Bao Wow

Being a foodie and all, I got to admit I’m a bit slow with following this town’s food trends. I didn’t join the Butao craze until last month, I don’t drool when I see a macaron, and I’m not “bao” obsessed yet [I hope you’re not starting to think I’m a hack]. So don’t be surprised when I tell you that yesterday was the first time I stepped into “bao” land ~ lunching at Bao Wow in Wanchai.

Bao Wow features the authentic Taiwanese Gua Bao’s, which are steamed white buns that are folded like taco shells and filled with braised pork belly. Taking a twist on this popular Taiwan street food, Bao Wow fills their other bao’s with flavors inspired by other Asian cuisines, such as Thai and Korean.

Original Gua Bao

Each serving has 2 bao’s, so between hubby and I, we ordered 2 servings (4 bao’s) to share. We started with the Original Gua Bao which is a succulent braised pork belly with Chinese relish, cilantro and peanuts. After one bite, I knew this was going to be my favorite bao…juicy, fatty and sticky…yum!

Pangpang Chicken

The Pangpang Chicken, with shredded chicken, cucumbers, Sichuan spicy peanuts and sesame sauce was tasty, but lacked a punch. We contemplated trying another bao flavor, but decided we were too full and agreed we would come back to try the others later. Other bao selections include: Kimchi Bulgogi, Seasme Ginger Pork Chop, Thai Fish Fillet and Teriyaki Tofu.

Taro Fries with Sriracha Mayo

The bao’s cost $58 per serving, and for 10 bucks extra you can get a soft drink or bottled water (try the Taiwanese soft drink Apple Sidra). And for another $12-22, you can get a side order of Fries, Taro Fries, Onion Rings or a Salad. We got the Taro Fries to share, and I enjoyed the Sriracha Mayo more than the fries. The fries were a bit too chewy for my liking, but I needed something to dip into the mildy spicy and addictive Sriracha sauce!

As I said, we will definitely come back to this fast food joint to try their other bao’s when we’re in Wanchai again…so, I guess I won’t be saying “no” next time hubby needs to go to the Wanchai Computer Centre.