Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Tai Ping Bao could be a familiar brand to some. In recent years when the pandemic hit, Tai Ping Bao came to light selling homemade buns with contemporary flavours online. They stood out from the conventional because of their unique offerings.
The founders of the online-established brand have now opened an extension of the brand—House of Bao in Alexandra Central. As it’s located directly next to IKEA, you now have a substitute for IKEA’s soft serve because this stall serves ice cream too, but squished in a mantou! It has a cafe-concept, serving hot food instead of frozen buns.
The brand started in Taiping (which is a town in Perak, Malaysia) which explains its name. Since 1970, the family set their goal in mind to make handcrafted goodies for everyone to enjoy. Thus came the birth of Taiping Bao.
Over the years, the brand has went through many evolutions, from its traditional specialisation to more modern takes that cater to all consumers. Their trendy flavours range from the Sweet Peanut Bao (S$9.90 for a packet of 6) to the White Lotus Seed Bao (S$9.90 for a packet of 6), so it’s fair to say that they’ve definitely identified their market well.
If you were a fan of their homemade buns, you’ll be excited for what they have in House of Bao.
As each bao is entirely made to order, you’d have to expect a 10 to 15 minutes wait. Their Crab Krab Asian Fusion BaoGer (S$9.30) though would be worth the wait. Expect a large soft shell crab doused with a lovely concoction of chilli crab sauce in between the buns. Unlike usual burgers (note their use of pun: baoger), your buns are steamed baos instead. The change in carbohydrates make a difference because of how fluffy they are!
If you aren’t a fan of chilli crab, you can also opt for alternatives from their signatures, such as the Pork Belly BaoGer (S$9.30) and Hot Chicken BaoGer (S$9.30). The public’s hot favourite would be the former.
Despite how new House of Bao is to physical establishments, their line-up is extremely enticing. The Dessert Bao is a fried mantou sandwiching your choice of flavour from Vanilla, Cookies and Cream and Chocolate Ice Cream (S$7.50). Await a confusion of your senses when you bite into the crispy golden brown fried buns, as it’s followed by a burst of cold creamy ice cream.
Lucky for me, I am glad that House of Bao brought its stall to Queenstown. That means there’s more food for me to try in my vicinity now!
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