New stall with fresh bao made daily on-site, using 20-year-old yeast starter
Singapore has no shortage of breakfast foods to choose from, but the humble Chinese bun, or bao stands out as a comforting, simple delight – tasty, satisfying and perfect for eating on the go when you’re in a rush. Thus, it was with great pleasure that I headed down to the latest concept by Pang Gek Teng, the founder of Surrey Hills Grocer: Bǎo Bāo (宝包).
Using a yeast starter that’s been cultivated in-house for at least 2 decades, each batch of dough undergoes a slow 12 to 14 hour fermentation process. All the buns are handmade on-site daily under the guidance of a veteran maker with over 50 years of experience. This artisanal approach yields buns that are pillowy soft yet springy.
The menu includes the Signature Range, and the Traditional Range. The Traditional Range encompasses classic fillings such as lotus paste, red bean paste and char siew. We got their Roasted Char Siew Bao (S$1.50), Big Pork Bao (S$2.90) and Braised Pork Belly Bao (S$2.90).
Safe to say, no scrimping on the fillings for these. The crowd favourite among the 3 savoury bao was the Big Pork Bao, with its juicy and savoury pork filling. The pork is been marinated with ginger juice and spring onion, and if you need a hearty breakfast, this is the one to get.
The Roasted Char Siew Bao is a smoky and sweet delight that is full of nostalgic flavour, and the filling is made in-house by slow-roasting the meat over a charcoal fire before giving it a nice caramelised finish.
If you love pork belly, you’re in for a treat – the Braised Pork Belly Bao is stuffed full of pork belly that’s been slow-cooked for a full day in high quality dark soya sauce. A truly melt-in-your-mouth experience.
The Signature Range carries more modern renditions, with azuki red beans and mochi as well as French chocolate in the fillings. We got the Azuki Red Bean Mochi Bao (S$1.60), Orh Nee Bao (S$1.60) and French Chocolate Lava Bao (S$2).
An interesting fusion of Japanese and Chinese flavours, the Azuki Red Bean Mochi has a core of chewy, stretchy mochi, surrounded by chunky azuki red bean paste.
The Orh Nee Bao is filled with smooth yam paste and fragrant shallot oil. This bun has a light sweetness and a strong savoury slant that elevates the taste of the yam. If you enjoy yam, don’t skip this.
The French Chocolate Lava was made for chocoholics – with a molten core made of 66% cocoa Chocolaterie de l’Opéra chocolate, it has a great balance of sweet and bitterness and won’t make you feel jelak.
There is also Siew Mai (S$1.20 per piece), Chicken Glutinous Rice (S$4.80) and Fan Choy (S$4.80) if you want more to snack on.
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