Bun House | 1960's Hong Kong Tea House Vibes

Bun House | 1960's Hong Kong Tea House Vibes

• July 24, 2018

When I walked past Bun House and saw the spot on replicate of a 1960's Hong Kong tea house, it sent tingly goosebumps down my arm. I was instantly hit by a sense of nostalgia and boy, was I excited about this place. By the time I actually came back to try out the food, I'd seen enough on Instagram to know that this was a must on my foodie list.

The decors at Bun House is just so on point. From the beautiful jade green chairs and checked tiled floors, to the huge steam racks and iconic red stamp on the buns to indicate the fillings inside, all it lacked was some grissly dirt and grime from a real Hong Kong tea house.

It is separated into 2 dining areas, Bun House on the ground floor serving, well... buns and other lighter bites, and the downstairs Tea Room serving more solid mains inspired by cha chaan tengs or fast food cafes from Hong Kong with a focus on high quality ingredients.

We sat upstairs in Bun House and between Hanh and I, we shared a load of small plates. Chilli tripe, daikon pickle pot, house fries with mayo aka deep fried marinaded duck tongue, glass noodle salad and 3 buns.

All the colours and traditional serveware like the teapot and bamboo baskets was such a feast for the eyes alone.

The glass noodles salad and chilli tripe were absolutely sensational. Both were well flavoured yet full of finesse, balanced by not going overboard with seasoning. Duck tongue fries sounded exciting on paper but lacked depth of flavour. Frying them also meant drying the tongue out a little, and the mayo added to the lacklustre of this dish. The daikon pickles were nicely done and lifted any heavy taste of the dishes and complimented the overall meal well.

Now, the buns are obviously the star of the show, but aside from them looking utterly amazing, they fell flat on execution. The steamed buns itself were faultless, but the fillings really need reworking.

The pig bun filled with roasted char siu didn't taste of much and with the added yam to the filling, it gave it a slimy texture. Same with the lamb bun, taste wise it would have worked well had the flavours been stronger and if the filling hadn't been blended to death resulting in yet another slimy finish. Sometimes, a classic like the char siu bao needs to stay a classic for a good reason. Stick to a classic recipe but make it as good as it can possibly be, Royal China have mastered this one.

The salty egg custard bun was my most anticipated bun, I adore this combo when done well. Taste wise, it was great. The problem was in the texture. Where this bun filling is supposed to resemble molten lava - soft and oozy but holds wells together, the Bun House version squirted out into a pile of yellow liquid and should come with the warning "better drank with a straw".

Whilst the buns were disappointing and underwhelming, and I could easily not come back again, there were promising small dishes that made up for this downfall and I'd like to give the Tea Room menu a dig too. So, watch this space, I'll probably be back.

Address:
Bun House
24 Greek Street
Soho
London
W1D 4DZ

Have you guys been to Bun House yet?