PETALING JAYA, May 24 – The Bao Guys have been on my list of places to try for some time. All I needed was a reminder on social media and I was tapping on my phone to place an order for lunch.
As they're on various delivery platforms – Grab, Food Panda, Beepit and Air Asia Food – it's really simple to place an order. Currently they have a free delivery offer via Beepit and Air Asia Food provided you spend a minimum amount.
It was really simple to pre-order my food via Grab before they opened for the day. What I liked was I got a quick response to say they had accepted my order. And the best part is the food arrived on time too.
Back to the food. They specialise in making all sorts of fluffy baos with various fillings with nifty names.
Since they offer discounts if you order a box of three or six baos, I decided to try out a small box of three baos. The Big Boy Bao Box was going for RM31.50. For the six baos set, it's RM60.30.
You can pick any three flavours, so I settled for the Cluck Norris, Beef Be With You and Pho-King Good.
For the Cluck Norris, it pairs a fluffy charcoal bao with a piece of boneless fried chicken and an egg and gherkin sauce. I liked how juicy the meat was and it was pretty substantial too for a light eater. The creamy sauce was a good choice as it wasn't overly rich with the slightly sour gherkins.
For the Beef Be With You, this used a deep fried bun that was filled with shredded beef and served with a spicy mala plus a sprinkle of sesame seeds. You couldn't really taste much spiciness in the sauce hence the flavours felt a little flat even though you get a nice bite of shredded beef.
Luckily the Pho-King Good was excellent. You get an abundance of braised lamb combined with a tangy onion lime basil slaw and chopped chillies that really lived up to its name. It tasted just like a bowl of pho. I would gladly polish off seconds too as it was a very tasty bite.
With the set meal, I had the option to purchase a choice of add-ons with a canned drink for RM6.90. I opted for the fried oyster mushrooms versus the fries. The mushrooms were fried in a light, fluffy batter that stayed crunchy even after it was delivered. It's got a light taste to it though so pair it with some of your own chilli sauce if you prefer stronger flavours.
I'll be keen to try their other baos, like the Korean inspired Gogijiang where soy braised beef is paired with gochujang mayonnaise and kimchi. Or Ayam Really Hot which is said to be spicy chicken.
For vegans, the fried oyster mushrooms are paired with a cucumber and carrot pickle. You also have the Teppanyaki bao inspired by the Japanese hotplate favourite with grilled beef, wasabi mayonnaise and the classic teppanyaki must-have which is fried garlic. Prices for the baos start from RM10.80 to RM13.41.
They also do dessert baos where deep fried fluffy buns are paired with condensed milk or homemade kaya. For other sides, there is also popcorn chicken.
The Bao Guys, 12M, Jalan SS 2/61, SS2, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Open: 12pm to 10pm. Closed on Monday. Tel:03-7863 0336. Instagram: @thebaoguys Facebook: @TheBaoGuys
