Bakery Hoko serves up a sweet slice of Hong Kong in London, with a dusting of local brutalism

Hong Kong food – while commonly tucked under the wider umbrella of Cantonese cuisine – has its own distinct identity, with unique local takes on dishes and drinks, from Hong Kong French toast (a peanut butter fried sandwich) to milk tea (with evaporated and/or condensed milk) and char siu (sticky-glazed roast pork).

Putting Hong Kong food on the map in London is Nicole Ma, co-founder of Hoko, a growing line of cafés. The Brick Lane original is inspired by a cha chaan teng (a traditional Hong Kong café) and feels at once retro and contemporary; the second concept, in Seven Dials, Hoko Wonton Noodles, dishes up plump and succulent hand-wrapped noodles; and now a third opening, Bakery Hoko on Bethnal Green Road, leans into the sweeter side of life.

Inside Bakery Hoko

Each Hoko location feels different, but all are marked by the intention to create a space that sits at the intersection of Hong Kong design and the context of London.

For Bakery Hoko, Ma worked with Justin Melican of Block One Design, who also designed Hoko’s Brick Lane café. Together they decided to focus on the material language of Hong Kong’s post-war public housing estates, which has been interpreted through a restrained brutalist lens.

‘Hong Kong’s post-war housing estates often had humble neighbourhood bakeries within them,’ says Ma. ‘So that relationship between everyday architecture and bakery culture felt very natural to us.’

She explains that they referenced visual codes such as repetition, grids, dense geometry, and very direct use of materials. However, ‘rather than recreating a Hong Kong bakery literally, the idea was to capture something of that architectural character and give it a contemporary London identity’.

She continues, ‘I shared lots of photographs and references I’d collected in Hong Kong, things I recognise instinctively as a Hong Konger, while Justin brought another perspective through materials and [knowledge of] brutalist architecture. We had plenty of friendly “battles” along the way, but that back-and-forth helped us find the balance between Hong Kong nostalgia and a contemporary London identity.’

One thing they both settled on was the bold mix of materials often found in Hong Kong, such as mosaic tiles, terrazzo, concrete and strong colours. In the bakery, this dynamic energy is seen, for example, in tiling and concrete working in harmony with Ketley brick counter, a nod to the Barbican.

Ma continues, ‘There are smaller, more personal details: our own photographs of Hong Kong housing estates, plastic bread trays, orange bakery tongs, and vintage blue melamine plates sourced by my mum. Those are probably the details that make the space feel most like home to me.’

The food: try a Hong Kong egg tart for a start

The baked goods look as good as the surroundings. Each gets its signature springy texture from Japanese flour. The breads are made using a sponge dough method, with controlled low-temperature fermentation. This means part of the dough is fermented separately at a lower temperature before the final mix, allowing flavour and dough structure to develop gradually.

There are both sweet and savoury goods on offer, from seaweed egg salad buns to lemon honey butter toast and bolo buns. At the heart of the bakery is Hong Kong’s most recognisable bake: the egg tart.

‘For me, the perfect egg tart is all about balance,’ says Ma. ‘The egg filling should be just cooked, soft, light and silky, almost closer to steamed egg than custard. It shouldn’t be too sweet, and you should still be able to really taste the egg. I also love a handmade crust with a slightly thicker lip. It gives you a proper crunch, and the small imperfections are part of what makes it beautiful. The pastry itself should be rich in butter and very crumbly. And most importantly, it should be eaten warm, when the filling is at its softest and the buttery aroma is at its best.’

Ma also notes not to miss the snow-crust char siu bun, filled with barbecue pork and wrapped in soft bread with a thin, crisp sweet crust on top; the Horlicks Swiss roll, with a very light, eggy sponge with malted Horlicks cream; and a strong Hong Kong milk tea.

You don’t need to be familiar with Hong Kong to enjoy the bakery. Just bring a hungry curiosity.

Bakery Hoko is located at 152-154, Bethnal Green Road, London E2 6DG