House Of Bao

They have a 1 for 1 promo. The bao was crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. I chose the earl grey ice cream. I find it abit bland. When they say 'earl grey and fig', it's really earl grey flavour and figs in the ice cream

The fried chicken seems similar to the marinate of nasi lemak chicken. The interesting sauce tasts like thousand island sauce.

Pretty legit. They put a whole soft shelled crab. Comes with chilli crab sauce. The bun was soft. Prices are net as well.

We had been to Alexandra Central pretty recently to check out STR TAO Taiwanese Cuisine, which had made their move from a coffeeshop at Toh Guan Road into its own standalone space within the mall. Apart from STR TAO Taiwanese Cuisine, Alexandra Central also sees the opening of the new House of Bao 包之家, which takes over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Tuk Tuk Cha within the mall that is beside John’s Pizzeria & Bakery on the ground floor of the mall. House of Bao is actually a brand that is established by the same folks who have founded Tai Ping Bao 太平包, an online-based business that had started out in the midst of the strict safety management measures which was implemented due to the COVID-19 situation back then. The founders of Tai Ping Bao / House of Bao are the third generation bao-makers that are directly linked to the original business that has started in the 1970s in Taiping, Perak, Malaysia — hence the name of Tai Ping Bao. Whilst Tai Ping Bao focuses on retailing various flavours of bao in frozen packs, House of Bao is more of a food kiosk / cafe-style eatery intended for dine-in. They have shared with us that their interior is still a work-in-progress, having done the interior design and works from scratch on their own; there are currently three tables good for four pax within the establishment — the space still looking fairly preliminary at this stage. The food menu comprises of sections dedicated to Asian Fusion BAO - Ger and Ice-Cream BAO; those whom are looking to give Tai Ping Bao’s range of products can also opt for the items listed on the Traditional BAO section as well. Beverages available at House of Bao includes espresso-based coffee, tea and chocolate drinks; there is also a section named Artisan Asian Craft Beers that alcoholics would most certainly be intrigued with as well.

Skimming through the food menu at House of Bao, we initially had our eyes set on the Pork Belly listed on the Asian Fusion BAO - Ger section of the menu; we found ourselves settling for the Crab Krab instead as we were told that the Pork Belly rendition of the Asian Fusion BAO - Ger was unavailable for the day. The Crab Krab Asian Fusion BAO - Ger features elements such as chilli crab sauce, soft shell crab and lettuce all in between bao buns; hence the BAO - Ger name. All Asian Fusion BAO - Gers on the menu of House of Bao also includes a side of fries as well, and requires some time to be served since everything is made from scratch upon-order to ensure freshness at the point of serving. Taking inspiration from the chili crab, the Crab Krab attempts to replicate familiar flavours of the national dish through their own unique take and serving it in the form of a burger; unlike the fried mantous that are typically served up with chili crab, the BAO - Ger here makes uses of steamed mantou buns — the same plain mantou buns which serves as a base to Tai Ping Bao’s variety of baos. It is noted that the steamed bao bun was a great vehicle to that chili crab sauce that the Crab Krab Asian Fusion BAO - Ger came with — the soft, light and fluffy bao which comes with a light whiff of fragrance was that thing that we needed to mop up all that chili crab sauce with. The soft shell crab itself delivered a light crispness within a thin batter; the crab also being pretty fresh since there was no undesirable fishy notes detected. Drenched with the chili crab sauce, the chili crab sauce carried that sweet, tangy and lightly spicy note with all the whisked egg white laced — executed to a style which we are familiar with and come to love. The chili crab sauce is actually sufficiently flavourful; the level of spiciness being one that would suit well even for those who are tolerable to low levels of spiciness. Overall, a very well-executed rendition of chili crab that sees a fusion of Western-Asian in its flavours and execution — a creation that showcases their bao as much as the iconic local dish that they are trying to replicate here.

Despite being an establishment that is still in the works, House of Bao does seem like a spot where they seem to know what they are doing. Riding on the success of their online business, House of Bao is pretty much an extension of what Tai Ping Bao has to offer — one that allows them to be a little bit more creative in what they have to offer, yet still enabling them to focus on their core product. The Ice-Cream BAO was also actually pretty well-executed; featuring fried mantou with a thick layer of ice-cream that comes in between, we liked how they had even taken care of the details here so that the fried mantou does not excessively soak up the melting ice-cream — still crisp on the exterior and light within, while the ice-cream remains frozen and chilled, holding up its shape even for an extended period of time. Given how much attention they pay into the details, it can only show how House of Bao is one of this establishments that are all about giving their patrons the very best — an establishment that is run by earnest individuals whom have the passion and love in their craft, placing effort on what they do in their business. It is a pity that we did not get to try the Traditional BAO offerings during our visit to House of Bao — did not have quite the stomach space after having tried both an item from the Asian Fusion BAO - Ger and the Ice Crem BAO section of the menu. That being said, perhaps a return trip would be made by us just to give their various Traditional BAO offerings a try — definitely interested in giving their Premium Red Bean Traditional BAO and the Pandan Traditional BAO a go!