Applying a “tortoise v hare” approach to restaurant reviews, I reckon I’m more the former. It’s taken me ages to get round to having a taste of South African street food sensation Bunny Chow in Soho. But “slow and steady” seems to win the race indeed, as a recent lunch there was worth coming out of my shell for.
Bunnychow is a laidback sort of eatery with a no worries/no pretences vibe to it and where the star of the show is the filling and flavoursome food. Situated on Wardour Street in Soho (nearer the Shaftesbury Avenue end than the Oxford Street side), it’s a smart choice for an affordable quick bite … and if you like a bit of heat with your food, you’ll love bunnychow’s hot sauce (I sure did).
Bunnychow (the place, one word) serves bunny chow (traditional street food from Durban, two words). A “bunny” is a freshly baked bun hollowed out and “crammed” with hot fillings and topped with a bread lid (which serves as an excellent sopper-upper once you’re close to the bottom of your bunny).
During my dine, I tried the Piri Piri Pork Bunny: eight-hour pulled pork with piri piri sauce in a white loaf, which at £5 – and with a heavy handed addition of a few drops of Bunnychow’s super fiery house-made hot sauce – was an inexpensive and tasty kick start to the rest of my day. I enjoyed drinking a “Madiba” (grapefruit juice with vanilla, lime and elderflower, £2) with my food.
Reasons to hop back over (in hare mode rather than tortois mode) to Bunnychow are many. Chiefly, I’d be inclined to dive into another round of piri piri pork yumminess. The restaurant is now serving breakfast (there’s a Full English bunny that sounds delish) as well as a new range of bunnies and sides (plenty of veggie options) including samp – a South African staple of dried corn kernels stamped and chopped until broken – and offer all their juices and boozed up cocktails at very reasonable (especially for Soho) prices (my Madiba with vodka would have set me back £4).
Bunnychow is located at 74 Wardour Street, W1F 0TE. Find out more at bunnychow.com.
