Taiwanese noodle shop chain announces latest venue in “true London landmark”

BAO will open its doors and welcome guests to BAO Battersea, a new noodle shop housed in a “true London landmark”: the recently restored Battersea Power Station.

Overlooking the high-ceilinged Turbine Hall A, BAO Battersea will dish up bowls of Taiwanese noodle soup seven days a week, along with a line-up of brand new dishes exclusive to the restaurant.

Situated in Arcade Battersea as a standalone restaurant, guests will be greeted by a U-shaped counter wrapping around the open kitchen and bar, with a low lit, hanging mirror lighting feature overhead. Guests can perch on one of the pillowy red chairs at the counter and watch the chefs ladling broth or grab a stool to gather at one of the communal tables.

The restaurant can seat 78 diners, with 10 further diners in a private KTV room which can be booked for karaoke parties, with decor inspired by the old Power Station control panels, as well as the futuristic set design of the Jacques Tati movie Playtime.

Drawing on the success of BAO Noodle Shop in Shoreditch, the menu at BAO Battersea focuses on bowlfuls of “shimmering” beef noodle soup, featuring two different versions made with noodles sourced and imported directly from Taiwan.

The first, a classic Taipei-style broth, features slow-braised beef cheek, spiced beef butter and fermented greens. Secondly, BAO’s take on a lighter Tainan-style broth is based on recipes from the southwest of the island, with imported 400 day-aged white soy and thin slices of rare poached beef rump.

The menu also features BAO classics alongside new dishes exclusive to Battersea such as crispy Cheese Croquettes served with pickled plum ketchup and hot sauce, and Danzai Noodles, a snack from Tainan featuring noodles in a pork and shrimp broth topped with juicy prawns and pork mince.

BAO will deliver their noodle dishes for the very first time, dropping them off at doorsteps around Battersea. A hatch alongside the restaurant entrance will dish up cult favourite snacks to collect and take away or eat in Arcade Battersea, including the Classic BAO, Prawn Shia Song BAO, and Taiwanese Fried Chicken with Hot Sauce.

Co-founder Erchen Chang commented: “As we all have backgrounds in art and design, it feels very special to be opening BAO Battersea in such an iconic building.

“Our KTV room in particular feels like a glimpse into an imagined future from the 1960s, with references to the Power Station’s industrial past as well as one of our favourite films, Playtime. The menu reflects the comforting soup bowls that we grew up with in Taiwan, along with some exciting new dishes that we’ve been working on behind the scenes.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily