Farewell Miss Bun. And hello Burmese chef?

I’m always on the lookout for authentic Chinese food that reminds me of the dishes I savoured during multiple visits to that country. So when I read a review for a new dim sum place on these pages I couldn’t wait to try it out.

As we had travelled through China together in 2012, my husband, sister and I thought we’d try Miss Bun out for the first time a little over a year ago. The first thing that struck me was how authentic the setting was: no frills, just food. How very Chinese! Even the plastic coated menu could have been plucked straight out of a small family run restaurant on the back streets of Shanghai (were it not for the English text).

And over multiple visits, I tried absolutely everything on the menu: delicate dumplings, light bao, flavoursome noodles (dry or with soup) and spicy, warming hot pot. Every time, it perfectly transported me back to those warm evenings spent exploring food markets across Chinese cities.

Miss Bun knows her customers well. She’s a friendly soul and is very interested in getting to know the lives of those around her and the cultural differences between everything. I ended up her friend: I’ve met her daughter, and would text her every time I was coming to let her know who I was bringing to see her this time. And I’d always leave with some sort of Chinese food treat, from a bag of roasted sunflower seeds to exotic vacuum packed fruit. And anyone I brought always left with a nickname from Miss Bun.

Often, my group had the small six-person breakfast bar style dining area to ourselves. Other times, we all squashed up and shared with strangers whilst Miss Bun busied herself around the kitchen preparing our dishes. It’s the kind of intimate, friendly, environment I feel only Kentish Town could accommodate. Outside of China that is.

Yesterday, I discovered that Miss Bun would be closing her doors for the last time this Friday, 13 February 2015. She’s embarking on a new career editing a camera publication. It’s a loss for Kentish Town, but a great adventure for Miss Bun. In her place, there’s talk of a new venture from an experienced Burmese chef – but for the time being the whole place is covered in scaffolding due to works in the space above.

So if you’ve not experienced Miss Bun first hand, I highly recommend a visit between now and Friday. Otherwise I fear you may have to travel all the way to China for a dining experience exactly like this.