On 24 July, Z He and Alex Peffly, the husband and wife team behind Cantonese steamed bun specialists, Bun House and Jian Bing trading stall, Pleasant Lady, will open Wun’s on the current Soho Bun House site.
Capturing the spirit of 1960s late night Hong Kong, the restaurant and bar will be set over two floors on Greek Street.
Wun’s menu will feature nostalgic Cantonese dishes from Z’s childhood including bar snacks of Spiced peanut and fried whitebait and XO bone marrow with fried mantau. Larger dishes will include Z’s family’s signature ‘My Gran’s secret recipe for sour plum braised duck’, whilst clay pot rice dishes of house soy braised aubergine rice and Iberico char siu rice, will complete the menu along with a selection of skewers.
For desserts, Wun's will serve up Hong Kong egg tarts, Osmanthus goji ice cream and Childhood fried milk.
The drinks list will reflect more unusual Chinese spirits and ingredients with cocktails including the herbaceous Green Bamboo & Quince with bamboo fenjiu, pue’er tea liqueur, fresh quince and mango; the more floral Chrysantheum & Haw with Tou Mei Chrysanthemum wine, haw liquer, plum sour and dehydrated haw; and the earthy, spicy Plum & 'Coke' with Sour plum infused baiju, liquorice, sour plum tea, and five spice syrup.
The beer list will celebrate Hong Kong’s burgeoning craft beer scene, working closely with breweries such as Moonzen and Young Master. A selection of Virgin cocktails will include Lavender and HK Milk Tea, Sour Plum and Tomato Tea and Peach & Star Anise with Kombucha fizz.
Designed by Z He, double folding windows will open onto the streets of Soho, with tables lined by wicker chairs and communal booth seating reflecting Hong Kong’s open air street cafes (dai pai dong).
Open ‘til late, downstairs at Wun’s will take on the spirit of Hong Kong’s nightlife with a neon-lit bar, velvet seating and an eclectic soundtrack of psychedelic and go-go style music.
Z He said, “Wun’s means a lot to me – it’s my name in Cantonese for a start – so we’ve created everything I would want from a Hong Kong bar. Somewhere to relax during the day and settle down for the night to drink, feast and party until the early hours.
'1960s Hong Kong was an interesting time when the city prospered and the nightlife really took off so Wun’s is a nod to that era and my own little slice of Hong Kong here in London – I look forward to sharing it.”
Following its opening in July, Wun’s will unveil a calendar of regular events, from monthly DJ nights exploring the underground music scene of China’s biggest cities, to masterclasses that will get to grips with Chinese spirits and some of Wun’s more unusual cocktail ingredients. Wun’s will also be available for private hire.