Bun & Sum Whitechapel — Restaurant in London

After seeing this new branch go viral on all the social media platforms, my boyfriend and I decided to go check it out. Unfortunately this is one of these situations where the owners clearly ramp up what they give to influencers to make it seem enticing on video but normal paying customers get the poor end of the deal. We ordered all the food items that have seem popular on social media including the pastrami burger, the green chilli burger, the jalapeño poppers and the animal fries. Firstly the portion sizes are a lot smaller than what you see online, the seasoning on most the burgers are too salty. The jalapeño poppers are just average and it was not spicy at all. The animal fries didn't make sense to me, it just seemed like a slice of American cheese that wasn't even properly melted on the chips with some sprinkling of burnt red onion. We also went rogue and tried their dessert and had their mud pie which was poor, it tasted and felt like the whipped cream went slightly stale. Also the smell of raw beef was quite strong inside the eatery.

However we can end with some positives:

1. the service was very nice and quick
2. we did have their banana pudding and that was our only favourite thing we ate. It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing but it definitely hits the spot.

Overall it was quite an expensive meal for what it was and we would not be going back there nor would I recommend anyone...

So, I tried Bun & Sum Camden stall but didn't really enjoy the experience as it was manic in Camden and I'm not one for standing and eating….

Therfore I was looking forward to trying their food again but in a restaurant setting.

Thr Whitechapel restaurant has just opened, to mich social media ‘funfair’! I really liked the cool decor including the table football, shuffle board and old skool arcade game. PAC-MAN kept me amused until my order arrived.

As for the food…..it's just as good (if not better) that what you see/hear on SM!

I ordered Sticky Ribs, Bow Dip, Drip Fries and a Tropical Fantasy Fruit Punch to wash it all down.

The beef ribs literally fall off the bone! They were well seasoned, jucity and stick.

The Bow Dip was equally nice. Well seasoned meat, nice bun and lovely sauce. The beef broth was also tasty, but I don't like soggy burgers so it was kinda lost on me 🤷🏾‍♂️

The Fruit Punch was OK, but far too sweet for me.

Overall the food in Bun and Sum was amazing and highly recommended. For once you can believe the hype.

There is one gripe….the unisex toilets need to serious attention. Considering I was one of the first people in the restaurant at 12.00 on a Monday, the toilets were filthy!

This is a real shame and cleanliness is high on the most of priorities for me, but it's easily fixed.

5* for the food, 4* for the venue but 2* for the...

To start with I was handed a menu that looked like a used napkin. It was a creased up A5 piece of paper, barely readable and covered in dirt and other people's leftovers. I felt I needed to wash my hands after touching it. Is it so hard to print new menus and laminate them so you can at least wipe them with a cloth after service. Also for some reason staff were wearing blue gloves going from one table to the next surface to surface carrying multiple orders drinking from their own drinks holding payment devices and phones all wearing the same gloves. Could see this pointless glove wearing happening in the kitchen also. This place is a health hazard waiting to happen, if it hasn't already. The food was also substandard. The meat barely warm and the bun so saturated in fat it was disintegrating in my hands. The disappointing thing is that the quality of this place when it first opened in Bow was so much better I had high hopes but it seems with their viral fame they have really let the quality slip. Really disappointing. And one last thing the toilets were unclean, piss and someone's phlegm spat on the floor. Just all round...