"Tooting Taiwanese spot Daddy Bao—who is related to Master Bao and Mr Bao—serves some of the best fried chicken in London. Now, picture the aforementioned fried chicken inside some pretty incredible bao, topped with wasabi mayo, kimchi, and sriracha, and you’ve got a great night ahead of you. The shiitake mushroom bao also has our hearts." - rianne shlebak
"Daddy Bao is a tiny, low-key Taiwanese restaurant in Tooting that looks like a cool, slightly moody bar, and happens to make some of the most formidable bao in London. Grab a counter seat to make it look like you’re casual and relaxed rather than planning a quick exit. Then get the shiitake mushroom bao as compensation for having to listen to another endless story about people you haven’t met and probably don’t want to. If you aren’t completely bored out of your mind, there are sharing specials and plum wine negronis to explore." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak
"Daddy Bao is the paternal presence we all need in our lives. This place will serve you some of the best bao in the whole of London and a plum wine negroni to boot. The little, low-key Taiwanese spot near Tooting Broadway station works for mates, dates, and just to satisfy that general urge we all sometimes get to eat a load of their winning mushroom bao solo. Once you try this smoky-meets-fluffy shiitake situation, you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about." - rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley, daisy meager, sinead cranna
"One day in the not so distant future we will write a sincere and scientific thesis on the intersectionality of places serving great bao and exceptional negronis. But for now we will summarise with the statement: order Daddy Bao’s plum wine negroni. As well as gin and Campari, this cocktail contains a sweet plum wine, a subtle hint of bitters, and—ding ding ding—it’s barrel-aged. The smoke factor and sweetness makes it dangerously sippable, and when combined with Daddy Bao’s family-run friendly-fun feel, it’s the perfect recipe for a stomping mid-week hangover. Hey, you won’t even regret it." - heidi lauth beasley, daisy meager
"An eight-course tasting menu on 23rd and 24th January will be on offer at Taiwanese spot Daddy Bao in Tooting. For £50 a head the celebratory meal will get you things like grilled scallop with umami butter and crispy seaweed, fragrant fish bao, and mushroom broth with crispy longevity noodles." - jake missing