carlingford Oyster in Mee Shua Broth is a spin on Taiwanese oyster vermicelli, a cold light broth with strands of vermicelli and oyster. Salt & Pepper Fried Cheese is served ’typhoon shelter style’, with garlic, spring onions, and red chilli, while Chestnut Zongzi Rice Dumplings, Salted Duck Egg & Enoki Crumbs steamed in bamboo leaf – drizzled with a Taiwanese sweet white soy glaze.
Da Chi Middle Plates are larger serves designed as mains or sharing plates, beginning with Meinung Sun Dried Daikon Omelette: an omelette packed with both fresh and dried daikon and spring onions, topped with a Soy Cured Egg Yolk, and a slice of Taiwanese Bo Pi Chilli, traditionally deep fried first, peeled and pickled in soy pickling liquor. This dish is made with sun-dried daikon sourced from just one farmer in Meinung, a small town in South of Taiwan.
A plate of home-style Sacha Noodle is flavoured with Sacha sauce, a punchy Taiwanese paste of dried shrimp, shallots, garlic and red chilli. Dorset Cockles & Loofa features loofa (or‘silky melon’), which is traditionally eaten fresh as a cooling summertime vegetable, and Dorset cockles in a creamy loofa sauce finished with a spiced coriander oil.
Bao Fitzrovia favourites, such as Taiwanese Fried Chicken Chop, Cured Egg and Beef Cheek Tendon Nuggets, are returning to the menu as well as the Half Roast Chili Chicken, only this time it’s returning with a piece of Cong Zhua Bing under the chilli chicken soaking up all the roasted chicken juice with aged white soy.
Downstairs, guests at the sharing tables can watch chefs assembling baos in the open kitchen, including Bao Fitzrovia’s exclusive Cod Black Bao, and desserts such as the much-loved Roon Bing Peanut Ice Cream with Coriander and Peanut Powder.
Bao co-founder and creative director, Erchen Chang said,“We’re looking forward to
welcoming guests back to BAO Fitz and introducing them to our new menu, where the focus is on deeper Taiwanese flavours.
'One of my favourite dishes is a sun-dried daikon omelette with cured yolk, we import the sun-dried daikon from the south of Taiwan and it really adds to the flavour of this dish.
'To help us celebrate, our friends from bars across London have created BAO inspired cocktails using Taiwanese ingredients and flavours to toast the re-opening.”