Quick Review: Flesh and Buns

Flesh and buns somewhat pretentiously describes itself as an Izakaya (a sort of fast-moving, rough and ready Japanese bar which serves food alongside alcohol and is generally stuffed with world-weary workers). During my month in Tokyo I wandered through alleyway after alleyway of these and joined the one with the longest queue, in the hope that the locals knew best. I was never disappointed and would sit with a glass of Umeshu (ume fruit liquor) and soda, grazing on simple chicken yakitori, stuffed onto a lemon grass stalk or grilled vegetables before moving onto the next. Flesh and buns, with its oppressively loud music and vast communal canteen table doesn’t really approach the crowded but intimate atmosphere of your typical Izakaya. It sells food and drinks with a Japanese heritage which is pretty much where its likeness to an Izakaya ends.

Moving on to the food… the flesh and buns name is in reference to the Taiwanese street food dish of gua bao (steamed rice flour buns filled with meat), which I don’t think is a traditional Izakaya dish either…. rant over…  These have been around in London for quite some time, specifically East London (see Yum Bun, Bao London and Jubo for example), but have been made ‘trendy’ by this...ahem... "izakaya's" 'does what it says on the tin’ name and the conversation / confusion that creates (I bet some of you were expecting another burger joint). I have to admit, these gua bao were new to me too, and I was intrigued to try out the most talked about ones. I wasn’t however prepared to queue for them so turned up  late on a Wednesday evening following a couple of rounds of cocktails at the Donovan bar (try a whiskey sour with rose syrup and you won't regret it!).

For me the small sharing dishes were the better than the buns: the spicy tuna sushi was original because of the crispy crumb coating it - I am not sure quite what this delicate crumb was made of but it tasted a bit like crushed tempura batter. In the middle of it, the spicy tuna was firm and fresh, if a little under-spiced. The deep fried spider crab was another highlight. Just the right level of crispy exterior and fresh, fleshy centre, served with a creamy horseradish sauce instead of wasabi. I liked this little touch that conjured up memories of Sunday lunch in an incongruous context. The crispy squid was good to begin with but so, so salty I found myself drinking an entire pint of water soon after – I could have shared a couple of those crabs instead. The grilled asparagus were the right antidote to the deep fried dishes. Sweet, a little crunchy and lathered in an authentic miso-based sauce.

The buns part of the meal was somewhat less pleasing. The flesh was all very good - we shared the crispy piglet belly which was divine on its own  - but when combined with the sauce and bun it all became a little bland and cloying. The pickled apple was a good addition but there wasn’t quite enough of this to cut through the bun. I ended going without but understanding why they hadn’t just called themselves ‘Flesh’, which would be rather creepy.

When it came to drinks I was very disappointed at the lack of Umeshu but had an ume flavoured Sake instead, Ume No Yado, which was actually great (but not cheap). By the time I came to dessert I was too stuffed to order anything but envious of the gimmicky but fun marshmallow toasting going on around us.

 

All in all Flesh and Buns was a mixed experience. While I would happily go there again, I felt it was rather overpriced so I couldn’t just relax and order everything I wanted (I spent just under £40 on 2 small dishes, half a ‘flesh and buns’ main and a drink). I think I will be venturing further East for my buns fix in the future

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