We visited on Mr. Bao on Saturday around midday and it wasn't too busy. There weren't many seats though and it was more of a communal dining experience as there were only two long benches with stools on either side.
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| Gua bao offerings |
We ordered four baos, one of each so we could try it all and also save $2 (2 for $11).
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| Other offerings |
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| Plenty of large bamboo steamers to get those delicious baos out |
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| Sweet potato fries |
DT and I will never shy away from these carbs we call sweet potatoes and they're complete with a super generous drizzling of spicy aioli sauce so how could we resist? Though not quite as good as Belly Bao we had to admit that they were still really tasty, they were just let down by not being more crunchy. That spicy aioli though was finger-licking good.
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| Lychee, coconut and mint slushie $5.50 |
A much appreciated refreshing slushie to wash all that grease down and perfect for a hot day. Although it was a combination of coconut and lychee it wasn't overly sweet due to the inclusion of mint leaves in the slushie to balance out the sweetness.
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| Tempura prawn bao $6 |
The tempura prawn was deep-fried without leaving a trail a oil so what we were left with was a very crunchy batter and juicy prawn innards. The wasabi mayonnaise was full of flavour and the pickled daikon, red shallots and coriander served well as textures and for cutting the richness of the batter and mayo. Mr. Bao were not lying about their pillow-soft steamed buns and they didn't become too soggy from the fillings so we could still have a firm hold of the gua bao without things slipping everywhere.
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| Karrage chicken bao $6 |
The karaage chicken was so delicious with its crunchy exterior and piping hot, succulent interior. The chicken wasn't dry to the least which I applauded. I also found it much more flavoursome than Belly Bao's variation and it was probably due to the awesome spicy aioli sauce that's used at Mr. Bao. Coriander and pickled red cabbage make an appearance to balance out the heaviness and being pickled means the presence of extra hits of flavour but with a twist as they injected some tartness and sweetness into the whole affair and it worked extremely well.
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| Crispy tofu $6 |
The agedashi tofu had a lovely golden colour to it and like the tempura prawn it wasn't dripping oil so that was a great sign. There was a slight crunch upon biting into the lightly battered tofu and the inside was silky in texture and had the right firmness to it. The agedashi sauce provided the tofu with much needed flavour although there wasn't enough of it as the tofu was quite chunky and it did taste a little bland in the middle. The pickled daikon, shallots, roasted peanuts and coriander completed the tofu bao especially the roasted peanuts and fried shallots which added that necessary crunchiness against the soft tofu innards.
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| Crackling pork belly bao $6 |
The best bao out of the four on offer at Mr. Bao although they were all pretty delicious. The pork belly was full of flavour from their signature hoisin sauce and the meat was quite tender but not melt-in-the-mouth consistency. The top layer of the skin was crispy however the second layer was fatty and gelatinous so it did prove a little difficult to chew through. Don't let that stop you from ordering it though because it was still awesome. The crackling was perfectly done as it was very crunchy and you won't break your teeth biting into it.
There is no shortage of places to get your gua bao fix in Sydney and Mr. Bao is definitely a worthy contender as there's no question that they have pillow-soft buns with very tasty, drool worthy fillings.
