(Image: Jackie Pal)
Name: Mean Bao
Neighbourhood: Queen West
Contact Info: 167 Bathurst St., 416-862-7737, meanbaotoronto.com
Previously: A short-lived burger shop called Burger Press
Chefs/Owners: Both the original location and this new outpost are co-owned by Jones and James Cheung, along with their nephew and niece Scott Ching and Erin Cheung. Everyone plays a role in the family business, including grandma.
The Food: Silky bao are piled with savoury ingredients, like peppery barbecue chicken with pickled daikon, or house-braised pork belly topped with a crunchy mixture of peanuts and black sugar. The “Sloppy Jones” is a bao-ified version of dan dan mien, a traditional Szechuan noodle dish made with minced pork, chili oil and scallions.
The Drinks: The soda selection includes highly coveted bottles of Schweppes Cream Soda, imported all the way from Hong Kong. (Co-owners Scott and Erin have fond memories of chugging back bottles while visiting their grandmother there.)
The Place: Mean Bao’s second location is a casual grab-and-go counter with a handful of bar stools for dining in. The mainly DIY design includes a classic peg-board menu and a self-serve saucing station stocked with interesting vinegars and hot sauces.
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- The restaurant is located on Bathurst Street, just south of Queen West.
- (Image: Jackie Pal)
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- Co-owners Scott Ching and Erin Cheung hand-made the marquee sign.
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- The restaurant has a handful of bar stools for eat-in customers. When the dim-sum steamer's going full throttle, it’s a pretty cozy space.
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- Here's a selection of sandwiches. The buns are made for Mean Bao by a baker in Taiwan.
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- A vegan bao comes stuffed with tofu, enoki mushrooms, cabbage and carrots ($3.45).
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- The pork belly bao is flavoured with hoisin sauce and topped with a crunchy mixture of black sugar and crushed peanuts ($3.60).
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- Barbecue chicken is topped with slivered red pepper and pickled yellow daikon ($3.45).
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- Baskets of dim sum are steamed to order. The shumai (pork dumplings) are topped with masago, a bright orange fish roe (four pieces for $3.80).
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- In this vegan dish, sautéed veggies are stuffed in hollowed-out tofu squares and steamed to order (six pieces for $6.50).
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- Bottles of Schweppes Cream Soda are imported from Hong Kong ($2.25).
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The post Introducing: Mean Bao, the Chinatown bao shop’s new Queen West location appeared first on Toronto Life.