Daddy Bao: Tooting’s new Taiwanese restaurant

Daddy Bao Tooting : it’s probably not escaped your attention that a number of restaurants on the ‘High Street’ are having a bit of a nightmare.

This week alone Jamie Oliver announced a number of closures, Prezzo said it was shuttering 90 locations and Byron appears to be shifting too few patties to pay the rent.

But whilst the Naked Chef and his friends appear to be losing their shirts, there is another part of the high street which, if my recent visit is any guide, is doing a roaring trade.

Daddy Bao specialises in steamed buns, the Taiwanese kind. Gua bao are fluffy white pillows which originally began life in island’s famous night markets and are traditionally filled with braised pork, pickles, mustard and peanuts.

And when they’re done well they’re delicious.

Their new Tooting site is the sister to a similarly themed, and named, Peckham restaurant (also called Daddy Bao!) and can be found on that strip of pubs and bars which proves that SW17 is becoming a serious foodie heaven.

Sitting at the bar, sipping a cold beer, whilst watching a procession of buns trot out the kitchen really brought home the problems facing those other high street chains; and I’m not sure how they go about fixing them.

Firstly Daddy Bao is a much swifter proposition. I was on date night so we weren’t in a rush. But everytable around us turned at least once whilst we racked up our babysitter hours and this younger crowd topped out age-wise in their mid-thirties. That’s not to say that they were made to feel rushed, but they obviously had places to be and people to see. That means that the service is quick, attentive and accurate and whilst none of the staff lingered at our table they were absolutely happy to explain the menu in as much detail as we needed.

Secondly, the food is amazing.

I mean really seriously good.

My date has spent a lot of time in China and fancies himself as a bit of an Asian food expert bore and he was an instant fan.

After his gazillionth swoon I felt like shouting “WE GET IT, THEY ‘RE LIKE THE ONES YOU HAD IN BEIJING” but he did have a point. Soft. fluffy and without that cloying claggy lumpiness that comes from badly steamed Bao, they were the perfect companion to the pork, beef and tofu that we’d ordered.

But it wasn’t just the buns. Their dumplings were also divine. Moist centres delivered a hit of filling, the steamed dough holding their shape and carrying the dipping sauce without collapsing or interfering with the flavours.

Fried chicken with Miso Mayo was another big win. Crispy, hot and with no fatty aftertaste they buddied up with the sweet potato fries like they’d been friends for life. And what fries! Big, fat, orange crispy skinned hunks – like sunburnt hen weekenders – I dunked them into dollops of that banging Miso mayo and squeaked as I bit into their velutinous centres. They were so good I ordered a second portion.

Drinks wise the cocktails appear to be a speciality and whilst they had a couple of beers on draft the wine was the only low point. It wasn’t poor, but everything else was so so good. Maybe it could have been colder, maybe it was the glass it was served in. Those thick transparent tankards reminded me of school canteens, but one woman’s retro is another woman’s shuddered memory and, as I say, a really small point.

And then we come to the price.

Most items are £4 or less and even though you’ll probably need three or four the total cost will be well below those Stepford Wife chains and this feels much more special and it’s a darn sight more tasty.

Daddy Bao is awesome. It’s great value with a cracking atmosphere, just make sure you have somewhere to go on afterwards as it’s not a lingering kind of place. But that really doesn’t matter, it’s another item to add to the long list of reasons to move to Tooting.

http://www.daddybao.com/