BAO, a restaurant serving Taiwanese food, opened last spring and has become one of the most popular restaurants in London. The restaurant gets its name from gua bao, which are fluffy steamed buns filled with meat, a local dish from Taiwan. Although BAO opened several months ago now, visitors should still be prepared to queue. I visited on the first Wednesday in January ten minutes before the restaurant opened, and a queue of ten people were already positioned across the street, waiting for the restaurant to open.
The restaurant is not that large, and every space is used to cater for visitors. I watched several people arrive to be told to wait in the queue across the street. The restaurant was not too busy when I visited, but I have read that there are hour-long waits on some days.
When I arrived, I was given a menu to provide more detail on the bao and a sheet to note how many of the items that I wanted to order. The waiter recommended two bao dished and two sides. I did not see any sides that I would eat, and I just wanted to try the fried chicken bao and the fried Horlicks ice cream bao (as I heard it was very good). The sides included salted egg, house pickles, sweet potato chips, and peanut milk.
The restaurant also offer a range of teas, ciders, and beers. They also have beer from Taiwan. A range of xiao chi (small dishes) are also served. I did not try any of these this time. The signature bao is filled with braised pork and peanut butter. I ordered the fried chicken, which was served in a bun along with spicy salad (kimchi) and mayonnaise. (I asked for it without mayonnaise.)
The buns themselves are made from milk and are the size of a 'slider' (small hamburger). The small dishes are also popular, and the Asian girl who sat next to me ordered a bao and some of the small eats and disappeared to take a phone call while her food turned up.
The dessert bao, the Horlicks ice cream one, is made with doughnut batter and has ice cream sandwiched inside it. I just did not like the batter or the taste of the ice cream, so I cannot recommend this dish although other reviews of it were glowing.
Would I return to BAO? Yes, I would return and try some of the other dishes, such as the small eats. The fried chicken bao was also excellent, and the bun was light and fluffy. I would eat that dish again, and I would try some of the teas and the other drinks on the menu.
Leave a comment