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Since severing ties with Bao 111 and Bao Noodles, chef Michael “Bao” Huynh has been building a bi-coastal empire. He opened Mai House with Tribeca titan Drew Nieporent, and he established a West Coast presence at Hidden, the multiculti Santa Monica restaurant that’s partly bankrolled by musician Warren Cuccurullo, formerly of Missing Persons and Duran Duran. In 2008, Cuccurullo and Huynh plan to open Bao323 in West Hollywood, but in the interim, they’re focusing on Bun, a narrow nook of a Vietnamese small-plates spot in Soho. Huynh designed the 45-seat space himself, replete with a 60-foot dining counter, bamboo booths, and artwork and beaded light fixtures imported from Vietnam. Huynh and his wife and co-chef, Thao Nguyen, collaborate on a $12-and-under menu of dishes like caramelized sweetbreads with Asian pear, Mission fig, and persimmon purée, and herb-poached black chicken with fennel, grapefruit, and ginseng broth. The iconic Vietnamese noodle soup pho comes four ways, from Saigon style (with rare beef and brisket) to a New York variation, distinguished with sliced strip steak and a one-hour-poached egg. — Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite

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