XU, Soho: BAO’s Founders Announce A New Taiwanese Restaurant Concept

Shing Tat Chung, Wai Ting Chung and Erchen Chang have revealed they will open a new Taiwanese restaurant and bar XU, in London this spring. The trio, founders of the massively popular BAO restaurants in Soho and Fitzrovia, will open the elegant new split-level site on Rupert Street, on the borders of China Town. Interestingly, this mirrors a movement in New York, where a number of young restaurateurs, offering contemporary renditions of Asian cuisines, have recently set up shop on the edges of the city’s China Town. Introducing a whole new side to the team’s culinary and creative talent, XU will offer a cocktail bar, Taiwanese tea bar and private dining space, as well as a sophisticated 76-cover restaurant.

A completely new concept and direction for the founders, XU will immerse diners into the world of Taiwanese cuisine, showcasing the island’s unique cultural diversity, as well as taking influence from the team’s travels across Mainland China. Named after Erchen’s late grandfather, the restaurant will pay homage to the rich history and cultural past of Taiwan. The cuisine has been shaped by the many different regional mainland Chinese provinces close to the island, for example Hunan, Fujian and Zhejiang, as well as through Japanese and Dutch colonies, and the indigenous tribes that make up Taiwan. Situated on the ground floor will be a dedicated ‘tea bar’, giving Londoners a rare glimpse into the art of traditional Taiwanese tea ceremonies.

The interiors at XU will exude refinement, giving a nod to 1930s Taiwan. The team has worked closely with renowned design studio Brady Williams, who are responsible for the interiors at some of London’s most recognisable restaurants such as Corbin & King’s Fischer’s and Bellanger, to create a space echoing the most sumptuous and elegant of dining destinations. Panelled with rich, dark wood, the ground floor will have an eye-catching emerald tea counter, with wooden ceiling fans brought in from Xiao Chi houses and walls adorned with traditional Chinese porcelain. Shayne Brady, Creative Director at Brady Williams commented of the vision, “We have collaborated with the BAO team to create a reinterpretation of a stylised cinematic stage set of Taipei in the 1930s.”

XU, 30 Rupert St, London W1D 1DL – Opening this Spring