Social News Assistant Editor Samantha Bartlett regularly checks out fun events or trendy new food places in the city – and she was left impressed by one bakery everyone has been talking about
Despite the fact I don’t live in London anymore, I regularly make my way up to the city whenever I have a free weekend to check out fun events or trendy new food places, and that’s exactly what I did a few weeks ago. My mission of the day was to finally try some Japanese soufflé pancakes, however my day turned out a bit differently after I accidentally stumbled across a viral bakery too.
As I said, I was on the hunt for some soufflé pancakes, so headed to the renowned Fuwa Fuwa in Soho. I had heard that the cafe often has long queues, so as I turned the corner, I joined a queue for what I assumed what the cafe.
As I got in line, one of the staff that worked there asked if I’d be willing to get a takeaway, as that queue was much shorter. After saying that was fine, I was quickly ushered inside where I was confused to see bakery items in front of me instead of pancakes.
I quickly realised I was in the wrong place and left to try Fuwa Fuwa. However, after seeing the queues for the place I had previously been at, I decided to give Onsu a Google to see what all the hype was about.
Onsu is a highly popular, Asian-inspired bakery and patisserie that opened in Soho’s Dean Street in January 2026.
The concept was created by chef Michael Kwan, the former executive pastry chef at The Dorchester. He also holds experience from elite culinary establishments including Ladurée, Hakkasan, and the three-Michelin-starred The Fat Duck.
The bakery focuses on continuous baking throughout the day to ensure products are consistently fresh, blending traditional French patisserie techniques with classic East Asian flavours.
It has been praised for its balance of light textures and subtle, non-overwhelming sweetness and currently offers a wide range of tasty products.
This includes the Wagyu Beef Curry Bun, which is widely considered the standout savoury item, as well as its Salted Egg Yolk Mille-Feuille (flaky puff pastry stacked with rich, savoury-sweet salted egg yolk cream) and Garlic Shio Pan (Japanese-style salted bread roll infused with rich garlic).
Sweet items you can get include Popcorn and Miso Caramel Paris-Brest (a French classic pastry filled with deeply complex, nutty, and salty-sweet elements) and Purple Yam (Ube) Bun (a fluffy bun reminiscent of a Chinese custard bun, filled with an earthy, lightly sweetened purple yam paste).
Aside from baked goods, Onsu went viral on social media for its -86°C iced drinks. Inspired by a coffee trend originating in Shanghai, hot espresso, matcha, or ube lattes are poured directly into glasses that have been flash-frozen to -86°C. This process instantly turns the outer layer of the drink into a smooth, ice cream-like slushy consistency without diluting the original flavour with standard ice cubes.
I’d just eaten my pancakes so I wasn’t that hungry so thought it would be pointless to actually sit down in the bakery, so I joined the takeaway queue again.
The wait wasn;t that long and I was quickly ushered inside where the staff member looked at me expectantly. Considered I hadn’t seen a menu and was greeted with tons of tasty options, I asked her to give me a minute before I decided.
I wanted to try the -86°C latte, considering I am a coffee lover, however sadly I realised I couldn’t as it’s only served in glass so you’re unable to get it to takeaway.
Instead, I went for some more food and opted for savoury items as I’d just had the pancakes. I went for the Wagyu Beef Curry Bun (£5.20) as I’m obsessed with all things garlic, I had to try the Garlic Shio Pan (£3.20).
The bun is an elevated take on the classic Japanese Kare Pan (curry bread), and many social media foodies and critics have universally given it 10/10 reviews based on its phenomenal texturing and high-end ingredients.
I have to agree with them, it really is that good. The shell is made of soft milk bread coated in panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried to a perfect golden hue. This is incredibly crispy and holds its shape perfectly without feeling greasy, heavy, or overly doughy.
Inside is a rich, gently spiced curry loaded with premium wagyu beef mince. he meat is slow-cooked to a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and the flavour has a great balance of warming and savoury, with a subtle hint of sweetness typical of traditional Japanese curry.
The Garlic Shio Pan was amazing too. During baking, the butter rolled inside leaks onto the tray, essentially deep-frying the bottom of the bun, giving it an an ultra-crispy, intensely buttery crust. The bread is soft, pillowy, and springy meanwhile, compared to the lightly crisp shell.
The garlic flavour is finely integrated and delivers a rich, aromatic garlic fragrance. This is balanced by sea salt crystals sprinkled on top.
TikTok and Instagram food bloggers frequently call it the ‘ultimate savoury comfort snack’, comparing it to an upscale, lighter, and more delicate version of a garlic dough ball, and everyone knows you can’t go wrong with one of those – especially when the flavours are this tasty.
Although I quite literally stumbled upon the bakery, I was definitely impressed by what it had to offer and can see why there’s so much hype around it.
Considering how much social buzz, I was also quite pleasantly surprised by the prices too, which I thought were still affordable.
It’s definitely easy to say that it’s for sure not style over substance when it comes to this in-demand bakery.
