While scrolling Grabfood a while back, I bookmarked a restaurant, The Bao Guys, because I was rather intrigued with the baos and variety of fillings they offer.
So I decided to put in an order today. And instead of just one bao, why not two or even three? So I went for the Big Boy Bao Box which is recommended for one to two persons.
Since I wanted a taste of chicken, beef and lamb, I selected the Sawadee-Cluck (the word "coriander" attracted me, besides it's Thai inspired), The Teppanyaki (the "garlic chips" got me) and Pho-king Good (it's the only lamb on the menu, so).
This arrived. A big styofoam box.
Inside were the baos.
From left - The Teppanyaki, Sawadee-Cluck and Pho-king Good.
Being OCD, I started from left to right.
I love beef the most among all three proteins and I had high expectations.
On my first bite, I tasted something bitter and very strong. Like mustard.
Then I realized it was the wasabi mayo. The beef was chewy and the garlic chips did nothing to make it taste better. Taste wise it was flat and all wasabi.
Next up, the Sawadee-Cluck. You can't go wrong with fried chicken, can you?
As I took a bite, I caught a very overpowering whiff of fish sauce. Oh dear.
Does the chicken look pinkish? The texture was chewy and bouncy. A tad undercooked? The sauce was really fishy and salty.
Moving on, the Pho-king Good. Described as "a bowl of pho in a bao". They must be joking.
On my first bite I came away with a mouthful of onions. I'm afraid I disliked the onion slaw, it had a weird taste. And I actually love onions - both raw and cooked.
The lamb was gamey with a capital G and the texture was just like corned beef, all mushy and gummy. This was the worst of the lot.
In conclusion, all three baos disappointed me.
The Teppanyaki - beef needed more flavor and need to hold back on the wasabi.
Sawadee-Cluck - This was the most promising of the lot but spoiled by the (slightly) undercooked chicken and too much fish sauce.
Pho-king Good - More fresh lime juice and addition of coriander/basil leaves might help cut the gaminess, I don't know.
Hhhmmmm, looks like this Bao shop is no match for the Petaling Street Bao shop. What a let down! ☹️
ReplyDeleteYup, I was so disappointed!
DeleteI wonder if that Bao place, sharing the premises with I love yooo here has started their business already or not. Can't wait to see what they have up their sleeves. I love baos...the regular ones. These look a bit way out for me!!!
ReplyDeleteThese are more life stuffed mantou sandwiches.
Deleteoh gosh...all baos failed! i think i will just have burgers instead...
ReplyDeleteQuite pricey and yet did not live up to expectations :(
DeleteOh dear, these baos are not cheap for such small-looking ones (by your standard-lah). I think you can whack six easily...lol! :D Not only are they small, they also failed to delight. A bao with wasabi is too pungent for those who don't like wasabi (like me), one with pinkish chicken (scary!) and one with weird tasting onions (yucks!)...and can still get a 3.9 rating (how I wonder).
ReplyDeleteI was so let down. I suspect whoever prepared my order was not the regular chef or trained kitchen staff (the real deal was probably on CNY leave) which might explain the poorly executed meal. Imagine too much fish sauce in the dressing and heavy handed wasabi. I did read the Google rating and there were some brutal reviews.
DeleteToo bad the baos were a disappointment. They do look good and sound good too, but they are not cheap. I think it is safer for me to stick to our local dim sum baos.
ReplyDeleteI had high hopes and was swayed by the photos. So sad :(
DeleteOh dear. Not a very good review! Too bad all baos not up to the name.
ReplyDeleteYup, wasted my money and stomach space. LOL!
DeleteOh no, such an unpleasant experience and it's definitely a shame when the actually food and the photo look so much different!
ReplyDeleteI had high hopes. Maybe I was unlucky and kena an inexperienced kitchen staff.
DeleteYour photos looked so nice and delicious to me. Mana tau all the baos are disasters! The seller really needs to wake up and not make this Aunty Phong Hong angry. Now they have lost one customer and all her commentators here! Hahahaha
ReplyDeleteLOL! Dunno lah, I reckon maybe the person who prepared the bao filling was an inexperienced staff. You know lah, CNY time the real chef could be on leave. If they are still surviving after another 6 months (one comment in Google review predicted they will close down, so mean) then I might order again just to see if there is any improvement. You know me, I like to give 2nd chance.
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