Bunnychow
NAOMI BLAIR TRIES THE SOUTH AFRICAN STREET FOOD THAT’S TAKING LONDON BY STORM
Must-try: Monkey gland bunny and Jaffa muffin
Price: £
Good for: A unique lunch
Overall: 3/5
Bunnychow may sound like some sort of rabbit food, but thankfully, the South African street food favourite is anything but. Concocted in Durban in the 1940’s by Indian workers looking to stop their curry from soaking into their rotis, a bread container was devised and the bunny chow was born. Nowadays, a bunny chow is a hearty stew served in dinky little individual loaves, allowing the stew to soak into the bread and create an edible bowl of deliciousness.
Bunnychow started off as a food truck, doing the round in the London street food scene, and has now happily set up shop in the heart of Soho, making it much easier to get your bunnychow fix. They offer everything from breakfast to biltong, as well as a great selection of fresh juices like the refreshing plum and mint juice, which alone should merit a trip to Bunnychow.
Having never had a bunny before, I was tentative at first, but decided that the best way to tackle the mini loaf was just to forget about cutlery and get stuck in. The terrifyingly named ‘Monkey Gland’ bunny was a richly flavoured stew with meatballs, peppers and a tangy BBQ sauce. The vegetarian ‘Boston Bean’ bunny was full of molasses baked beans, smoked cheese, chilli and spinach.
You can also pick whether to have your bunny in a white or wholemeal loaf, specially baked to Bunnychow’s size specifications. While the flavours packed a real punch, portion sizes were a little small for dinner time. However, the extra room we had left over meant we got to try the utterly delicious Jaffa muffin, which was exactly like a giant Jaffa cake, only 10 times better.
All in all Bunnychow serves up flavour-packed food perfect for a lunch with a twist. They’re bringing bunnies to Britain, and about time too.
74 Wardour Street