Bao Stop

Bao Stop is definitely one of the most popular stalls at this year’s Night Noodle Market – we braved the queue to see if it lives up to the hype. For part one, we ordered the ‘Bao Trifecta’ ($20), choosing the duck, pork and chicken options (there is also a tofu choice). Compared to local establishment The Fish Can, the Sydney-based store is a bit pricier, but each serve was excellent value and packed with meat. The duck was probably my favourite overall, reminiscent of the amazing duck pancakes served at Chinese restaurants. The duck was plump and tender, and really a big piece, complemented well by the cucumber, Peking sauce and shredded spring onion. Tick. Next up was the braised pork belly, topped with roasted peanuts, fresh coriander and hoisin sauce. Again I was amazed by how tender the large serve of pork belly was, and the coriander really added a lot. Tick. Finally the Taiwanese fried chicken bao was packed with spice – hello chilli mayo, chilli jam and fresh carrot. The giant piece of chicken was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, and the flavours were fresh and absolutely delicious. Bao Stop, you can #cometocanberra anytime.

Bao Stop, Night Noodle Markets, Reconciliation Place until 13 March, http://www.baostop.com/

The Fish Can

Canberra seems to have gone mad for bao, the latest foodie trend to sweep Instagram, and The Fish Can are giving the people what they want. We went on a warm weekend afternoon and there was a significant queue of people waiting to order and collect their bao. We ordered a couple of different fillings to try – pork belly, soft shell crab and fried chicken. Yes, it’s a small shipping container/food truck, so we did have to wait a while, but the bao were dished up fresh, and whilst this isn’t fine dining (the bao wrappers don’t really compare to somewhere like XO), it is tasty and filling food. The pork belly bao is packed full of tender, fatty meat, refreshing cucumber and sprigs of coriander to lift the whole combo – I liked it, rather than loved it. Next up was the soft shell crab – mmm. Cooked in tempura batter and dished up with coleslaw and crushed peanuts, this was one I’d come back for. But my ultimate favourite was the ‘Chican’ -fried chicken breat with aioli, crushed peanuts and coriander. The chicken was so perfectly tender inside and crispy on the outside, combined with the crispy peanuts and spicy aioli to make a real winner.

The Fish Can, Westside, 3 Barrine Drive, Acton ACT

Mamachau

Oh Adelaide, how I adore your food trucks! They conveniently gather together on the odd occasion for an event called Fork on the Road, which is where I tried Mamachau’s incredible bao. At only $3.50 each they felt like a real steal, and we picked two of the three flavours on offer to try. I had the KFC (Korean fried chicken) bao, with kimchi mayo and Asian coleslaw. The chicken was to die for! Crisp, fresh and tasty, it was definitely the winning choice, with incredibly soft meat inside the fried (but not oily) skin. The kimchi mayo didn’t add as much spice as I expected, but there was plenty of self-serve Sriracha sauce for extra chilli. The slaw was packed in and the bao was springy and not too dense. We also tried the master stock pork belly bao with peanuts and pickled vegetables, which was a great flavour combination, but which paled in comparison to the KFC bao. The pork belly was tender, flavoursome and complemented the coriander and hoisin sauce perfectly. Luckily they also have a store on King William Street – added to my ‘to visit’ list.

Mamachau, Shop 3/118 King William Street, Adelaide SA    http://www.mamachau.com.au/