Bunnychow is a South African street-food concept that has recently landed in Soho. With a menu that centres on feisty, flavoursome ‘bunnys’ – freshly baked buns, hollowed out, crammed with delicious hot fillings and topped with a bread ‘lid’ – Bunnychow has transformed a traditional Durban workers’ meal with bold recipes and a modern and imaginative twist.
New Wardour Street site
Having brought Bunny Chow from the sugar cane fields of South Africa to the streets of London via a hugely successful food truck and a pop-up at BoxPark, Bunnychow is now going back to its African roots with its new permanent Wardour Street site. Following a venue re-design that has increased covers to 28, Bunnychow is launching a new core bunny menu and a range of fresh juice cocktails in early February.
Bunny chows: how they started
Bunny Chows began in Durban in the 1940s as a portable lunch solution for migrant Indian plantation workers that were often banned from certain cafes during Apartheid. Since the traditional Indian meal of roti & beans tended to fall apart easily, they filled loaves with curry and topped it with the bread lid. The bunny chow was created and has developed over the years to become a hugely popular street food. While travelling across Africa, Bunnychow CEO, Atholll Milton, saw their potential and introduced them to London in 2013.
The new menu
Bunnychow’s new menu of ‘bunnys’ feature big flavours and aromatic sauces that take inspiration from South Africa’s distinctive culinary traditions. Created by Head Chef Finn Baird, the newly introduced bunnys include; the ‘Durban Bunny’, which bears the most resemblance to the original Bunny Chow, and the ‘Chakalaka Bunny’, which is inspired by a spicy relish first developed in the townships of Johannesburg.
Each bunny filling is made with different meats, veg and garnishes, from traditional mutton and vegetables to chicken and pulled pork. When choosing from Bunnychow’s compact menu, diners have the option of a white, wholemeal, brioche or, soon to launch, gluten free bread and can pick from a range of delicious South African sides. Torn apart with messy fingers, scooped out with a fork or dunked into like a soup, the only way to eat a bunny is with pure unadulterated delight.
The Bunnychow menu:
BUNNYS
• DURBAN BUNNY – Slow cooked mutton curry, raita, mango chutney – £5
• VEGGIE BUNNY – Cauliflower, chickpea, potato, spicy Durban sauce – £5
• PIRI PIRI PORK BUNNY – 8 hour pulled pork & Bunnychow’s Piri Piri sauce – £5
• CHAKALAKA BUNNY – Spicy chicken and tomato, raita, mango chutney – £5
• FULL ENGLISH BUNNY* (served all day) – Sausage, home cured bacon, button mushrooms, bobotie spiced beans, tomato, bunnychow’s homemade black pudding, fried egg – £4
SIDES – All £1
• MONKEY GLAND CHICKEN WINGS – two pieces
• PIRI PIRI LAMB RIBS – two pieces
• GEELRYS RICE – Spicy, sweet rice
• BORECOLE – Stir-fried kale
Juices and fruit infusions
Bunnychow is also introducing a range of freshly pressed bottled juices and fruit infusions that can either be enjoyed on their own as a refreshing thirst quencher, or with gin, rum or vodka as a mouth-wateringly, heady and zesty cocktail. Made with exotic ingredients and vibrant fruits, created fresh by the chefs and served from countertop jars, the juices and cocktails bring a burst of African sunshine to the London bar scene.
Examples from the cocktail and juice menu include:
• NORTH BEACH – Coconut cream, coconut water, banana, lime, lemon – £2 or £4 with white rum
• MADIBA’S – Grapefruit juice, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries – £2 or £4 with vodka
• INVICTUS – Ginger, lemon and honey – £2 or £4 with spicy rum
• GREEN MAMBA – Peppermint & Earl Grey tea, lemon juice – £2 or £4 with gin
Perfect for a filling breakfast, lunch on the go, a casual dinner or post work drinks and snacks, Bunnychow has brought an entirely new eating and drinking experience to London.
74 Wardour Street, London, W1F 0TE
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