If you live in Vancouver, you will already know that we love our fusion food. Bao Down is quintessentially Vancouver-ian (imho). Located in the picturesque Gas Town (specifically 12 Powell Street) it offers a new version of a bao.
A bao according to Wiki is: “A baozi or simply known as bao, bau, humbow, nunu, bakpao, bausak, pow, pau or pao is a type of steamed, filled, bun or bread-like item in various Chinese cuisines, as there is much variation as to the fillings and the preparations.”
Bao Down offers steamed buns that are much normal buns except they felt more doughy to me and to be very honest, I felt they could be thinner as the taste of the bun threatened to overpower the taste of the filling which is never a good thing for me (Teng Edit: The buns are soft and have a milky taste, and they originated from Taiwan). I had the “Jaws” which according to their menu is “coconut-crusted Vietnamese catfish, cabbage, kimchi tartar sauce, and Thai vinaigrette.” A multicultural party in my mouth. Haha.
But the star of the event were the kimchi fries. We had ours made with mushrooms instead of meat and it was delicious. We probably would have enjoyed it more had we gone into the place hungry but we were already full which diminished our experience somewhat. The place is tiny and the music is loud so it’s not exactly a place to have deep conversations. However, it has a youthful energy to it that I enjoyed.
I would definitely recommend checking this place out though. It’s affordable, it’s cheeky, and it’s innovative.
(Photo Credit: Teng)
A Case of the Munchies 