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New Renfrew-Collingwood Bakery: Bao Bakery

There’s a new bakery in town and it’s a modern take on the traditional steamed bun shop. Bao Bakery opened up last month and is located just outside Joyce Skytrain Station at 5115 Joyce Street. Having visited China many years ago and enjoyed eating from steamed bun vendors, I was very curious as to what Bao Bakery had to offer. So, I decided to pop into their location to try out some of their buns.

bao bakery

Outside Joyce Station

Located just outside Joyce Station, Bao Bakery seems to be the kind of place where you can grab a snack before moving on with your commute. The bakery itself is somewhat spacious and there are even a few small tables inside where you sit down and enjoy your food. The interior is modern with exposed brick walls and some wooden finishes.

bao bakery

At Bao Bakery, the buns are made in house but looks to be machine made because the bakers did some short term bakery courses to imporve the quality of their product. They have their buns and baked goods on display. You’ll have to get help from a staff member to get the items you want. Unlike some bakeries in Vancouver, you won’t be able to pick them up yourself. One thing I also noticed was that their steamed buns are prepared in large steam containers. However, they are then removed and placed into a warmer. Perhaps this method might make the buns less warm as opposed to keeping them in the steamer?

bao bakery

Bao Bakery Menu

The selection of steam buns or sio pao offered include plain buns, red bean buns, spicy pork, pork and vegetables, chicken, chicken deluxe and BBQ pork – asado. Prices start at $1.40 for a plain bun up to $2.90 for a chicken deluxe.

bao bakery

Aside from steamed buns, they also have baked goods like pineapple buns, apple tarts, egg tarts and more. You can also purchase their buns as frozen and I saw that they have a buy 2 bags get 1 free deal.

bao bakery

What I Tried

I bought the following from Bao Bakery:

  • Mini pineapple bun ($0.75)
  • Apple tart ($1.40)
  • Red bean bun ($1.70)
  • Spicy pork ($2.35)
  • Chicken deluxe ($2.90)
  • BBQ pork-asado ($2.10)

In general, I thought the buns were just OK. None of them tasted bad but they didn’t really generate much excitement for me either. The bao dough has a bit of a sweetness to it even for the ones with savoury filling.

The pineapple bun had a nice crunchy and sweet topping followed by a softer bread underneath. The apple tart was quite good: light and flaky crust while the filling had the right amount of sweetness. The red bean bun was average in my opinion but had a smooth red bean paste filling.

bao bakery

Moving onto the savoury buns, I thought that there was a somewhat reasonable amount of meat incorporated into the filling. The fillings were warm, moist but I thought they needed a bit more flavour. The spicy pork had a subtle heat to it. The chicken deluxe filling was the most interesting: it had chicken, ham and egg. I must say how nice it is to see a small business flourish. It is such a challenge and requires very brave individuals to spearhead it. If you think you could also do it then you should research extensively about the costs involved. A good starting point could be to view how much you’d have to spend on bills. You can do a business energy comparison online.

bao bakery

bao bakery

bao bakery

Overall Impression of Bao Bakery

In general, I thought the steamed buns from Bao Bakery were good though nothing really stood out to me. However, I like their concept which makes them a decent place for a quick snack if you are commuting. Rating: 3.5/5

Facebook: @baobakery

Bao Bakery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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