Rating: ★★★☆☆

Address: Shop 2, 28 Tai Wong Street East, Wan Chai 灣仔大王東街28號2號舖

Telephone: 2528 9505

As I mentioned in my review of Little Bao, the whole of Hong Kong seems to be in love with baos right now. Located near Ship Street on Wanchai, Bao Wow is a lively fast food restaurant that specialises in Taiwanese gua baos. While Little Bao serves a rather Westernized version of baos, like a sandwich or a burger, Bao Wow’s baos are Taiwanese style, with the steamed buns folded over like tacos. Little Bao serves a somewhat more sophisticated selection of baos than Bao Wow, but one has to bear in mind that these two restaurants charge completely different prices – a meal at Little Bao will set you back around $400-$500 per head, while a typical meals at Bao Wow costs below $100 per head. 

(1) As the restaurant does not have a liquor license yet, feel free to take advantage of the free corkage! I did not feel like drinking that night, and instead ordered a winter melon tea ($15), which was a tasty, mellow Taiwanese canned drink.

(2) The taro fries ($22), which came with a dip, were crunchy and tasty, and it is worth mentioning that they were just a tad healthier than potato fries!

(3) The Kimchi cheese fries ($48) were a guilty pleasure – covered in a thick, generous layer of grilled cheese, this spicy snack packed a punch!

(4) There are 2 of the same baos in a normal serving, except for the Bao Platter ($168), which comes with 1 of each of the 6 baos and is great for sharing.

I tried the original gua bao ($58 per order of 2 baos), which was intentionally very fatty, and the braised pork belly, Chinese relish, cilantro, crushed peanuts red sugar offered a nice range of flavours. I wished, though, that there were more citrus elements to help cut through the fattiness of the pork belly!

(5) The Kimchi bulgogi bao ($58 per order of 2 baos), packed with grilled sliced beef, kimchi, bean sprouts and dressed in a homemade bulgogi sauce, was appetising, but the flavouring could have been stronger.

(6) I liked the taste of sesame in the Pangpang chicken bao ($58), and the shredded chicken, cucumber and crushed sichuan spicy peanuts complemented each other well. However, again, stronger flavouring  was needed!

(7) The sesame ginger pork chop ($58), in a homemade sesame ginger sauce, was delightful, and I adored the pork chop which was ultra crispy on the surface.

(8) The Thai fish fillet bao ($58) was filled with a piece of fried fish fillet and Asian Slaw. The fish was well-fried and tender on the inside, but the homemade Thai fish sauce needed more zing.

(9) The vegetarian Teriyaki tofu bao ($58) was my favourite bao of the night! The fried egg tofu was beautifully tender and smooth, and the teriyaki sauce added comforting flavours without being overpowering.

(10) For dessert, we tried the Bao fries ($28), which were served with Ovaltine condensed milk. This dessert reminded me of the Spanish dessert, churros, and was very enjoyable!

Bao Wow still has some way to go with their food items – their baos in general need more layering in their flavours, and their “homemade” sauces, in particular, need to be much tangier! However, given their prime location in Wanchai, wallet-friendly prices and free corkage (for now at least), this fast food restaurant remains an option to satisfy bao cravings!