Bao Makers (Cluny Court)

It does seem that the folks behind Bao Makers are slowly getting back into the F&B scene in baby steps — whilst the brand has been revived in recent times with their location at Far East Square not too long ago, Bao Makers does seem to be on a phase of expansion; their latest outlet is situated at Cluny Court which is a short distance away from Botanic Gardens MRT Station. Other F&B establishments located within the same stretch of shops will include an outlet of Tiong Bahru Bakery, Gelobuna, and an outlet of 안녕 Annyeong Korean food. Bao Maker’s space at Cluny Court is slightly bigger than the space that they occupy at Far East Square — despite the small hole-in-the-wall space that they occupy at Cluny Court, the Cluny Court outlet does feature four (4) dine-in tables that are good for two pax each. The interior space is decked with a clean and minimalistic design theme that seems to carry a Japanese influence — the wooden elements and concrete flooring gives off a rather raw vibe despite the largely minimalistic theme. Much like their location at Far East Square, Bao Makers is pretty much focused on their Bao offerings that are being segregated into Premium & Classic categories; other items available will include a line-up of Sando with Vegetable Chips as well as some side dishes. Beverages available would include espresso-based specialty coffee brewed using Common Man Coffee Roasters, as well as iced tea and drinking chocolate.

The Chipotle Beef Bao is an item listed on the menu of Bao Makers that we had not previously tried — the Chipotle Beef being an item that features a deep-fried beef patty that is something similar to the likes of Menchi Katsu, and also features shredded cabbage and a chipotle mayonnaise; patrons can also opt between having the fried or steamed bun for their Bao. The Chipotle Beef Bao is also one of the items marked as a “Must Try” on the menu. For our order of the Chipotle Beef Bao, we found ourselves going for the steamed bun — it is worth noting that Bao Makers serves up lotus leaf buns that they are made from scratch; the lotus leaf buns here are soft, light and fluffy without being over-steamed or have absorbed too much moisture. The deep-fried beef patty comes with a golden-brown, panko-crusted batter; crisp and not greasy, while the tender minced beef patty was savoury without being gamey — the addition of the creamy chipotle mayonnaise gives a very mild honey mustard-esque note with a slight tang to gel everything altogether, while the shredded cabbage provided another dimension of crunch that was refreshing.

We also managed to try the Chili Crab Bao during our visit to Bao Makers at their Cluny Court location — similar to the Chipotle Beef Bao, the Chili Crab Bao is also an item that is being listed under the Premium section of the menu, and that patrons can also likewise opt for the Bao to come with a steamed lotus leaf bun or a fried lotus leaf bun according to their preference. For our order of the Chilli Crab Bao, we went for the fried lotus leaf bun — Bao Makers does not describe on the elements that comes with their Bao offerings but the Chili Crab Bao takes inspiration from the famous Singapore chili crab; the deep-fried lotus leaf bun replicating that of the fried Mantous that is typically served on the side of the dish, while the chili crab sauce can be found stuffed into the lotus leaf bun. The chili crab sauce here does come with quite a fair bit of shredded crab meat — so much that the lotus leaf bun could not really hold up all of it; that being said, we also loved the balance of flavours where it is tangy, zippy and not overly sweet. It also came with a spicy kick that is suitable for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness as well; the lettuce helps to balance all of the elements out meanwhile.

Knowing that they serve up espresso-based specialty coffee at this outlet, it was needless to say that we had planned to get our caffeine fix during our visit to Bao Makers at Cluny Court. We found ourselves pretty intrigued with their Sweet Cream Coffee — this can be described as a standard latte that is topped off with a sweet milk foam that is fairly similar to that of the sweet cream that Starbucks serves up with some of their beverages. Served only in iced format, the Sweet Cream Coffee does come with a nutty and earthy flavour profile; featured a medium body that did not feel particularly heavy-handed, while the sweet cream does add a very subtle sweetness to the entire cuppa. Overall, it seems that Bao Makers have been refining their concept further despite its on-and-off appearance and disappearance in the local F&B scene — Bao Makers in its current form does feel like a more refined version of what they previously were when they had first started out at Horne Road; it does seem that they have taken the lessons learnt throughout the years to constantly improve on their offerings. The current rendition of the Baos do seem like a creation that they carry with pride; one that definitely went through a lot of R&D to allow patrons to experience their sincerity from elements that are made from scratch. It does seem that this current phase of Bao Makers is just beginning — will be interesting to see what these folks have in their plans in the days to come!