Fast facts

Restaurant Name: Bao Down

Address: First Floor, Exhibition Building, 79 Main Road, Green Point, Cape Town.

Contact Number: 066 022 1165

Opening times: Lunch: Tuesday to Saturday 12noon to 3pm; Dinner: Tuesday to Sunday 5pm to 11pm

Average price of a main course: R82 – R145. The menu is best for sharing, as portion sizes are pretty small. Ordering 3-4 dishes is recommended.

Food type: Modern Chinese cuisine

Parking: Street parking.

Food

On its own, a bao bun is quite unremarkable. Its shape is like something from Sesame Street, resembling a sock puppet, and it’s rather bland. But as a vehicle for fillings, sweet or savoury, it becomes exceptional. The texture is light, pillowy and soft – yet at the same time capable of holding a slab of perfect pork belly coated with sticky sauce (some of which may drip down your hands and onto your clothes) firmly in its place on its way to your mouth. These pork belly baos are well worth losing a shirt for; there are two in a portion and nothing stopping you from ordering more – they’re that good.

The menu is rather small but more than sufficient, with plenty of variety: tuna, beef, prawn, chicken, vegetarian – and a luxurious lobster roll. Two diners should be happy with three or four plates to share, but there’ll be no judgement if you go for more. Not every dish is inside a bao – the tuna with nikiri sauce, wasabi mayo, nori, daikon and pickled ginger, for example.

The sauce with the beef tataki is a soy, lemon and ginger dressing with a nori emulsion, pickled jalapeños (this can be served on the side for those who don’t like it hot), radish and ginger. It’s delectable enough that you’ll request a spoon so you can drink every last drop.

For the vegetarians, there’s charred broccoli with miso sesame paste, black garlic and lime sauce; cauliflower cake pan-fried with mushrooms, edamame beans, baby spinach and spicy soy dressing; and gochujang sweet potato skewers with parsley mayonnaise in a bao.

The humble bao extends to dessert too, where it is deep-fried and served with vanilla ice cream and a dark chocolate crumb. If you feel inspired to recreate your dining experience at home, there are pantry items like sauces, dressings and seasonings – plus a bag of buns.

 

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Drinks

A small wine list covers reds, whites, bubbly and sake, and there’s also a handful of beers that pair beautifully with spicy food, including a Japanese white ale.

 

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Service

Waiters are very friendly and engaging.

 

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Ambience

This elegant and fairly minimalist spot has a beautiful, spacious interior with a large mural to gaze at as you enjoy your food.

 

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Eat Out critics dine unannounced and pay for their meals in full. Read our full editorial policy here.