Rudyard Kipling's poem The Ballad of East and West may have advocated the thought that, ‘East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,’ but The Fatty Bao in Bengaluru has created something truly imaginative as a convergence of the East and West — the bao dog. It’s the restaurant’s take on the hot dog, a staple in American cuisine, and The Fatty Bao calls it ‘a juicy crossover.’ The regular bun of a hot dog is replaced with the Chinese bao.
The promotion kicked off earlier this week, and we got to sample some of them. The 14-day special delivery menu is curated in such a way that it includes interesting options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. We sampled the Tempayy Dog, Spicy Korean Chicken Dog, Lamb O’ Dog and Dancing Shrimp Dog.
Our palate was greeted with a burst of flavours when we bit into the Tempayy Dog. The pan-fried tempeh and edamame patty with kimchi green apple, scallion, lettuce, chilli bean sauce and roasted sesame seeds created an interesting mix of nutty, sour and lightly spicy flavours. The Lamb O’ Dog's texture was similar to the Tempayy Dog, but the flavour profile was quite different. Flavours were balanced in this combination of minced lamb with black bean sauce, cheese, pickled cucumbers, tartar sauce and chilli garlic crumble.
But it was the Dancing Shrimp Dog that was quite enticing. The hot and spicy pan-seared shrimp with chilli was dramatic and made this bao dog irresistible. Scallion and garlic, mayonnaise, kimchi green apple and iceberg lettuce lent a lot of flavour to the spicy shrimp, making it a winner. Each of these hot dog variants is packed with unique Asian flavours, but we must caution you that some of these could be quite hot for the palate. Nevertheless, the plump and pillowy bao dogs are a must-try!
Rs 265++ upwards. Until July 24. Order online
ayeshatabassum@ newindianexpress.com
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