Restaurateur Alex Zibi originally opened this bread-heavy concept in Miami (it has since closed) and he’s now trying his hand at a London location, settling in on the former site of Jamie Oliver’s Union Jacks in Covent Garden.
The dining room at Buns & Buns is an attractive space which features an open-plan kitchen and a dining counter where guests can interact with chefs. The cute and cosy set up – which features twinkling lights, verdant foliage and geometric flooring – offers a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden, although the glass walls mean you don’t lose out on any of the area’s famously buzzy atmosphere.
Buns & Buns is open all day and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the morning, you’ll find classic breakfast dishes such as omelettes, eggs any style and freshly-baked pastries, which are washed down with coffees and fresh juices. From lunchtime though, the menu’s love of all things buns truly comes into play.
We visited during the evening and it is worth noting that during dinner service, food arrives at the table as and when it’s ready, so it’s well suited to sharing. We kicked off our meal with a bowl of crunchy beer-battered sweetcorn fritters. These were soon joined by a lusciously fatty pork belly bao bun, rubbed with a sticky-sweet slick of Bourbon-spiked glaze. The best thing we ate, however, was the delightfully buttery brioche lobster roll, stuffed with fleshy meat and served with an accompanying mountain of moreish shoestring fries.
To drink, there’s the usual mix of wines and beers, while cocktails such as the Mandarin Spritz are refreshingly fruity. With Covent Garden’s cool-factor slowly on the rise, Buns & Buns’s trend-ticking menu and bustling atmosphere should draw in the crowds who are looking for a quick and casual dinner.
Photo credit: Katie Hammond