Taiwanese Weekend in London: BAO Fitzrovia and tofu custard in Spitalfields Market
This turned out to be a weekend with not just one but two Taiwanese cuisine adventures!
First one was at a restaurant called BAO in Fitzrovia, one of several BAO locations. I had originally tried eating here after arriving, but they were already closed for lunch. So the next day, I made a point of coming back to try their weekday lunch special.
BAO is a super popular place with limited seating. It’s possible to make reservations, but since I was eating alone, I was able to be seated at a little ledge facing the window with a few chairs.
The upstairs is actually too small for the kitchen even - that’s found downstairs.
So back to the weekday lunch menu. With a set price of 15 GBP, you get to choose one gua bao, a small plate, and a rice bowl.
The gua bao I chose was their “Classic,” which they describe as containing braised pork, peanut powder, fermented greens (perhaps mei gan cai, mustard green), and coriander. It was delightfully soft and savory.
For my small plate, I chose the Taiwanese fried chicken chop. It was super delicious - crunchy on the outside, but moist and flavorful inside. It was served with an egg yolk and hot sauce to mix into a dipping sauce.
For my mini rice bowl, I had the “mapo aubergine,” which I chose over the pork rice, just to have some vegetables. It was also nicely prepared and artfully presented.
While the food was great, the service was off. In particular, the servers kept confusing my order with the order of the fellow sitting next to me, who arrived much before I did. They switched our dishes, meaning he was left waiting for his order much longer than I - and in a mistake I didn’t catch until after leaving the restaurant, they switched our checks as well.
While the set menu is a good value compared to ordering a la carte, it’s still not cheap to eat. I wanted a bit more at the end of the meal, so I ordered a glass of their peanut milk. It was in a seriously tiny glass, maybe just a few sips worth, but cost 4 GBP! It left me longing for my Taiwanese restaurant in Valencia, Casa Tafu.
The next Taiwanese cuisine encounter happened by chance, while I was walking around Spitalfields Market with friends. I spotted this stand selling dou hua, or tofu custard, something I always crave. I knew I had to jump at the chance to have some!
I ordered mine with some toppings like taro and sweet potato mochi and brown sugar jelly. While the portion size wasn’t so great for 5 GBP, it still hit the spot. London prices I guess!
