Bao Hao: 50y+ bao master brings dim sum haven to the West, serving braised pork bao, lotus leaf rice & more

Dim sum: A Chinese breakfast staple.

Steaming baskets of savoury dumplings, sticky rice, and sweet, fluffy baos… sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. Just thinking of my breakfast at Bao Hao in the inconspicuous 276 Jurong West Street 25 kopitiam has me drooling.

The bao shifu behind it all is an uncle who has been making them for a whopping 57 years! I must say, I could certainly taste the dedication and years of experience in his dishes.

Bao Hao has only been open for about a month, but they are already attracting a steady crowd. It is currently run by Uncle and his nephew, Vince, who is learning the ropes and secrets to keeping this bao legacy alive.

What I tried at Bao Hao

It was obvious that I had to start with their speciality — the baos, of course.

I couldn’t hide my slight disappointment when we were served our dishes on plastic plates (except for the siew mai), as opposed to the traditional bamboo steamers featured on their Instagram. But never mind that, I just wanted to eat.

Category 1: Sweet Bao

Bean Paste Pau (S$0.90) is a classic that you’ll find at any dim sum establishment. There’s not much to say; the dough had a slight natural sweetness to it that complemented the creamy, nutty red bean paste well. Pretty average, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Their Coffee Pau (S$0.90) and Pandan Pau (S$0.90) are where it starts to get a little more exciting.

As a certified coffee lover, I appreciated that the Coffee Pau retained a strong coffee flavour throughout the dough and the paste. I’m used to this flavour being watered down by a one-dimensional sugary taste, and this one wasn’t. Probably my favourite of the 3!

It was the same with the Pandan Pau, I like how the pandan flavouring shone through the entire bao without it being cloyingly sweet. They were also so generous with the filling here, I was willing for it not to fall out of the bao as I took this picture. I’m personally not a pandan girlie, but my dining companions liked this one the best!

If I had to nitpick, I’d say that the dough across all 3 baos was slightly dense. The smooth paste made up for it, though, seeing that I didn’t need a mandatory beverage to chase the remains down my throat.

Category 2: Savoury Bao

Spoiler alert, these were my FAVS of the day.

Weirdly enough, the dough of the Big Pau (S$2) and Braised Pork Pau (S$1.50) was fluffier and airier than the dough of the sweet baos. Immediate plus points for that.

The Big Pau is one of Bao Hao’s signatures, and I can easily see why. The moment I chomped down on the bao, the juices of the packed pork filling oozed out and engulfed my taste buds. Continuous chewing landed me the perfect combination of a pillowy, slightly sweet dough and savoury meaty goodness.

There was a piece of egg and slices of turnip in the filling that elevated the texture and flavour of the bao, too! I loved the crunch and freshness of the turnip to help overcome the jelak-ness.

The braised pork was extremely tender and easy to bite through, with a golden ratio of meat to fat. I usually detest the fatty parts of meat, but this one melted in my mouth so smoothly I didn’t even bother picking it out. Marinated in the deliciously sweet and salty dark soy sauce, the braised pork was truly a wonder.

My dining companions and I enjoyed these 2 so much that we went back to order another one of each.

Bao Makers: Beloved eatery reopens in the CBD with budget-friendly delights

Category 3: Rice

Finally, we moved away from bao and to another carb Asians can’t live without: rice. I ordered their Glutinous Rice with Chicken (S$2.30) and Lotus Leaf Rice (S$3.50) upon Vince’s recommendation.

The Glutinous Rice with Chicken, better known to most as lo mai gai, was a so-so dish to me. The rice wasn’t evenly coated with sauce, so there were still some white bits at the bottom. I did still enjoy this savoury, sticky dish, but it didn’t match up to the next one.

Although both dishes have the same base of glutinous rice, the wrapped leaves did wonders for the depth of flavour in the Lotus Leaf Rice. It imparted a slightly earthy fragrance to the chewy rice that was addictive, especially when eaten with the sweet chestnuts and well-seasoned savoury chicken bits.

Not a dish I’d usually reach for, but so worth every cent.

Category 4: Miscellaneous Snacks

I wasn’t sure how else to categorise Siew Mai (3 for S$2.30) and their Portuguese Egg Tart Mini (3 for S$2.50), so this will have to be.

The Siew Mai was decent; what I particularly liked about it was the thin dumpling skin that allowed the tender pork to shine. I do think it could’ve been seasoned a little more as a whole, but dipping it into the chilli sauce definitely helped its case.

Just look at them glisten. These Portuguese egg tarts were super buttery, with a flaky crust that hugged the eggy custard. A heads up though, this sweet treat is only available on weekends and public holidays.

Final Thoughts

It is no wonder they are called Bao Hao, because their baos really are tasty and well-made. From the dough to the filling, I felt comforted with every bite.

I won’t deny, the location isn’t the most accessible for many. But I can assure you, their Big Pau and Braised Pork Pau are absolutely worth travelling to the West for. I know I’ll be back, that’s for sure.

Should I try the Century Egg Dumpling next…?

Expected damage: S$0.90 – S$3.50 per pax.

New stall with fresh bao made daily on-site, using 20-year-old yeast starter