I took a weekend trip to New York with my friend few months ago. We walked by this joint called Baohaus at Lower East Side. Seeing that It features Taiwanese Gua Bao – open bun usually topped with pork or beef, we got curious. Though it seems to be catching on the bandwagon as Taiwanese Pork Buns had became a BIG thing in New York a few years ago thanks to Momofuku introducing it to the NYC yuppies.
Their tagline “Fresh off the Boat’ is reeks of Asian American humor. 😉
The front desk is loaded with Taiwanese local products and it was blasting uncomfortably loud, annoying clubby music (my friends and I think they did it deliberately to get customers to leave sooner…either that or they just have bad taste in music). However, the owner’s family photos on the wall gave the space a bit of heart, though the lack of frames made it a bit temp-shop feel.
HAUS BAO $4.50 Their signature all natural Hanger Steak Bao Served with: Crushed peanut, cilantro, Haus Relish, and Taiwanese red sugar (according to their website, it was showcased on n Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown (March 2010). Gosh it was incredibly delicious! The Haus Relish are genuine Taiwanese pickles, and they compliment the beef flavor so well. The buns were freshly steamed: soft, fluffy but stayed firm.
CHAIRMAN BAO – $4.00 A name that makes you go ha-HA (-__-;;;). Braised slow and low using all natural Berkshire Pork Belly. Served with: Crushed peanut, cilantro, Haus Relish, and Taiwanese red sugar. I love this one even more! The pork was fatty but it just slide and melt in your mouth. Despite all the tacky humorous names, the food was beyond my expectation.
Fried Bread with Sesame Paste. This is a modification of a Taiwanese snacks. The bread are too fragile (broken in half) to be picked up with the heavy seasme paste, and it was oily too.
UNCLE JESSE – $3.50 VEGETARIAN Pan fried organic tofu coated in sweet potato starch topped with our Haus Sauce, cilantro, crushed peanut and Taiwanese red sugar. I can’t believe how yummy the tofu one taste too!
My friend had been to Momofuku, she said Baohaus‘s pork bun totally kick Momofuku‘s ass as Momofuku’s are watered down version for Americans. With food this yummy, I can forgive the loud music.
Baohaus
137 Rivington Street (near Norfolk), NY, NY 10002
Tags: Taiwanese
wow, that looks delish. makes me want to go back to new york and try out the yummy buns again. great review, btw!
Sooo jealous you made it. I totally follow Eddie’s blog. They bump the music loud because the chef/owner is/was a hip-hop head. With Xie Ye just opened, Lin is representing Taiwan BIG time. Gonna send this review over to him.