Gongfu Bao
365 Bank St.
Gongfu Bao started life six years ago in a food truck, and in 2018, owner Tarek Hassan opened a bricks-and-mortar version in Centretown. With its sleek design featuring painted grey wainscoting, walnut booth tables, vintage-inspired Edison light fixtures, and upbeat tunes, Gongfu Bao gives a fantastic first impression, only enhanced by the authenticity of bamboo steamers stacked sky-high on the kitchen counter. And then there’s the food.
While the menu is short and there is limited table service, Gongfu Bao offers plenty of delicious combinations. The focus is handmade bao — soft, pillowy steamed buns that hail originally from northern China and Taiwan. The bao are prepared onsite daily, and there are a couple of not-bao items such as taro chips, slaw, and dumplings. These dumplings are apparently so good that they’re sold out every time I visit.
A lunchtime standout is crispy fried chicken: robustly seasoned, served with green relish and enveloped in the soft white cloudy goodness of the bao bun, the contrast between the crunch of the chicken and the soft bun lands somewhere between heaven and earth. It’s dreamy. The brisket option is deliciously tender, with the rich beef fraying into small pieces. Accompanied by crispy fried onions for crunch and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, this little bun has it all — succulence, the juxtaposition of several textures, and a hit of vibrant green. For something a little spicy, I order the Shaoxing pork bao, which comes with long beans laid across the top. They look benign but add a little residual heat to the tender pulled pork, reminding me that food from China, even Westernized versions, isn’t always covered with a sweet sauce and can deliver some kick. On one visit, I order a tofu bao and the slaw. Even though I’m not generally a fan of tofu, this one is juicy and a great vehicle for a delicious, slightly sweet, smoky sauce, while the slaw is crunchy and packed with lively flavours.
Now licensed, drinks include local sodas, kombucha, beer, and cider.