On 15th November, Buns & Buns, the restaurant putting breads and buns back at the centre of the table, is throwing open the doors to its new home in the heart of London’s Covent Garden Market. Having first debuted Buns & Buns in Miami, founder Alexandre Zibi is bringing his take on the world’s best breads, from fluffy Taiwanese bao to pala romana, a crunchy Roman-style pizza bread, to the market’s North Hall. To celebrate their arrival in the neighbourhood, the team will be dishing up 100 brioche lobster rolls on the house for the first 100 dinner guests on opening day.
Upon entering the restaurant, guests will be greeted by a towering bamboo steamer filled with pillowy bao, including Buns & Buns’ signature shiitake mushroom bun and a bourbon pork belly bun. Located under the North Hall’s iron and glass roof, Buns & Buns will feature an open-plan kitchen with low marble counter dining where visitors can interact with the chefs. The space is decorated in warm, earthy tones with copper accents, and is strung with glowing filament bulbs and filled with greenery. Once seated, bun-lovers can take their pick from Buns & Buns’ roving dim sum trolley as it is wheeled around the tables, or opt for dishes from the menu including the brioche lobster roll with skinny fries, clams and mussels in white wine with sourdough. A copper-clad rotisserie oven will slowly roast whole chickens marinated in yogurt and lime juice, for another Buns & Buns signature: blackened poulet rôti with pão de queijo, a Brazilian bread loaded with melted cheese and ready to be ripped apart. To finish, Alex and the team will be dishing up bread-based desserts such as bread and chocolate pudding alongside freshly spun soft serve blended with a choice of nostalgic childhood treats and seasonal doughnuts.
At the curving open-plan bar, Buns & Buns’ bartenders will shake up cocktails based on fresh seasonal juices spiked with craft spirits. For winter, the bar will be pouring seasonal spritzes, with freshly-squeezed mandarin and tangerine juice topped up with Prosecco. As Christmas draws nearer, those looking to warm up will find a black cherry mulled wine, infused with winter spices, cherries and cherry liqueur.
Alex says, “I’ve travelled all over the world, and what struck me most was the huge variety of breads at the centre of every dinner table. I wanted to cherry-pick my favourites and bring them to Buns & Buns, where we hope that every table will happily break bread together, something that people have been doing for thousands of years.”