BAO NATION, within Dosa Factory in Central Square
I have been to two other bao joints (BaoHaus in NYC East Village and Fat Bao in Houston on Kirby), and I have to say, this one was the most memorable. And not because I was in love with the food.Â
We weren't super hungry when we sought this place out and were very surprised to find that it was inside an Indian supermarket and fast-food joint (Dosa Factory - I had never been to and hope to report it next time). It was a little sketchy without food in the trays in front of the counter, but we were quickly greeted by the owner (?). He took our order: recommending everything above the $3 baos: Harvard Bao, Chinatown Bao, BBQ Pork Bao, Bird Bao, and Central Bao. They were put inside a box, and we were not sure if we were identifying the right bao... but we gobbled them up inside the shop (which is close to the door that leads you to the back of HMart).Â
My two favorites: the Harvard Bao contains ginger and yogurt marinated grilled chicken, dry coconut, peanut, cayenne pepper, fried onion, cilantro, and creamy tomato dressing. I think the peanut sprinkle and the dressing did it for me. And the other one that I thought was impressive was the Bird Bao: a boneless crispy-fried soy-milk soaked chicken wings, pickled onion, cilantro, peanut powder, roasted cumin, spicy lemongrass sauce. I think the cumin was surprising and the lemongrass sauce was just refreshing.Â
I am worried that because this newbie just experienced a scare (couple fed their kid a bao without realizing what the ingredients were, called 911 to go to the hospital, and then went back to shout at the poor owner), and I am not sure if the location and lack of promotion is going to keep it standing for very long. This place was not super impressive (mostly because the baos could be warmer and presented from the counter we were ordering from), but it was exactly the kind of place that Central Square needs: something different and from an unexpected place. Two thumbs up.Â
