Trend for bao buns sticks in Sheffield bar opening tonight

Barrowboy bar, inside a former grocer’s building on Abbeydale Road, specialises in casual drinks and playful cocktails on the wet side.

But the street food element comes from specialists Deckards, which will provide the Chinese favourite bao stuffed with imaginative fillings, and not just Asian flavours.

The venue, which opens this evening, is a joint venture between Charlie Marks and Morgan Davies on the drinks side, while chef Deck Stafford and Nico Irving are behind the food element.

“We wanted to create somewhere that was quite informal”, said Charlie, who has worked in Sheffield bars including The Old House and The Milestone.

“We didn’t want to pinpoint just one thing and there’s lots going on in the area that we wanted to complement - such as the gin bar and The Broadfield.

“We also wanted to bring a playfulness on the cocktail front.

“We’ve got lots of ideas for the future once we’ve got the opening out of the way!”

The Deckards' bao buns, with toppings ranging from jerk jackfruit to Vietnamese pulled pork, have names referencing modern culture such as the Good Morning Vietnam option.

Its believed to be the first time a permanent food venue has served bao buns in Sheffield, although they have appeared at the Peddler food market previously.

Deck said: “The interest in the bao has been through the roof!

“We try to be a bit different with them and not just stick with Asian flavours.

“I moved to Australia for a while and that’s where I first found bao buns - I thought there’s nobody in England really doing these. We’ve found out that when you deep fry them they turn into doughnuts too so we’ll be doing those as specials.”