Serving posh Asian junk food in a noisy, dimly lit restaurant below Covent Garden, Flesh & Buns serves light fluffy steamed buns, ready for you to ‘stuff’ with the fleshy filling of your choice, from braised pork belly, crispy duck to salmon teriyaki. The underground space is large and practical, with most diners seated along a long communal table which adds to the atmosphere of the place, and the pre-dinner cocktails alone are worth the trip.
Before, or with the flesh & buns, there is an array of smaller dishes such as Tuna Tataki, sushi, and chicken skewers covered in sesame-flavoured yummy gooeyness! Although we had asked for all the food to be served together, we were presented with the smaller dishes first before a slightly-too-long wait for the main, but it sure was worth the wait.
The soft, pillowy rice-flour buns are designed to be filled with the meet of your choice, I went for duck, which was tender and juicy – scrumptious. If only it hadn’t been quite so delicious we would have had room for dessert – the couple (a little bit too close) to our right ordered the Marshmallow pudding – slabs of marshmallows which you cook on sticks over a burning tooth-shaped rock – like a religious ceremony – before sandwiching between two wafers. It looked Ah-May-Zing.
We went in at 6.30, and it was gone 9 by the time we left, happily strolling the streets of Covent Garden feeling full and mellow from the cocktails. Flesh & Buns is busy, rowdy and unapologetic – perfect for after-work food and drinks with friends, but I wouldn’t recommend going on a date here. There’s nothing romantic about shoving meat into a soft squishy bun, and the width of the tables is just a little too big to be intimate.
Keep an eye on their Twitter too as I see some great deals popping up every now and then.
Will you be trying Flesh & Buns?