Bone Tea Broth Bar, Westbourne Park, London: restaurant review
Bjorn Van Der Horst and Omar Romero of the Bone Tea Company are revolutionising the UK's morning tea and coffee obsession with Asian-influenced bone broth. We head to their Broth Bar test-lab in West London for bone broth with mezcal, on-trend pork and beef buns, and fruit tea with scones.
In a nutshell
This temporary West-London location is a relaxed and friendly test-lab for duo Bjorn Van Der Horst and Omar Romero's Bone Tea revolution. With impeccably sourced ingredients, the duo bring the ‘slow food, fast’ concept to life in their broth. They do all the hard work for you so you can enjoy a warming, vitamin-packed drink on-the-go. Though the pop-up restaurant opens from 5pm, Bjorn and Omar intend to roll out Broth Bars across London as a morning coffee and tea alternative, Asian style. Who knows, very soon your barrista may be asking you if you'd like ‘tea, coffee, or broth?'
Menu know-how
As it says in on the tin, Bone Bar is all about the broth. Choose from grass-fed beef, Cotswold pork, free-range chicken or New Forest mushroom broth, all served in colourful teapots. With no added salt, Bjorn and Omar use kombu (East Asian kelp) to give that unique umami taste, and you are left to season your broth to your own taste from a tray of condiments: Tabasco, lime, sesame oil, ketchup, or even a choice of two mezcals to give a smokey kick to your drink (this is a typical way to end an evening of pinxtos and tapas in Northern Spain and the Basque Country).
Carb, gluten and dairy-free, and full of vitamins and protein, bone broth is a great alternative to morning coffee. Once their high street Broth Bars are fully rolled out, Bjorn and Omar intend to revolutionise the way tea-and-coffee obsessed Brits wake up in the morning, taking influence from Asian countries where broth is the norm for a healthy way to kick-start the day.
Must-order dishes
The burgers are a great accompaniment to the broths, each with an on-trend twist. The pulled pork bun comes piled high with Mexican-style pork flavoured with lightly spiced achiote paste and chipotle. If you prefer your red meat, think Korean BBQ brisket buns with the added crunch of kimchi and nori seaweed tempura. Both burgers are served in a crisp glazed brioche bun with a fluffy centre, one of the best we’ve tried of its kind.
What we’re going back for
Leave room for fruit tea dessert. Of course, fruit doesn’t have bones, so the team use the stones of the likes of apricots, and peaches to create a naturally sweet and warming liquid that goes down very easily. Served with light and fluffy fruit scones and berry compote with freshly whipped cream, this makes a satisfyingly sweet dessert or a great alternative to afternoon tea!
What’s the room like
Look out for the bright yellow painted door next to Bumpkin on Ledbury Road. The relaxed atmosphere is like spending an evening at a friend’s spacious flat for dinner. Bjorn and Omar work away in their open kitchen ‘lab’, constantly perfecting their broth recipe and passionately chatting through the kitchen pass, while Django Reinhardt's jazz lightly strums away on the stereo in the background.
What we loved
You can take a litre of bone broth home with you. Trust us, it sure is a conversation starter down the pub. We popped into local The Cow on the way home, broth in tow, and it caused quite a stir!
Head to Bone Tea Broth Bar on 209 Westbourne Park Road, London W11 1EA (Entrance: 162 Ledbury Road)
Open Monday to Thursday, 5pm until late
By Alex Crossley
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