Café Bao to open in King’s Cross mid-May

15 April 2021

On Monday 17th May, Shing Tat Chung, Erchen Chang and Wai Ting Chung, the trio responsible for putting Taiwanese steamed BAOs on the London map when they founded BAO, will open the doors to Café BAO in King’s Cross. Taking cues from Yoshoku cuisine and the Western style cafes commonly found throughout Asia, Café BAO will be open all day, with a counter dedicated to BAO Bakery Goods.

Having only been open for a few days before lockdown measures were enforced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2020, the long-awaited opening will see new dishes with innovative twists BAO has become known for, as well as some of BAO’s greatest hits. Taking inspiration from Taiwan’s oldest Western Style cafe, Bolero, as well as the old kissatens of Japan, classic western and Asian dishes are designed to sit alongside each other. Café BAO will open its doors early in the morning for breakfast with a menu including the BAO Loaf, Syrup and Butter, Baked Ham Hock Congee Pie and Bacon, Egg, Cheese Spring Onion Pancake. As thoughts turn to lunch and dinner, there will be a Hamburger BAO, Lobster BAO and Taiwanese Fried Chicken Kiev. For something sweet, desserts include Lonely Pudding –a classic creme caramel flan, and BAOfiteroles, featuring Horlicks ice cream with chocolate sauce.

To drink, the cocktail menu features 70s classics with a BAO twist; such as the BAO-ppino, based on a sgroppino with prosecco poured over mango sorbet; and a Midori Float, a twist on an ice cream float made with Japanese Toki whisky, Midori melon liqueur, soda and milk foam. For something soft, there is a range of Bubble Dreams, BAO’s interpretation of the famed Bubble tea, like the Mocha Bubble, an iced mocha served with brown sugar tapioca pearls and a purple taro foam.

Set across two floors, the interiors designed by Macaulay Sinclair in collaboration with BAO, draw influence from the Western style cafes in Asia with mid-century wood panelling, curved lines, Bauhaus red flooring and Noguchi paper lampshades. Guests entering the café will be greeted with the BAO Bakery Goods (BBG) counter, which offers a range of handmade baked goods to enjoy in the restaurant or to takeaway, including Salted Egg Custard ‘Sad Face’ BAO, Molten chocolate and Cherry ‘Polo’ BAO, Salted Caramel BAO Cookie, and Pizza BAO, plus limited edition celebration items and a bespoke BAO making service. Large floor to ceiling windows allow natural light to stream in throughout the day and a white accented staircase takes diners upstairs to the workshop space, which overlooks the bustling café below. For this time, guests to the workshops will be able to learn about BAOs and the process of creating them, led by BAO bakers.

Founder and Creative Director, Erchen Chang, said, “The inspiration for Café BAO stemmed from Yoshoku cuisine, an interpretation of western food, seen through an Asian lens. This style of cooking is something that’s always resonated with us and made us feel quite nostalgic. After a recent trip to Taipei, Hong Kong and Osaka we realised we wanted to bring it to life.”

Café BAO will open at 4 Pancras Square, Kings Cross, London N1C 4AG