We have visited the tiny eatery that started the brand a few years back, located in Staunton Street Central. Knowing that they have now moved to this much bigger diner in Causeway Bay, we came to see whether the baos are still as creative and interesting as before.
Seated at a corner of the restaurant, the staff are certainly friendly and energetic, introducing us on the menu and recommending the signature dishes. There are good spacing between tables (not sure it was the way to begin with or due to social distancing requirements), casual and fun ambiance, with the glass wall on the other side allowing us to look at the outdoor section and the street.
We decided to order the Happy Bao Meal ($258 per person) which includes four mini plates, two baos, two sweet endings and two mocktails for two person. First came the Brussel Sprouts, in which the vegetable is prepared with caramelized fish sauce, chili, peanuts and lime. Honestly Brussel sprouts are not my favorite type of veggie but this one is nice in taste, with the sauce having a good sweet and savory elements, adding the spiciness from the chili and acidity from the squeezed lime juice, it was quite a nice starter and no wonder it is one of the favorite dishes for the restaurant.
The Truffle Fries is presented interestingly, with the different elements of braised shiitake tempeh, truffle mayo and sweet pickled daikon put on top and one would have to do your own mixing for fun. The mayo is rich and the intense truffle note is appealing, and the added complexity from the shiitake tempeh is also a good match. I like the pickled daikon which got a bit of crunchy texture to the bite. My only suggestion is to dial down a little bit on the saltiness and it would be even more wonderful.
The Shrimp Tacos is in fact a piece of fried shrimp wonton, added with Szechuan chili oil, plus some marinated pineapple salsa and homemade avocado sauce on top. The wonton is nice, stuffed fully with minced shrimp giving a nice bouncy bite. The salsa provided good acidity, removing any oiliness from the wonton and the avocado sauce a creamy touch. Another of my recommendation.
The Seaweed Poppers are two pieces of cuttlefish ball with seaweed as coating, then deep-fried and served with a black garlic sauce. Another creative twist from a traditional snack, the cuttlefish ball is bouncy and nicely seasoned, and the small flakes of seaweed coated is creative. Though not exactly something I would feel impressed, it is good in taste especially dipping with the black garlic sauce.
Coming to the iconic baos, I had the Fried Chicken Bao, with the chicken coming the local farm, deep-fried and served with Chiangkiang black vinegar glaze, Szechuan Peppercorn mayo and coleslaw. Bringing me the prior recollection when I first experienced this, the bao is good, fluffy and light, and the chicken juicy with the different flavors coming from the sweet and sour black vinegar, spicy and hot from the mayo, together with the fragrance and balancing component of the coleslaw. Very nice indeed. My wife had the Fish Tempura Bao, with fresh market fish fillet deep-fried, then served with tamarind palm sugar glaze and pickled lemongrass fennel salad.
Coming to the dessert bao, my wife had the Green Tea Ice-cream with Condensed Milk Sauce while I went for Salted Ice-cream and Caramel Sauce. The miniature bao is deep-fried and still hot, then sandwiched with the ice-cream and sauce, creating an amazing enjoyment of both hot and cold. The salted ice-cream is good and with the caramel sauce is appropriate in sweetness. A good wrap up for our dinner.
The bill on the night was $617, which is reasonable and if you fancy something more creative and fun, seeing how this wonderful city is able to blend traditional Chinese components into Western casual dining, this will be a good choice.
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