Review on BAO Fitzrovia
Shing-Tat Chung, Wai-Ting Chung and Erchen Chang, the team behind the successful Taiwanese BAO on Windmill Street in Soho where they served up their famed steamed buns, launched a second venue just over a year later in Fitzrovia.
Occupying a corner site on the junction of Windmill Street and Whitfield Street, the restaurant is laid out over two floors with interiors designed by Shing Tat Chung in collaboration with Katy Manolescue's Article Studio. The modern ground floor has clean-cut lines with a focal U-shaped wooden dining bar set with dark green leather stalls. The main dining room is in the basement featuring darker colours and shiny metallic walls, with an open kitchen and counter seating, as well as banquettes set against a long table.
Food is displayed on handmade plates and pottery by the same designer as BAO Soho, featuring new custom patterns and designs made exclusively for BAO. Apart from their moreish namesake buns with fillings such as beef shortrib and cod black, there's also Xiao Chi, their small eats showcasing dishes such as cured line-caught mackerel with persimmon and beef cheek and tendon nuggets. The Dai Chi section of the menu offers bigger size dishes ideal for sharing along the lines of hot spiced chilli chicken with aged white soy and kow choi or Cornish mussels, langoustines and XO broth. To finish there's peanut ice cream roon bing and coriander or fried BAO Horlicks ice cream.
Accompanying the menu is a concise wine list, sakes, whiskies and a collection of BAO milkshakes such as as Choc & Toasted Rice and Condensed Milk.
Cuisine
Asian
Restaurant Opening Times
Lunch: 12.00 - 3.00pm Mon-Sat
Dinner: 5.30 - 10.00pm Mon-Sat
Accepted credit cards
Visa, Master Card, American Express