The story of this restaurant begins not in a dining room but in a kitchen. Its founders are three friends raised in Bengaluru, who built their menu around family recipes, most notably the handmade baozi taught to Wan Ming Li, head chef and co-founder, by his parents. Bao To Me began in 2021 as a cloud kitchen and now they present their fearless Asian street fare at their 26-seater space in Koramangala, Bengaluru.
The interiors are positioned deliberately between street and home: nostalgic collectibles from the founder’s personal archives occupy the shelves while the open kitchen area references the bustle of night markets, all hued in signature red and white hues. We began with a simple, sweet and refreshing lemon tea while we awaited our appetisers.
And we must mention that the service here is pretty fast and efficient. Soon, our table was filled with plates of Smashed Cucumber Salad (a crispy salad soaked in a tangy garlic-sesame dressing, finished with fresh herbs) and Miso Soup (comforting broth of fermented soybean paste paired with tofu, seaweed and scallions). The former spicy yet flavourful and the latter was umami-rich!
Oriental express
When it came to pillowy-soft baos, the signature dish, we first tried Spicy Tofu Bao, which was stuffed with aromatic chilli oil infused tofu cubes and spring onions. This was spot on in terms of the taste! We then bit into a Chicken Bao loaded with tender chicken thighs, onion, spring onions and sesame oil. Paired with the accompanying spicy chilli sauce and chilli oil, this was a satisfying bite.
Even before we walked into this place, we were set on trying Katsu Curry and that’s what we had next. The Tori Katsu Curry Rice plated with crispy panko breaded chicken thigh, served with rich Japanese curry and short grain rice was creamy, velvety and savoury — the mildly sweet, complex flavour profile won us over. We closed the meal by savouring Mizu Shingen Mochi, a delicate and delicious raindrop-shaped dessert made from mineral water and agar, served with roasted soybean flour and black sugar syrup.
Meal for two: ₹1,100 onwards. At Koramangala.
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