Chinatown’s Bao Bei

If you haven’t been to Chinatown’s new brasserie on the block, Bao Bei, you’re a little late to the party. Word has spread like wildfire, so keep calm and read on for the inside scoop on which dishes will help you make up for lost time.

After last month’s third visit in a week, the joint was packed, revealing several familiar and friendly faces including some of the top brass of the Fairmont Hotel chain, in town opening up the new Pacific Rim.Welcoming you to the bustling bar are a series of wall-mounted silver serving trays, collections of clipboards, black and white family photos, and eclectic knickknacks, much of the décor and furniture reupholstered and  amassed from a year’s worth of scavenging thrift stores and kitchen auctions. (Here’s a little piece of trivia for you: the bar stools were just $1 each!)
Beyond the bar lies the dining room in all its flurry of activity. We’re greeted warmly by Chambar alumnae duo, owner Tannis Ling, and Paul Grunberg, stepping confidently into his role as maître d’ after his most recent stint with Market at the Hotel Shangri-La.
“Traditional character, rustic food, and lots of beer,” describes Ling, who has dreamt up a Chinese Brasserie with an old country chic setting. “But do not confuse it for a classic Chinese restaurant,” she adds. There’s not a blinding fluorescent light or lazy-susan turntable in the house, nor will you find even a trace of MSG let alone bulk bought foods in her kitchen.Sustainable, seasonal ingredients, free range eggs and hormone-free meats reign the menu. Using recipes hailing from Ling’s Mother’s own kitchen, Japanese French Chef Joel Watanabe creates modern interpretations of these passed-down dishes, but fusion it is not.
A gamut of childhood favourites can be found in the Petits Plats Chinois (Chinese small plates) section of the menu, offering specialties ranging from Sticky Rice Cakes (a Chinese version of rice-gluten pasta) with wood eared mushrooms and bamboo shoots, to Mantou steamed buns with braised short rib, pickled cucumber and roasted peanuts.
Tart slices of fresh pineapple served with chilli salt dip and the Warm eggplant with soy and spicy ginger help kick things off with a bang.
Ling swears by the hearty Duck Congee with its garnishes of fresh peanuts and salty preserved mustard root greens, and the handmade steamed prawn and chive dumplings are not to be missed. The to-die-for stir fried squid with pork belly and cooling baby bok choi balanced the sharpness of the ginger and red flecks of fresh chilli.

The careful consideration and selection of fresh ingredients is echoed on the cocktail list as well, featuring  the “Kai Yuen Sour” combining Makers Mark with dried Chinese plum syrup and bitters as well as, and I quote, “The Best F%$#ing Pina Colada You’ve Ever Had”.

And the price point is more than reasonable. Our first meal there, 6 of us feasted on a plethora of items plucked from all categories of the menu, which before wine, came to $18 per person and included two orders of the magnificent crunchy deep fried bananas with coconut lime sorbet.