Restaurant: Bao is Life
Location: N/A
Price Range: $
[wp-review id=”6020″]
Pork Belly Buns or any kind of steamed buns are some of my favorite Asian snacks. Once you had one, it’s pretty dam hard to resist for a second.. So I was quite excited when I was invited by Sweven Media to attend a joint tasting event between Bao is Life and Coco Fresh Juice & Tea. Bao is Life is a local business who is aiming to create the most perfect bao – steamed bun with various toppings – in the city. Though Bao is Life doesn’t have a store (yet), do look out for their booth at ToFoodFest and NightitUp this summer!
To be honest, I thought the steamed buns weren’t as pillowy/fluffy as the ones I had at Mean Bao or Lucky Red. With that said, the pork belly was perfectly seasoned and had a melted in your mouth texture. I found the lean-to-fat ratio was not consistent as some pieces had more fat than others (some foodies mentioned). I loved the housemade pickle as it helped to cut off the fattiness of the pork belly. All combined, it’s a messy, colorful, glorious snack of salty, sweet, pungent, and fresh flavors, with multiple textures to boot.
The chicken karaage was juicy with a crispy skin, however there was too much mayo!
The texture of the sauce was thinner than what I expected and again, the chef was a bit heavy handed on the amount of sauce for the bao. However it had a spicy kick and the fried fish was really good, and it wasn’t greasy either.
The owner (Roger) was friendly and he was constantly inquiring the guests for their feedbacks on the food. I was also quite impressed that not only the toppings, he actually made the steamed buns from scratch! Overall I found that the baos from Bao is Life were good, but it still need some final touches to make it perfect. I can’t wait to see them at various Toronto festivals this year and try their other bao creations! 🙂
Disclaimer: While the food was provided by Bao is Life, I am not obliged to publish a review on the business. All opinions/thoughts are my own. For more information about my review policy, please click here.