My visit to BAO Soho began with an espresso and ended with a pint. In between came fluffy Taiwanese buns, a bowl of guinea fowl rice and a little local history. This corner of Lexington Street and Broadwick Street put everything within a short walk: SAID for coffee, BAO for lunch and the John Snow pub next door.
From the Roberts London video archive, originally published on 10 April 2016. The meal, queue and pub visit below describe that outing.
Coffee at SAID and the BAO Soho queue
I started outside SAID on Broadwick Street with a double espresso. It was primarily a chocolate shop, and I already knew its hot chocolate was delicious. On this occasion, though, coffee was the warm-up for lunch around the corner. I had come to Soho for the steamed buns.
BAO had been open for nearly a year at the time, and a queue was already part of the experience. People waited outside for lunch, then another queue formed for dinner after the afternoon break. I joined the line opposite the restaurant and reached the front after roughly ten to twenty minutes. By then, I was ready to eat.
Inside, the restaurant was tiny. Light wood, a simple interior and staff in white coats gave it an unusually clean, minimal look. The seats were close together, too. This felt like somewhere to enjoy a few excellent dishes and keep things moving; there was a pub next door for a longer drink afterwards.
Classic pork bao and cavolo nero
I chose four dishes: the classic bao, a confit pork bao, guinea fowl rice and cavolo nero with salted egg. I also ordered a Taiwanese oolong tea. The menu described the ten-year-aged tea as strong and smoky, which sounded just right.
The cavolo nero arrived first. The dark greens came with a soy dressing and salted egg on top, and made a good start to the meal. Dishes appeared as the kitchen finished them, so lunch arrived in stages rather than all together.
Then came the classic bao: braised pork, peanut powder, fermented greens and coriander in a white steamed bun. The pork was lovely, but the bun itself was a big part of the appeal. It was so soft and fluffy that I described the texture as almost marshmallow-like. These little buns were exactly why I had joined the queue.
Oolong tea and guinea fowl rice
Meanwhile, my tea arrived in a tiny terracotta teapot with a little cup. Pouring it became a minor challenge. I had trained my arms at the gym the night before, and my right arm kept shaking when I lifted things. Between the chopsticks and the miniature tea set, I was concentrating rather harder than usual. Fortunately, I managed the pour without spilling a drop.
The guinea fowl rice was another highlight. Alongside the meat and sticky rice sat a bright egg yolk, crisp shallots and green vegetables. I was less certain of every garnish, but the combination was delicious. The rich yolk gave the rice a wonderful texture, and the strong flavours worked well together. Apart from the buns, this was my favourite dish of the visit.
My confit pork bao followed, topped with dried shallots and a hot sauce. Once again, the bun was incredibly soft and the pork fell apart easily. I liked having two different versions during the same meal. The classic had its peanut topping and greens; this one brought another rich pork filling and a little heat.
You could order more dishes as you went along. Dessert, however, came after the savoury food. I mentioned the fried bao filled with Horlicks ice cream in the film, although the lunch shown centred on those four savoury dishes and the tea.
The John Snow pub and the Broad Street pump
After lunch, I stepped back onto Lexington Street. The kitchen was closing for its afternoon break, so the queue had disappeared. A few steps away stood the John Snow pub on the corner of Broadwick Street. Before going inside, I stopped to point out a coloured granite kerbstone associated with the historic water pump site.
The pub remembers Dr John Snow and his investigation of the 1854 Soho cholera outbreak. He traced cases to contaminated water from the Broad Street pump, on the street now called Broadwick Street. The authorities removed its handle to stop people using it. The London Museum explains Snow’s investigation and why it became so significant in the history of public health.
Inside the pub, I ordered a Taddy lager. During this visit it was a Samuel Smith’s pub, with separate bar areas and plenty of pictures on the walls. An open doorway between the bars let me explore without walking back around outside. Framed portraits and historical displays kept the connection with John Snow visible throughout the visit.
It was a satisfying little Soho circuit: espresso, Taiwanese lunch, then a beer and a look at the history of the surrounding streets. For another food outing from the same month, join me at Southbank Centre Market for a street food dinner.
