Woot! I’m excited to have finally tried this little gem on Centre Street! I drive by it on the bus every day to and from work, and I finally drove by it in my vehicle recently when I was just a tad peckish. My experience was so good I made the effort to go back again not soon after!
On my first trip there I ordered a Mango Mania drink ($8) made with fresh ataulfo mango juice served with mango jelly, mango juicy pearls, mango chunks & house-made mango mochi. Whatever was in it, it was super tasty – not too sweet, with different textures and a definite mango punch to the chops. I loved the little mango juicy pearls – I was shocked when I bit down on the first one and juice squirted out! Cool!
I ordered just one Spicy Korean Chicken bao ($3) with a gochujang glaze, pickled daikon, sesame seeds, ssämjang, scallions and a chicken chicharron. Damn! This was a tasty bao! This is really what made me come back for more!
I also grabbed a Mango Pudding for dessert later ($7 minus $2 refund when I bring back the mason jar). The pudding was made Hong Kong style, with semi-firm mango cream, fresh mango and evaporated milk. It was definitely good, and worth $5, but I probably won’t have it again (just because I’m not a huge pudding/custard fan).
On my second trip I was just a bit more hungry so I ordered the Hong Kong Classic drink ($8) made with fresh ataulfo mango juice blended with milk, served with white tapioca and topped with mango chunks & fresh pomelo pulp. I guess I forgot that pomelo is like grapefruit and I don’t like grapefruit. So, the drink was good but the bitter chunks of pomelo pulp didn’t make my mouth happy. My bad… But if you like pomelo I think you’d like this drink!
I knew I wanted to order three bao at $3 each. I also got sucked into the tater tots with garlic mayo. I really didn’t even need them, and had buyers remorse – I should have got another bao with that $3! I ordered the Braised Pork Belly with garlic mayo, shaved red onion, scallions, crushed peanuts, pickled mustard greens… what a punch of flavour! I tore the top layer of fat off the pork belly before scarfing it down (because really, no one really needs to eat a chunk of fat!). I also ordered the Roast Duck with slivered roast duck in duck gravy, cucumbers, fried onions, cilantro. This one had a nice subtle flavour to it and the duck was nicely cooked. Lastly and perhaps my favourite of this trip was the Miso Mushroom with sauteed shimejis and creminis in miso scallion butter with garlic mayo, corn, shichimi togarashi and a lotus chip. This puppy definitely has a pop of umami and is way more flavourful than it looks. Even if you’re a meat eater you should make sure you try this one.
The only bao left to try is the Bulgogi Cheese Steak. I really try not to eat beef, but I think I have to give it a shot since I’m sure it will be super delicious!
See you again soon my friends!
**** I went back again (third time now!) and had to try the Bulgogi Cheese Steak. I ordered the Mango Mania drink again because it’s delicious, and got three bao and fries with ketchup. I like their fries – they have that crispy batter on the outside, like A&W used have.
My three bao this time were the mushroom, beef and chicken (from left to right in the photo below). I have to say that I wasn’t a fan of the beef; it just wasn’t as good as all the others. Overall, I think my faves in order are: mushroom, pork (without the layer fat), chicken, duck and beef. For around $20, this was a super filling meal (albeit, likely not very healthy!).
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