Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
Amazing that I’ve walked by Baoburg so many times before tours and never had any idea there was a beautiful spacious garden where you can try some of the city’s most exciting Thai fusion food.
Of course, it was the Thai Select programs with Turnstile Tours I’ve been working on that finally brought me here to discover the ambitious and delicious food of Chef Suchanan Aksornnan (aka Bao Bao). Chef Bao Bao will appear Tuesday October 20 on a program about the Future of Thai Cuisine.
Her signature dish is probably the rich and spicy Khao Soi but instead of the usual chicken or pork, she uses a crispy duck confit (influenced by her French training).
Or maybe it’s the fusion of a buttery Korean scallion pancake with the classic Thai Hoi Tod (mussels pancake). Yum.
But of course the name of the restaurant is a combination of the words Bao and Burg (Williamsburg, which is where the first location sat). Perhaps the word Bao is for the chef’s nickname, but there are also a nice variety of bao (steamed buns) on the menu. Maybe these are the signatures.
These aren’t exclusively Thai but the flavors tend to mix with other Asian delicacies. I tried the classic bao with a crisp sweet pork belly filling and it was great, but I was blown away by the “is it dessert or brunch” bao called Lava Bao.
These steamed buns look like something I would get on a dim sum plate and they are most likely influenced by the Chinese Liu Sha Bao.
After biting into the pillowy bun, a rich decadent deep yellow egg custard is revealed. It tastes sweet, eggy, and a bit salty all at the same time. It’s irresistible. And too much fun to eat.
They were just as surprising as when we walked through Baoburg to get to their back garden and found a world I wish I knew existed years ago. Price: $7
| BAOBURG |
| 614 Manhattan Avenue (between Driggs and Nassau Avenue), Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718) 349-0011 |
| baoburg.com |
