Street food in Britain is no longer just about pie & mash and fish & chips but a huge variety of cuisines, from Middle Eastern falafel to Argentinean empanadas. South African bunny chow is the newest kid on the block offering hollowed-out loaves of bread filled with hearty westernised grub.
Bunny chow is a traditional dish brought to South Africa by the South Asian ancestry who populate the city of Durban. Durban’s serve their hollowed-out loaves filled to the brim with chilli-laden curries. Bunnies tend to be eaten by hand, dipping the crusts of the bread into the sauce and scooping up the filling as you go.
After selling bunnies from a food truck in Brixton, the owner of London’s first bunny chow eatery (appropriately named “Bunnychow”) Atholl Milton then went onto secured an indoor pitch at Boxpark in Shoreditch. Since then, Bunnychow has found a permanent location in the London streets of Soho.
To celebrate the opening of their Soho branch, on Wardour Street, Bunnychow hosted a Bloggers Chowdown. So myself and a friend popped along to see what all the fuss was about!
The interior to Bunnychow is similar to that of a Leon or (dare I say) Pret. It has more character mind you, but in general the set up is cold food and beverages in a open fridge to one side and a fast food counter style queuing system for hot food orders and payment.
Soft drinks are oddly served in bottles that look more suitable for cosmetics than juices. The choice of flavours was just as unusual, ranging from beetroot virgin Bloody Mary, cucumber mojitos and honey earl grey tea. We tried a selection of them, wincing a little at the strange flavour combinations but nonetheless finding our own favourites.
Apples wrapped in cellophane filled with fruit and chili jam, replacing their core, line the refrigerator shelves. As well as open sandwiches with tasty fillings such as smoked salmon and crab.
Bunnychow have updated their menu since their Bloggers Chowdown. I was lucky enough to sample the haddock, spring onion, sweetcorn and poached quails egg bunny as well as the pork & pickle bunny. You can check out the most up to date menu on their website here: bunnychow.com
Bunnies are delivered from behind the kitchen counter in cute little boxes, great for taking away at lunch time and keeping hot.
The fish pie-esque bunny was beautifully presented. Colourful and juicy yellow sweetcorn sits next to sprigs of fresh spring onion and a wee quail egg sliced in half displays a runny yolk dusted with pepper.
The pork and pickle bunny was equally delicious. Full of flavour, the slow roasted pulled pork was lovely and moist which was great for mopping up with the bread. Tangy red cabbage and mini pickled veggies made up the rest of the dish.
Bunnychow is open all day, seven days a week – there’s even a “Full English Bunny” on the menu. That’s a brioche loaf jam filled with mini Cumberland sausages, bacon and Bunnychows’ own handmade black pudding and baked beans, topped off with a poached egg.
If you live or (more likely!) work around Soho then definitely swap your boring office packed lunch for a Bunnychow one day this week. Bunnychow is filling, full of flavour and different.
Details
ADDRESS: 74 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0TB
CONTACT: 020 7439 9557
OPENING HOURS: 8am – 10pm Monday to Wednesday, 8am – 11pm Thursday to Friday, 9am – 11pm Saturdays and 10am – 7pm Sundays
WEBSITE: www.bunnychow.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/thebunnychow
TWITTER: @thebunnychow
Just another London foodie 