What's the draw
Peckham's favourite Taiwanese restaurant Mr Bao has landed in Tooting. Named for owner Frank Yeung's father, Daddy Bao is a buzzing but intimate venue on Mitcham Road coloured with beautiful dark wood, hazy red lanterns and splashes of jade. On our visit, eager punters were being turned away at the door. They, and all the people tucking into grub at Daddy Bao's candlelit tables, clearly know what's good – these are, after all, the "fluffiest" bao buns in town...
What to drink
Bound for a beer? Daddy Bao's very own lychee pale ale is pretty stellar. It's subtly fruity and brewed by Old Kent Road Brewery over on the Bermondsey Beer Mile. If you see yourself as more of as sake sipper, the ume no yado yuzu sake tastes exactly like lime Starbursts (or if you want a less nostalgic reference, our mate likened it to a sophisticated sour). Cocktails – including the homemade barrel-aged negroni with chocolate bitters, and the oh-so-potent lychee daiquiri – are another worthwhile way to go.
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What to eat
If you wanted to, you could take down the entire selection of bao buns for just over £25. We're not saying you should, but we're also not saying you'll have an easy choice narrowing down the options, either. The Three Cups chicken – slow-braised and accompanied by crunchy red cabbage pickle – is a good place to start, and Frank says it's one of the most authentic recipes on the menu. We say: can we have that sweet and spicy goodness on tap, please? Also worth a try is the brisket bun, where the sweet caress of melty brisket and fiery wasabi mayo come together in a near-euphoric combination. For veggies there's the kimchi and tofu bun, where contrasting textures take the lead, creating something surprisingly (but pleasingly) meaty. This is good food. Really good food. And now that we know that Daddy Bao does bottomless brunch, too, we can't wait to go back.
Buns from £3.90; cocktails from £7. 113 Mitcham Road, SW17 9PE; daddybao.com
