Bao Down
12 Powell | 778-379-3611 | BaoDown.Ninja
Open Monday-Wednesday, 11am-8pm; Thursday, 11am-11pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-midnight
Those steamed, pillowy-soft white buns often call to me, in the deepest watches of the night, when a craving for starch and deep-fried protein descends. And, until recently, finding decent bao in the city after dim sum hour was well-nigh impossible. With the opening of Bao Down in Gastown by brothers-in-law Matthew Adolfo and Greg Edwards, however, that late-night craving now has no justification for going unanswered.
Living in the former Lily Mae’s space, the tiny, two-level premises have been gutted and re-born with 25 seats surrounded by reclaimed wood, white subway tile, and the ubiquitous exposed brick, as well as some rather interesting fighting pigs and birds on the back wall upstairs. The counter where you order gives a glimpse into the even tinier kitchen, which turns out a largely take-away volume, although the seats upstairs seem to be becoming increasingly popular.
The menu is as simple as the design. Six bao ($5-$6 each), six street sandwiches reminiscent of banh mi ($10-$12), and a few sides make up the sum, but not the total of its parts.
The Bao Chicka Bao Bao (yes, the name has paid for itself in sheer titillation factor as people practically sing it out as they order – I caught myself almost doing it) is pretty good, with local, free-range chicken breast (nicely juicy thanks to its bath in fried lemongrass and garlic). Palm sugar and fish sauce glaze complete the process, as do the toppings of fresh cilantro, pickled carrots and scallions, and a pungent garlic scape mayo.
Even better was the Flip Side, a sweet soy-marinated and grilled pork shoulder packed with crispy garlic chips, pickled onions and a shoyu-fish sauce dressing. The Phrench Dip was my favourite. This was a fun take on a traditional banh mi, with Snake River Farms’ local wagyu in a hoisin glaze and dressed with cilantro, bean sprouts and more of that excellent garlic scape mayo. Instead of the classic jus, a deeply-pleasing pho broth is used, with hints of soy that work well with the sweetness of the meat.
If they’re available, get the chicken wings ($13). Available in sweet or spicy versions, these are not quite as good as those of Phnom Penh-fame, but they are tasty nonetheless. The spicy version was a bit too heavy on the heat for my palate (I don’t like to burn the buds), but the sweet version had good balance, Kimchi fries ($8) are another solid choice (nothing wrong with cheese, spicy cabbage and potato, let me tell you). Clam chowder ($5) with surf clams, coconut milk, lemongrass and corn was excellent, and excellent value.
Bao Down is licensed, but don’t look farther than a couple of chilled brews at the moment. I didn’t notice any dessert, but those chicken wings are sweet enough to do the job for now.
All ratings out of five stars:
Food: ★★★
Service: ★★★
Ambiance: ★★
Value: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★
• Hear Anya Levykh every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
