Hello Potpourriers!
Been a while since I covered a limited edition food festival and I’m glad to say the year began with the Bao Wow Festival at the much sought after alfresco + fun Asian dining space – The Fatty Bao.
Whether you’re a fan of baos or not, the menu has an impressive variety to turn you into a fan. With 13 kinds of stuffed baos, I was happy to notice that the vegetarians have no reason to feel left out… (They have 5 unique vegetarian preparations)
Whether you’re a fan of baos or not, the menu has an impressive variety to turn you into a fan. With 13 kinds of stuffed baos, I was happy to notice that the vegetarians have no reason to feel left out… (They have 5 unique vegetarian preparations)
The festival is on till the 14th of February… Not a bad way to celebrate the season of love, right? Priced between Rs. 260 – 395 (excluding taxes), a portion of 2 well-stuffed buns are served with a couple of classic Asian sauces. Bite into these warm and perfectly steamed buns stuffed with wholesome combination of vegetables and meats and you’re bound to love it!
In order of ranking, these were my top 6 favourites:
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Chilli Crab and Prawn Bao
For all the seafood lovers out there… this one’s for you! Bite into these warm buns and taste the spicy crab cake, pickled watermelon rind and fried garlic for that zestful burst of seafood flavours that is bound to linger for a long time…
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Pulled Pork Bao
The most experimental in my opinion, the meat is perfectly pulled and the overall combination of ingredients makes it very flattering to the palate. The bao is stuffed with curry sauce, crispy shallots, cucumber, fried egg and kaffir lime.
PS. The fried egg makes this one a classic!
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Wasabi Fish Bao
I think I’m personally becoming an ardent fish lover. You know you can’t go wrong when wasabi and fish come together and this one did not disappoint either. Enjoy the crispy fried sea bass with wasabi sauce, pickled ginger, fried garlic and shichimi.
Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Bao
If you’re a fan of sweet meats (literally!) then this bao is something you could most definitely try. The teriyaki glazed pan-seared chicken with pickled cucumber and shichimi, where the chicken is succulent enough to absolutely savour!
Spicy Wild Mushroom and Chickpea Bao
So I decided to try a vegetarian bao too because well, I might as well cater to them too… The Spicy Wild Mushroom and Chickpea Bao is quite unusual. It’s pan-seared with chilli and garlic mayo and fresh coriander. Quite a combination, right?
PS. Sincere apologies for not having clicked pictures of the above 2 baos. But you know what they generally look like, right? 🙂
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Five Spice Fried Chicken Bao
Honestly, who doesn’t love some fried chicken, yea? Pair it with a bao and you’re basically eating an Asian style KFC burger. No, I don’t mean it in a bad way. Its marinated chicken breast, mustard mayo and lettuce – Can’t go wrong with that!
Based on the experience I had, it’s easy to conclude that Executive Chef Prashanth has made sure every bao is unique to taste and there’s no repetition of flavours.
We ended our meal with a Japanese Cheesecake and some soulful jasmine tea. The cheesecake was light and fluffy and tasted quite lovely… The fact that it was so light, was perfect since we’d gorged on the baos and were left with almost zero appetite for desserts.
The jasmine tea was a saviour. I think everyone should end their meal with a steaming pot of this simply aromatic tea.
The #BaoWowFestival has officially kick-started in their Mumbai as well as Delhi outlets, on the 1st of February with 13 innovative baos and is on till the 14th of February. Head over to The Fatty Bao and get wowed by their bao fiesta! 🙂
Opening on all days: 12:00noon to 3:30pm and 7:00pm to 1:00am
For Reservations call: 022-26005220
For Reservations call: 022-26005220
Address: Summerville, Junction of 14th and 33rd, Linking Road, Bandra West, Mumbai- 400050
The Good Life Potpourri 