Senior food producer Spencer Lengsfield tries out the new menu at this lively Cantonese eatery in London's Shoreditch

Where is it?

Conveniently located just a 5-minute walk from Shoreditch High Street station, on the corner of vibrant Brick Lane. It’s just a couple doors down from the iconic Beigel Bake if you’re still peckish, although you’ll likely be leaving here full and satisfied, ready to hit the town.

What is the place like?

Bun House Disco does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a combination of 1980s' Hong Kong nightlife with retro-diner-style décor. The chequered and striped benches, clear red pitchers and stainless-steel tableware would lead you to believe you were in a 50s-era diner, if it weren’t for the soy sauce, chopsticks and chilli oil on the side of the table. Bun House Disco doesn’t take itself too seriously, as evidenced by the giant ‘Hot Asian Buns’ catchphrase on the wall and the disco ball in the corner, but the food is just as fun as the setting.

What did you eat and drink?

It’s a sharing menu, as is the trend in London now, so we ordered seven dishes plus cocktails between two of us. We had the pleasure of visiting during the launch of their new summer menu – we primarily ordered from this new menu but couldn’t resist also ordering a couple of their famous steamed buns, a menu staple.

The prawn XO skillet rice was a big portion between two, and although it was tasty – be warned, chilli is the dominant flavour here. The charred mackerel with soy vinaigrette was fresh, light, and a nice change of pace from the rest of the dishes, but the standouts for me were the gwai mei aubergine and the saucy dan dan wontons.

The aubergine is good enough to convert even the strictest aubergine hater. It was perfectly fried, crunchy on the outside but melt-in-the-middle soft, tossed in a rich and tangy sesame butter. The dan dan sauce for the wontons was warm, nutty, sweet, and just barely spicy, perfectly coating the bouncy dumplings, with a generous pile of crunchy spring onions in the middle.

I’d like to give a special shout out to the Kaya French Toast, the only dessert on the menu but deservedly so. It’s a perfect little French toast stack, topped with a scoop of jasmine clotted cream and a drizzle of coconutty kaya butter jam. Plus, it’s very reasonably priced at only £3.80. I’d go back just for this! 

Drinks-wise, we tried the Watermelon Paloma (our favourite), Pomelo Dragon Spritz, and the Pineapple Ice. Conveniently, the cocktails are listed in order of least to most alcoholic, and they have a separate section for low and non-alcoholic drinks – something for everyone.

Your verdict?

Bun House Disco is perfect for any high-energy evening, whether that’s a birthday, a reunion, or pre-night out fuel. If you’re looking for a spot with a trendy East-London vibe to bring out of towners, especially one that actually has tasty food, then this is the place to bring them.