Bao Borough

The headline buns at Bao Borough aren’t the only story at the Taiwanese restaurant group’s London Bridge location. In fact they’re a distraction. It’s the big and small, less shouted about plates of food that you should pay attention to.

Where the original Soho spot pushes the definition of ‘cosy’, this location has it all. There’s a to-go hatch for meandering Borough Market tourists in need of a curry cheese bao fix. There’s a row of counter stools for office workers after a quick beer and a bao. And there’s a mix of bigger tables for groups or sharers planning to tick tofu, aubergine, and more off the all-too-easy-to-order-from menu. It’s bustling at pretty much every hour of the day. And sure, you can book the karaoke bar downstairs to murder Rock DJ while munching on punchy Taiwanese fried chicken. But otherwise you’re better off using this as a functional, fill-a-gap restaurant.

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli

You should definitely get one obligatory bao. And it should be the molten deep-fried curry cheese option. But after that, leave it there. Not because these little pillows aren’t good, but because of all the other stuff. The flavours of the small plates are of the tabloid variety. Big and bold. Wafer-thin slices of pork jowl sit in a layer of savoury, in-your-face, WORLD EXCLUSIVE-type sauce. 40-day-aged beef with butter-laden rice is a smutty, addictive, TELL ALL EXPOSÉ on what your heart doesn’t need but definitely wants. 

Aside from one slap-up reconnaissance visit, you’re unlikely to be coming to Bao Borough and ordering half the menu. This is the kind of restaurant where you find your favourites and stick to them. Ultimately it doesn’t really matter that the bao doesn't feel like breaking news anymore, because the bowl of beef and butter rice certainly is.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli

Curry Cheese Bao

This is, for all intents and purposes, a deep-fried cheese sandwich smothered in curry sauce, and topped with fermented chilli. It is, for all intents and purposes, fantastic.

Prawn Shia Song Bao

This shiny, glistening bun is more than likely going to catch your eye. And like a baby or a dog that’s spotted a wrapper, you will end up putting it into your mouth. Visually it’s very lobster roll-like, but taste-wise it’s something more garlicky prawn-like. And that’s always a very good thing.

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli

40 Day Aged Beef, Taipei Butter Rice

Richer than a provisional lottery winner and smoother than a Love Island contestant’s legs, this is the thing to eat here. The beef is rare, the rice almost risotto-like when mixed with the yolk, and the creeping chilli kick bang on.

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli

Taiwanese Fried Chicken, Hot Sauce

Crunchy fried chicken and hot sauce. What’s not to like?

Home-Style Pork Jowl

These thinly sliced bits of fatty pork melt in your mouth. Combined with the bamboo shoot salad and rich savoury sauce, it makes for a very tasty plate of food.

Chilli Chicken Wings, Aged White Soy

One of the misses. These wings are perfectly cooked with a nice smoky flavour, but there isn’t a lot else going on otherwise.

House Salad

The kind of thing you might ignore, but we’d highly recommend you don’t. A bowl of crunchy and bitter leaves with a tart dressing is exactly what you need on your table.