Erchen Chang

The Path

Fine-art training at Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, England gave Erchen Chang an early grounding in form, and that grounding continues to shape the way her hospitality projects are put together. Since 2012, Chang has been co-founder and creative director of Bao Fitzrovia and Xu in London, England, where the work is carried through with a clear visual sensibility and a measured voice. The craft shows not only in the food, but in how each project is imagined, presented and held together.

The Work Today

Taiwanese cuisine and bao buns sit at the center of Erchen Chang’s practice, with attention paid to the basics that give the food its identity. “We created our own dough.” is the kind of line that tells another artisan where the real work sits: in texture, structure and finish, not decoration. Under Chang’s name, that precision reads as a working principle, one that keeps the food direct, disciplined and specific to the form it is meant to take.

Signature

Erchen's signature dishes include Classic Pork BAO, Taiwanese fried chicken, and Lu Rou Fan pork rice. Together, they show a kitchen working from familiar staples rather than ornament, with richness, crunch and comfort set in plain view. The clarity is the point: these dishes are presented so that what is already known can read with more force.

In Their Words “Our aim was to develop our own interpretations of cultures in Taiwan - from the street food and xiao chi houses to Asian late-night grill joints and beef noodle houses in Taipei.” “The signature combination of pork, soy sauce and star anise transports me straight back to Taiwan - it is a great introduction to the flavours used in Taiwanese cooking.”