We’re All A-Bao The Travelling Bao Festival At Shizusan Shophouse & Bar

After Shizusan Shophouse & Bar gave us the opportunity to traverse the world through sushi, when we heard about the Travelling Bao Festival we couldn’t wait to experience it! If we’re being perfectly honest, the perfect bao is hard to come by, but we knew that Shizusan wouldn’t disappoint.

A Bao-tiful Experience

Seated under the glorious branches of the tree of life, we eagerly awaited the first bao of the night – the Teriyaki Glazed Tenderloin Bao and boy did we enjoy it. The fact that it was a closed bao was a bit unexpected but honestly, the flavors of tenderloin and teriyaki is always a winner especially if the flavors are balanced perfectly which they were – definitely, a must try for all meat eaters.

Next, we opted for a vegetarian option (vegans, have no fear there are a grand total of 5 vegetarian baos as well) the Five Spiced Tofu with Avocado and Sriracha. If you love tofus and a bit of heat then you’ll really enjoy this one – deep-fried crumbed tofu, the heat of the Sriracha, the creaminess of avocado, and the sweetness of the bao – what’s not to love?

Our favorite bao of the night hands-down was the Smoked Duck Bao – it blew our minds! The beautifully smoky, salty duck with a gorgeous mayo to tone down the salt and the tart of green apple to cut through it all. This bao was a symphony in our mouths with Chef Paul Kinny acting as the quintessential conductor.

The Korean Sweet Chilli Chicken is for all the spice lovers out there. Honey glazed chilli chicken, hot gochuchang mayo, and kimchi as the acidic element made for a satisfying bao indeed.

Of course, we were stoked to try the Nai Wong, a sweet bao filled with custard and it was only fitting to end the dinner on a sweet note. These adorable almost bite-sized baos (okay, maybe you’ll need three bites to finish one) aren’t too sweet and overpowering thanks to the balance of the custard filling to ensure that your palate isn’t overwhelmed by a sweet bun and sweet filling.

If you’re all a-bao the baos we suggest you hurry to Shizusan Shophouse & Bar before the Travelling Bao Festival ends and don’t forget to pair them with their Asian flavored cocktails (we recommend the Saigon Lemonade). Miss at your own peril!