Guess where we’re going for dinner
Taiwanese street food calls out to be enjoyed at Bao & Buns on the sixth floor of Central Embassy
DESIGNED AS a place to chill and hang out, Central Embassy’s new Open House has something for everyone – bookshop, art gallery, design shop, kids’ playground, co-working space and a dozen dining facilities offering a range of culinary delights guaranteed to please different palates.
Occupying the entire 7,000 square metres of the mall’s top floor with soaring ceilings and huge glass panels all around offering great views, the living space has welcomed some of the best dining venues in town with an eye to accommodating varied tastes.
Bao & Buns is a casual eatery serving Taiwanese street food.
A favourite choice of Central Embassy managing director Barom Bhicharnchitr is Bao & Buns, which offers the Taiwanese street burger known as gua bao.
It’s owned by young restauranteur La-or-on Thongket, who set up the first Bao & Buns on Sukhumvit Soi 33 but has now relocated to Open House, transforming the original property into the Asian-inspired bar Dim Dim.
Original pork bao
The new Bao & Buns is decked out in minimalist style and has 14 seats at its counter bar where diners can munch on its famous original pork bao (Bt170), a hearty delight of stewed pulled pork, pickled greens and crushed peanuts with honey in a fluffy steamed bun. A dab of Sriracha sauce adds the spicy factor.
“While the original version has braised pork belly, I opted for pork shoulder instead and braise it for six hours to make it tender. I think this kind of street food is easily accessible to diners and I guarantee that no MSG has been added. The bun is also hand-made to ensure a fluffy and light texture,” says La-or-on.
Deep-fried crispy chicken bao
Other fillings include braised beef, deep-fried crispy chicken, deep-fried fish and mixed mushrooms. The deep-fried crispy chicken bao (Bt170) is already a favourite thanks to its boneless chicken, crispy iceberg lettuce dressed with spice powder and Sriracha spicy sauce.
Beef noodle bowl
Worth trying is the Beef Noodle Bowl (Bt270) with thin, wide bands of Taiwanese noodles in an onion-based beef stock. It’s topped with braised beef that is slowly braised for four hours then dressed with Chinese bok choi and home-made mushroom chilli to add an aromatic note.
Fried rice bowl with pork chop
The egg fried rice bowl (Bt170) is simple but tempting and comes in a large enough portion to fill even the hungriest visitor. You can top it with Spam or deep-
fried pork chop for an additional Bt50 and Bt100 respectively.
Taro strings
Deep-fried taro strings with paprika powder (Bt90) make a great snack to enjoy with a craft beer, soy milk, chrysanthemum tea, and bubble milk tea.
Besides Bao & Buns, Open House also has Broccoli Revolution for vegetarians, great Italian fare at Peppina, Thai dishes at Lady Nara, Spanish cuisine at Rico, Japanese at Muteki by Mugendai, meat and seafood from the Meat Bar and the Raw Bar, egg-based dishes for kids by Egg My |God, pastries from Paris Mikki, Movenpick ice cream and a wine-and-cocktails bar |the Casks.
FANCY FILLINGS
Bao & Buns is at Open House on the sixth floor of Central Embassy near the Ploenchit BTS.
It’s open daily, Sunday through Thursday from 10 to 10 and Friday and Saturday until midnight.
Call (097) 962 8841.
