Tag Archives: soho

Whaam Banh Mi, Soho

Posted on by

Whaam 1Whaam 2Whaam 3Whaam 4Whaam 5

When Brits return home from Asia, they rave about the street food they tried on their travels… so it seems logical that London’s restaurant scene is working hard to recreate some of the favourite fast food enjoyed so much abroad.

As the name suggests, Whaam Bahn Mi celebrates the Vietnamese sandwiches (‘banh mi’) enjoyed on the streets of Ho Chi Minh. Tucked away behind Piccadilly Circus, this cheerful takeaway café provides the workers of Soho with an exotic lunch offering.

Operating only as a takeaway, this characterful little venue only has a few menu choices. There are five banh mi on offer which can be accompanied by the side salads or fresh summer spring rolls. Founder Tom Barlow spent time in Vietnam researching and trying the authentic banh mi snacks so he could offer the real deal in London.

The fluffy baguettes are filled with the slow-cooked filling of your choice and loaded with pate, pickled shredded carrot and mooli radish, cucumber, coriander, crispy shallots and red chilli. It is a wonderful assortment of flavours and textures. We chose to try the Luc Lac beef brisket and the BBQ shredded pork, though chicken, fishcakes and tofu are also available. Both meats were delicious – tender and rich in flavour thanks to the slow cooking technique. The extras were tasty too, though I found the chicken liver pate a little overpowering. These sandwiches need to be eaten quick – we found after five minutes that the bread became sloppy and was increasingly difficult to eat.

Whaam Banh Mi offers a friendly service and a lovely cultural lunch option for the arty Soho crowd. I’m visiting Vietnam later this year and can’t wait to try a banh mi in its original context.

More information here: www.whaambanhmi.com

Chef, Soho Theatre

Posted on by

CHEF soho theatre

Fifty minutes went by in a flash, and yet just metres away actress Jade Anouka had recounted the entire life story of a troubled but talented chef.

Chef is a short play with plenty of power. After premiering at Edinburgh Fringe Festival it has won a string of awards and now finds itself in the heart of London’s West End at Soho Theatre. The piece is part of the summer programme of monologue-based plays.

This one-woman show is a platform for a strong and versatile actress and Jade Anouka rises to the challenge. She tells the story eloquently and fervently, using the small stage imaginatively to flick between characters and scenarios. With almost no staging and very few props, she holds the attention of the audience for almost an hour and leaves us wanting to hear more.

We hear the tale of a young girl abused by a father, the woes of her destructive relationships but then the joy she experiences as a young woman learning her craft in the kitchen. Food is not just her passion and skill but it is her escape. She seeks shelter and solace in the kitchen when the world turns on her. We hear how she established herself at the helm of an haute-cuisine restaurant later finding herself, as a convicted inmate, running a prison kitchen. A white board allows the play to be split into sections, each titled with a foodie delight like ‘The Perfect Peach’ or ‘Red Berries with Hibiscus Sorbet’.

The script is lyrical and poetic; at times the rhythm of Anouka’s speech becomes almost rap-like in its realisation. The writing is florid with lots of description and complex imagery – it requires concentration to fully understand, but is satisfying and beautiful to listen to. I felt fully immersed in the narrative and at times noticed myself gasp or jump with surprise.

Chef is a mesmerising insight into the life of a chef, and the life of a convict but most of all the life of woman and the struggle for love and fulfilment. Sabrina Mahfouz’s thought-provoking play will provide the perfect talking point over dinner in one of Soho’s lovely eateries.

Chef continues until 4 July 2015, more information and book here.

Bao, Soho

Posted on by

I once did an internship in Soho. Lunchtimes were a dizzying excitement of food options – popular market stalls and cafes, fragrant pop-ups and busy boutique delis, all vying for my lunch order. If Bao had been around then it would have been a big contender on my lunch list.

Bao began life as a humble street food vendor, serving up simple but irresistible steamed buns filled with indulgent pork belly, sticky sweet sauce and onions. I tasted their fare at Netil market and then enjoyed their short stay in the Harvey Nichols Food Hall. Now they are proud owners of a neat little eatery on Lexington Street, and the vast queue outside proves their success. The Bao team have been helped by the business minds behind Gymkhana and Trishna, but after trying their offerings at the new permanent home, I can assure you it is the food and stylish venue that is bringing in the customers.

The venue is heavily influenced by slick Japanese design, with simple wooden tables and chairs and shelves displaying the range of exotic beers on offer. Diners tend to come and go within an hour, with such fast and flavoursome food, it’s not a lingering all-evening affair. This means the queue moves at an encouraging speed.

The cute custom cartoons suggest it is all about the filled fluffy white steamed Bao buns, but the concise order slip also illustrates a range of hot and cold small Taiwanese dishes (known as Xiao chi). Special delicacies include Eryngii Mushroom with Century Egg and Pig Blood Cake.

You will be invited to annotate the order slip, numbering how many of each dish you would like. I would recommend at least three plates per person, and a can of Taiwan Gold Medal beer each. Try all the Bao variations if you can… there is even a fried Horlicks ice-cream option for dessert! My favourites were the Confit Pork which is stuffed into the bun with pork sauce, hot sauce and sprinkled with dried shallots. The fried chicken with Sichuan mayo, golden kimchi and sesame BAO bun is also divine with the magical soy milk marinated chicken. Vegetarian delights include Aubergine and wonton crisp, a mushy intensely spiced aubergine with light crispy crackers. Trotter Nuggets must not be missed, tender rich slow-cooked pork with a crunchy breadcrumbed edge and a khaki burned chilli sauce dip on the side.

Both times I have visited there have been dishes that have already sold out. Foam tea (a chilled light oolong tea topped with foam cream) is a favourite but never seems to be available, and the century egg seems to go fast too. Soon they will be offering a takeaway service but until then, I hope they can keep up with the demand. I will definitely be returning soon for my bao bun fix.

More information about Bao here: www.baolondon.com