Baohaus NYC: My new favourite Gua Bao 刮包 & Fiery explosion at Kyochon NYC

New York is a fantastic city for little bites and snacks. Not only do you get carts selling hot dogs & pretzels at nearly every block, I've even seen hot food like kebabs too.

Cheap food on the go is in abundance here. Feeling peckish before dinner, I headed to Baohaus for their Gua Bao 刮包 or steamed buns.

Haus Bao $4.50

As this was meant to be a snack, I decided to only order one and chose the signature Bao, the Haus Bao. The Haus Bao is made from all natural Hanger Steak. OMG, I love this. The combination of the soft steamed buns, shredded lean meat, crunchy peanuts and sweet red sugar is just lip-smackingly tasty. It was a melange of textures and taste with the cilantro adding a zing .

Where Momofuku is decadently rich like how you feel after a Chinese 10 course wedding dinner, Bauhaus version is rustic and down to earth. Simple delicious peasant food. I knew I said that I was only having one, but I found myself getting off the stool and went straight to the counter to order another.

Chairman Bao $4

This time, I got the Chairman Bao which is more comparable to Momofuku's. The meat here is all natural Berkshire Pork Belly that was braised slow and low. Again, I was not disappointed. There is a whole chunk of pork belly with its layer of fat in there but it didn't taste overly fatty and rich. I could easily devour 5 of these buns without any hesitation.

I have just found my new favourite 刮包 Gua Bao. Pity that it's so far from home.

For more photos, please check out my Flickr stream here.

My friend Mili kept telling me that I have to try Korean Fried Chicken when in NY.

So initially intending to head to Bon Bon, they were fully packed so it was to Kyo Chon across the street it would be.

Kyo Chon has two types of service reminiscent of Leon in London. You can go to the top floor for a full dinner service where they charge a little more or you can order their take away on the street level and eat it at the few tables and seats that are laid around for you.

As much as I am still a spicy-eater in training, how could I not choose their signature hot and sweet wings? I was forewarned by the cashier that it is very spicy. *Gulp* Not a problem, I said.

A few minutes later, I was staring at 5 beautiful spicy red wings. You can smell the spice even with the lid of the box closed.

How spicy is it? It's like a fiery explosion when you get down to the last two pieces. I had no trouble finishing my entire ice cold drink in the time it took me to finish the wings.

If you think spicy wings from KFC are spicy, this is on the other end of the scale. So for the spicy food lovers, this is a nice place to stop for some fiery bites.

Guess what I spied on the side? The CPR kit is available if it gets too HOT!

Baohaus, 137 Rivington Street, Lower East Side, New York, NY 10002
www.baohausnyc.com




Kyo Chon, 319 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016
www.facebook.com/kyochonNY