Flesh & Buns

Contemporary Izakaya cuisine

Flesh & Buns

Part of Ex-Zuma head chef Ross Shonhanies' ever growing empire, Flesh & Buns is an underground restaurant serving Izakaya pub-style Japanese cuisine, it gained a hipster reputation back in 2013 with its contemporary take on classic Izakaya cooking in a trendy and spacey dark setting, and of course, the infamous Japanese cartoon artwork in its toilets which are somewhat bizarre and not something you would want yours kids to see. I love Bone Daddies (part of Ross' restaurant empire) so Flesh & Buns has been on my to try list for a while and with the hype having finally worn off, securing a table is no longer a nightmare and a walk-in is finally a possibility!

Korean fried wings

seafood ceviche citrus, chilli, cucumber

crispy piglet belly, mustard miso, apple pickle

I went for the great value express lunch menu, which cost me £23 for 3 course with a beer. The Korean fried wings were bang on with its powerful and bold taste, just the right level of gochujang dressing and the perfect crispy texture, it was indeed as good as wings can get. The signature meat buns lived up to their expectation, the crispy pork belly was really top notch, the meat was smooth and moist with a melt in your mouth texture, together with the mustard miso sauces and steam bun, I think it was the best ever sandwich I have had in London. The matcha tea sundae was also excellent, plenty of fresh fruits and the ice cream itself was not overly sweet with just a hint of pleasant bitterness.

chop it up!

duck leg, sour plum sauce, beetroot pickle

Kinako donuts and matcha tea sundae

Flesh & Buns went beyond my expectations, at first I feared it was another  westernised Japanese restaurant but that was not the case from my lunch experience, both the quality of the ingredients and cooking were outstanding, I can't find any fault at all in its food and the service was also spot on. But do keep in mind that this is not a cheap place, with mains costing up to almost £20 and small plates are averaging £8, you will be looking at paying close to £50 per person for a 3 course meal plus a drink. I would highly recommend trying the express lunch menu first to see if you are fan of Flesh & Buns before moving on to its tasting menu (£35) or its super boozy Sunday brunch (£46) .

Food 3.5/5

What I paid: 
£25 pp with a glass of beer

Average cost without drinks and services:
£27 pp 

41 Earlham St, London WC2H 9LX

http://www.bonedaddies.com/flesh-and-buns/