Bao is Taiwan’s favorite street food: a tender, steamed bread that is stuffed with a variety of delicious fillings. In honor of this traditional Taiwanese treat, a new eatery recently opened its doors by Szabadság Square, in the building that used to house the Hungarian Stock Exchange, and later the headquarters of MTV, Hungary’s national television organization. Reminiscent of illegal opium dens of the Far East, the dining hall used to be a garage for the news department’s outside-broadcast vans, and it houses another kind of vehicle today – a food truck full of hardworking chefs.
Owners and cooking enthusiasts Petra Pallagi and Péter Nagyházi were hugely inspired by their foreign travels, and came up with the concept about a year ago.
The star item on the menu is bao, of course: the savory, compact buns are packed with braised pork belly, spicy soy sauce, cinnamon, crushed peanuts, and vegetables (590 HUF). You can also order them with chicken (590 HUF) or duck (790 HUF), or get the vegetarian option (690 HUF) with grilled tofu and a ragout made from three types of mushroom. The dim sum (590-1,190 HUF) and the soups (990 HUF) are a must, too, and their excellent Thai and Japanese beers are great for washing down the delectable Asian dishes.
Along with the exotic cuisine, the special interior is another enticing aspect of the Oriental eatery: this is a cozy and dog-friendly place, where you can get to know your fellow foodies over a post-lunch game of mahjong, or a round of some unusual-sounding drinks. The only thing to be careful about is the furniture – as stylish as the pieces may be, make sure to sit right in the middle of your chair to avoid falling down and taking the contents of the table with you.
Despite the fact that BAOTIFUL has only been welcoming guests for a few days now, lunchtime is already looking like a super-busy period of the day – we wouldn’t be surprised to see this culinary cavern soon become a hot favorite in the neighborhood.
