Baohaus

9/7/2012

Haus Bao all the way!!! The braised beef cheek is so yummy.

Although our Chairman Bao (one of their signature baos) lacked fat (i mean that's what pork belly's all about!), one of the owners, Evan caught that mistake and gave us another one.

Overall we had a good experience here but there are some consistency issues that need to be ironed out. Oh yeah, and the chrysanthenum tea is really the Yeo's can ones...don't be fooled like us because we thought it was freshly made inhouse haha

8/26/2013

BaoHaus is another place where I went a few times but it always missed its mark. The worst time was when I went and the pork was just a bit of meat and mostly fat. I had to throw it away. It was disgusting.

Another time I was there, someone was calling in sick, and the owner was all, "Ask her if she's ok! Ask her if she's ok!" (one of the employees was talking to the person calling in sick) and I just got the impression that 1) she was just making an excuse and she really just wanted to go to an audition or something, and 2) he had no authority over his employees because he kept asking this dude to ask her this or that and he wasn't even doing it. I mean he should have just handed the phone over if there were that many questions. And the owner shouldn't have been asking her details anyway.

Anyway, that was a few years ago. Now apparently they have closed. Survived by their Union Square location. No desire to check them out. In fact you can get better pork belly around there at Num Pang just a few blocks away.

7/17/2011

• 1 check-in

• Listed in Around the world in 80 days, Sometimes good things come in small packages!, Sometimes I feel a bit Asian

The perfect "after a night out drinking" snack food. After pounding down some drinks at a friends B-Day party in the neighborhood we sauntered over to Baohaus to try out the Buns that were recommended to us. At first I was put off by the price for each of these, but after experiencing the subtle yet complex flavors as I bit into each, I was a converted fan.

Soft, fluffy, and oh-so satisfying. We tried a few different menu options here. All are small, but were delectable and worth the $3.50 - $4.50 tab for each.

The Haus Bao - The signature all natural Hanger Steak Bao as seen on Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown. Came with crushed peanut, cilantro, haus relish, and Taiwanese red sugar. Just yummy. No other way to describe it. The toppings help add to the flavor explosion of delicious hanger steak..

The Uncle Jesse - Vegetarian pan fried organic tofu coated in sweet potato starch topped with haus sauce, cilantro, crushed peanut and Taiwanese red sugar. The tofu was perfectly prepared and had great flavor with the toppings.

The Chariman Bao - Braised slow and low using all natural Berkshire pork belly. Cam with crushed peanut, cilantro, haus relish, and Taiwanese red sugar. Just ridiculous! As I looked at it I did not think I would like it, but as the flavors melted into my mouth I was convinced. Buttery goodness!

The Birdhouse Bao - All-natural free range chicken brined overnight and fried to order. Came with spicy seasoning salt, cilantro, and crushed peanuts. Wonderful made bird here. Wish it were bigger.

Sweet Bao Fries - Sweet fried slices of Bao served with sweet sesame dipping sauce. We chose the sweet black sesame. This was terrific! Like eating dessert. We actually fought over this one!

More and more I realize that these small little "hole in the wall" places offer the biggest food flavors. There is no real decor here and just some counter seating with a few stools, but what it makes up for in size or ambiance is terrific food creativity. It gives hope and meaning that many small start ups like this can survive and thrive in the big city. A victory of "David over Goliath" among the big dogs in the restaurant biz.

10/10/2011

• Listed in The LES

I randomly stumbled upon both Baohaus when hitting up sneaker stores in LES and wandering around in East Village.  To be honest, I wasn't sure what to make of this place before eating here.

To be honest, owner and head chef, Eddie Huang, seemed most famous for being hailed the next/Taiwanese version of Anthony Bourdain.  Some kind of culinary bad boy.  To me, when you're the "anything" version of anything - you're nothing.  And to be honest, I'm not sure if Huang looks like this label either - although there are pictures of Bourdain (along with DJ Whoo Kid and Prodigy of Mobb Deep - a strange collection) at the East Village location - there is a defaced picture of Bourdain at the Rivington location (although he recently made a well-publicized visit).  Is this kid purposely firing shots a la 50 Cent to garner attention?

And to complicate matters, my random rants of on Yelp have been compared to Huang's blog... a strange marriage of food and hip-hop.  And a friend that interviewed him said we both have very similar personalities (well... if you discount Huang's success and education).

Therein lies the problem - seems like a man of my own heart but like his complex relationship with my idol - guys like him and I typically don't like each other.  Maybe it's alpha-male bullshit - maybe it's swagger-jacking or just pure haterdom.  Whatever.

All that matters is the food - and this place is legit.  Skip the tongue-in-cheek name Chairman Bao (Berkshire pork belly) - it's too fatty and gelatinous for my liking.  Go straight for the Haus Bao (beef cheeks) - with the crushed peanut, cilantro, Haus Relish and Taiwnese red sugar - it's like the best char siu bao you've ever had.  And the beef cheeks are tender and delicious.

Hell - I even liked the Sweet Bao Fries (slices of deep fried bao) - I went with the black sesame sauce (if you're Chinese, you really can't go with anything else).  I don't like sweets - but for fuck's sakes, it's BLACK SESAME!

Alright - so this guy has swagger, a sweet blog, two delicious and cheap bao restaurants in NYC... I fucken' hate this guy.

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  Sweet Bao Fries (fried bao slices with black sesame sauce)

  Sweet Bao Fries (fried bao slices with black sesame sauce)
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  Chairman Bao (right - Berkshire pork belly) and Haus Bao (left - beef cheek)

  Chairman Bao (right - Berkshire pork belly) and Haus Bao (left - beef cheek)

10/4/2010

• 10 check-ins

• Listed in the LES: lower east side spots., where meaty petey gets his...eateys., asian restaurants in NYC.

This is a tiny little place serving tiny little buns filled with HUGE FUCKING FLAVOR.

Yes, I wish the buns were either a bit bigger, or a bit cheaper.
Yes, I wish the staff moved a little quicker sometimes.
Yes, I wish I was like 6 foot 9 so I could get with Leoshi 'cause she don't know me but yo she's really fine.

But regardless of price, size, or staff, the baos here are reliably delicious. I come in a LOT, and I've never had a bad bao. In fact, I can't walk by without stopping for one. It doesn't matter what time of day it is, or if I've already eaten, I always have room for one of these, be it the decadent pork belly, the perfectly balanced beef, or the tofu. That's right, I even love the tofu.

Bonus points because Eddie, the owner, is the man. This is his spot, and I knew I was in the right spot when I read the FAQ sitting on one of the counters and found out we have the same favorite chef: Raekwon. And I know I've got to go give Xiao Ye (his other joint) a shot, because like my man Rae Rae, Eddie's always cooking up some marvelous shit to get your mouth watering.

9/2/2010

• Listed in Go LES or Go Home!

Since I was on a mission to visit SSS on the next block I decided to eat some real food before downing the cupcakes. I did not have a bag of salty chips (as recommended by Helen Y.) to prevent overdosing and sugar shock so I had to stopped off at BaoHaus as preventive remedy; BaoHaus was on my Yelp-Must-Eat List anyways.

I order one Haus Bao (Hey, I'm on a diet) and Kate my cashier and Bao preparer was careful to dress the Bao just right; like an artist.
The Haus Relish was just right and the meat was juicy and seasoned just right for my taste. The bao was gone from my hands in three bits.
This was  great treat and different; the price is a little high but given that they are using select all-natural meats and organic tofu plus everything is cooked with 90% energy efficient induction cooking methods. The price is bearable.
I well be back to try the other items soon.
Bao On! Dessert is next.

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  My Bao was gone in three bites.

  My Bao was gone in three bites.
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  Compare the difference.

  Compare the difference.
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  A little Bao family history.

  A little Bao family history.
• See all photos from Rich W. for Baohaus

6/23/2011

• 1 check-in

We tried the Haus Bao and Chairman Bao. Both on steamed buns, one with hanger steak and the other with pork belly. Both very tasty and succulent.

On their specials menu, we ordered the taro fries and ai yu jelly lemonade. I like taro, but I was questionable about it being as "fries." Um, no regrets. The fries were awesome! and the ai yu jelly lemonade... OMG! First of all, it was pretty hot outside and the lemonade beat the heat - it was oh-so refreshing! The lemonade wasn't really sour and wasn't too sweet nor too lemony. It was just right. It's hard to describe. Let's just say, I tried making the ai yu jelly lemonade at home and failed miserably.

We walked in and totally did not expect to see 3 white guys working behind the counter. Shocking, that's all.

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  Ai yu jelly lemonade

  Ai yu jelly lemonade
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6/6/2011

• 2 check-ins

Want some good ol' Taiwanese bao without having to venture all the way back to the motherland and bare the hot humid whether of a night market? Well, then look no further than Baohaus!!!

In a one-week visit to NYC this past month, I made sure I came here at least twice (once after having a full lunch just less than an hour before).

The Hausbao was okay, maybe because I want the buttery fatty goodness of the pork belly so to me, that Hausbao didn't compare.

The Chairman (pork belly) and Birdhaus (fried chicken) though were both delicious!!! Man I want some now just thinking about it...

Added plus that they had Taiwanese sodas.

Only minor ding would be the price (yeah, yeah, yeah... I know it's not night market prices and it's NYC after all).

Overall, great experience and would definitely return when I'm back in The City!!!

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  The Chairman and the Haus Bao

  The Chairman and the Haus Bao

8/8/2010

I love this joint. It is one of the local hotspots feeding NY's latest addiction and obsession with pork buns (no really). I had the Haus Bao -made with tasty skirtsteak---and the Chairman Bao's -- made with the fattiest tender pork belly. Both baos were garnished with Taiwanese red sugar and assembled by a B2K Omarion look-a-like San Francisco native.  The Sweet Potatoes Fries were a bit bland but the country edamame peanuts were a nice salty and vinegary snack to munch on.

My friends and I chatted up with the chef, Eddie, who was featured on the Food Network and his fiancé. They were such a cute and friendly couple, who operated the shop. They even hooked us up with the "Green Monster" aka a fried sweet bao with avocados and other yummy spices. I definitely am a fan and recommend visiting this restaurant's unique and mouth-watering bao selection for a snack in the big city!

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  Green Monster-fried sweet bao with avocados and other yummy spices

  Green Monster-fried sweet bao with avocados and other yummy spices
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  Haus Bao and the Chairman Bao's

  Haus Bao and the Chairman Bao's

4/12/2010

• Listed in Chinese & Honorary Taiwanese

Stopped by to pick up 2 baos.  Flavors were good... very good actually... but darn it, it's expensive!!  1 bao was $4 or $4.50 depending on what you get.  Geez Louise.  I can get 2 duck buns for $1 or 2 gua baos for $3 in Flushing.  I don't like feeling like I overpaid for food, even if the food is great.

We ordered the following 2 baos:
1) Chairman Bao - Pork Belly
yelp.com/biz_photos/JgDC…
2) Haus Bao - Skirt Steak
yelp.com/biz_photos/JgDC…

Another friend had also ordered Boiled Peanuts.  They were too salty and had way too much vinegar.  The friend also mentioned that it was perfect the last time he got it... inconsistency.  Tsk Tsk.

05.13.2010 Update:
Went back and ordered a Royal Flush (combination of 6 baos, bao fries, and a drink).  We ordered 3 Wagyu Skirt Steak, 1 Pan Fried Tofu, and 2 Hangar Steak baos.  Food & flavor was good... but still pricey.  Expect to pay for 3 baos for 1 person to be full, which is a "Straight Flush" on the menu.

1) King Jaffe Joffer Bao (Wagyu Skirt Steak) and Uncle Jesse (Pan Fried Tofu) - yelp.com/biz_photos/JgDC…
2) Haus Bao (Hangar Steak) and King Jaffe Joffer Bao (Wagyu Skirt Steak) - yelp.com/biz_photos/JgDC…
3) Bao Fries - yelp.com/biz_photos/JgDC…

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  Bao Fries

  Bao Fries
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  Haus Bao (Hangar Steak) and King Jaffe Joffer Bao (Wagyu Skirt Steak)

  Haus Bao (Hangar Steak) and King Jaffe Joffer Bao (Wagyu Skirt Steak)
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  King Jaffe Joffer Bao (Wagyu Skirt Steak) and Uncle Jesse (Pan Fried Tofu)

  King Jaffe Joffer Bao (Wagyu Skirt Steak) and Uncle Jesse (Pan Fried Tofu)
• See all photos from Jocy C. for Baohaus

4/4/2010

• 1 check-in

This place is so tiny! Only 13 seats but if you are lucky enough you will be seated. They offer really small menu but everything is perfect, delicious and cooked to perfection! The pork belly is to die for and sweet bao fries were so great! Now i think i am in love with Taiwanese!...I am in love with Baouhous....

And by the way this place is so affordable. we ordered everything on the menu and it cost us $25...

And people who work there also are very nice :)

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  Pork belly in the hand of my loved one at 2 am

  Pork belly in the hand of my loved one at 2 am

6/21/2010

• 1 check-in

4 stars for taste, -1 star for price.

$4 for a "gua bao" is bordering on outrageous, especially since Baohaus does not have the "I am in hip Manhattan so I have rent to pay" excuse.  It is indeed what Sandy C describes as a hole in the wall on a nondescript, skimming on "ghetto" street that I would not walk down on a cold wintry night.  We almost missed it if not for the large sandwich board outside highlighting "TAIWANESE" in blue font.

The cashier is towards the front and we were told to just give the girl in the back our orders and pay later.  It seemed a bit chaotic, with 3 girls behind the register and one girl behind the ordering window.  Since we had a big dinner awaiting us in 2 hours, K and I ordered a Chairman Bao to share.  Peanuts and cilantro covered the fat piece of Berkshire porkbelly.  I am not a big fan of cilantro so I took most of it off.  The taste was spot-on homestyle Taiwanese porkbelly... so much so that we wished we could run home and make our own batch (and we will, next weekend!)

Wouldn't come back again only because the price is a bit far-fetched for what you get... although I just read on their website what Bao fries are and now I really want to get some! haha... maybe next time we're in the LES area again I'll give in.

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  Our Chairman Bao

  Our Chairman Bao

3/9/2010

• 1 check-in

While just a little bit lost while shopping around the city, my boyfriend and I ran across this little gem.

It is a small shop that has some stairs for you to walk down into the seating area.  You order at the far end of the restaurant, where you can see them cooking behind the registrar.  The menu isn't too hard to guide your own way through, with a great selection, and they have some good drinks for choices as well.

We had the tofu bao and the haus bao, both were absolutely delicious.  Our mango drinks were matched up as well.  They were playing some really dope hip hop music, and had a unique feel to it.

They also have something called a F.O.B. card that is kind of like their version of a frequent buyer card or whatnot.

The baos are about the size of a fist, and if you're coming here for a meal I would recommend getting 2-3, and maybe an appetizer or one of their other selections as well ... but as for me, we just wanted to stop buy to try it so one for each of us worked out just fine.

While we were here my boyfriend actually ran into a fellow classmate of his, and when we asked if he lived around the neighborhood he responded with ... "No where near here man.  But this place is so damn good, that I have to make the trip out here."  -- nice.

But you may be wondering why the one star is gone?  Well, it is a bit pricey, coming out at about $4/bao ... if the prices ever go down, then that extra star will find its way on there ;).

1/21/2010

• 7 check-ins

• Listed in The LES

You step inside and there is not much seating, not much kitchen area and none of it matters because the food is great and the service is fantastic. I dropped in on a Thursday afternoon and there were a few people inside.  Both the girl at the counter and the guy making the food were super friendly.  Not the overly friendly, please like us, kind of friendly, but totally genuine and helpful and just plain nice. I love good food, but good food with friendly and prompt service is obviously at a premium.

My friend and I split the House Bao (angus skirt steak bao with crushed peanut, cilantro, haus relish and taiwanese red sugar) and it was filled with flavor. The meat was tender and the crushed peanut added that tiny extra touch that really made it all work perfectly together.

Then we split the Uncle Jessie (vegetarian pan fried tofu coated in sweet potato starch topped with our haus sauce, cilantro, crushed peanut and taiwanese red sugar) and that was even better.  What?  The one without the meat was even better? Yes, it was. The flavor was phenomenal and the texture of the bun was so, so good.

Baohaus earns a five for not being pretentious, serving excellent food and for being totally friendly.  AND their menu has like five things on it, you can't mess this up.  The one with steak, the one with pork or the one with just veggies and then there are bao fries (add to must have list). Guaranteed stop every time I am nearby.

3/9/2010

What a tiny place. I was so surprised. There's only one table by the window that's probably always taken, and a long table in the middle of the room, where everyone has to squeeze past each time to make each move. At some points, I felt a bit claustrophobic as I was surrounded in all direction.

The staff was energetic and nice. They use post-its to take your order, which I thought was cool. The bao itself was good, I was a fan of the vegetarian one & pork belly one, the beef one didn't leave much of an impression. Furthermore, each bao was made to perfection it seemed. The bao looked so perfect that I almost didn't want to eat it.

But no, that would have been ridiculous considering that it cost $4~5 for that little tiny bao. Order the Royal Flush (~13) to try out all the baos and get some boiled peanuts.

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  Straight flush

  Straight flush
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  Menu

  Menu

4/11/2010

• 2 check-ins

• Listed in My Favorite Taiwanese Restaurants

As a fellow Taiwanese, I am proud and happy the owner decided to open Baohaus and promotes one of the very delicious Taiwanese snacks.

We tried the Chairman Bao and House Bao and they are a little smaller than the ones in Taiwan. I guess the buns they sell in NY are tinier. The meat is cooked to be tender, juicy and flavorful. In my opinion, the baos are delicious as they are. The only problem i have is it is pricey at almost $4 each. It is like 4 times the price as it is in Taiwan.

But I know the rent here is much higher, etc. So, for those who don't have a chance to eat it outside of US, I would highly recommend trying it. For other fellow Taiwanese, I would still recommend coming here to sample our country's great food invention!

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  House Bao

  House Bao
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  Chairman Bao

  Chairman Bao

7/14/2011 Updated review

• 3 check-ins

I finally got a chance to bring the BF here.  It's BF Taiwanese Pork bun approved!
After a late night out, this is the place to go.
They had a new addition to the menu, Taro fries!  Yum they're thick cut fries perfectly crispy on the outside.  I'd prefer them to be a bit more softer on the inside but the Taro flavor is definitely  present.
Prices are still steep for a bao but this is the classic Taiwanese bao, the way it should be.  Just a piece of pork fat on top and tender marinated pork meat inside with just the right amount of pickled veg & crushed peanuts.

The place is sort of falling apart, they moved the cashier to the back where you place your order.  Too many disorganized boxes in the way and all over the place.  It needs a new paint job or a refresh already.

8/16/2011

• 1 check-in

• Listed in Touristy Shit (Good & Bad)

I've always passed by this place on the Lower East Side, but never went in. I didn't know what I was missing till now...

After a night of drinking food is always the savior. When your on the Lower East Side it can be tricky. Luckily there is Baohaus. I went in with one thing on my mind. PORK BELLY! I decided to get the "Chairman".

I'll be honest and say that I forgot what was in it, but I do remember the flavor. The warm Bao with a good piece or braised pork belly. A little sweet and very tender. My mouth is actually watering right now. I knew that one Bao wouldn't be enough so I was right on getting two. I literally inhaled the two and washed it down with apple soda.

I will definitely come back here again when I need my Pork Belly fix!

3/28/2011 Updated review

Wanted to give this place another chance after my first two times here, and saw the 'B' sanitation grade posted on the door.

"Meh," i tell myself. I go to Chinatown all the time, B's are still passing grades.

Go inside, see a MESS of a kitchen with ingredients on the floor and counter that looks like it hasn't been wiped in days.

"Meh," I tell myself. "It's a Sunday."

Music is so loud it takes a couple tries before the guy sees me. Order the haus bao and the baofries. As I spy on the guy in the kitchen, preparation of my meal appears questionable.

Beef is too chewy, lukewarm, and finished in three bites. Baofries are a little better, but not totally sure that the black sesame sauce works over the "fried bread."

About an hour later, got a prompt stomachache.

10/8/2011

I consider myself a pretty tolerant person. That's why I'm still giving Baohaus 2 stars even though I found a piece of plastic (see biz photo) inside one of my buns and almost swallowed it (shoutout to my mom who taught me to chew slowly and carefully).

I ordered the Chairman (pork belly), Haus (beef cheek) and Oyster Po (self explanatory) Baos. The pork belly, with its rich sweet/savory flavor, was my favorite, followed closely by the Birdhaus (chicken), which my friend ordered. I was about to gulp down a morsel of pork belly when I felt something in my mouth, something hard and sharp. It was a jagged piece of clear plastic. When I brought it to the cashier's attention, though, his reaction worried me (read: he didn't seem very surprised... at all). "Oh" was the first word out of his mouth. Then - "Do you want a refund or another bun?"

He ended up refunding me $12 (the cost of all 3 buns) so it was fine, I guess. But I dunno. The buns were appetizing, for sure, but I've had better. The idea of eating at a place that hides plastic shards inside its food kills me. Maybe I'll be back, maybe I won't. But you can bet I'll be chewing very, VERY slowly the next time I'm there.

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  The pork belly bao, and the piece of plastic inside that I almost swallowed. (Note: they refunded my $)

  The pork belly bao, and the piece of plastic inside that I almost swallowed. (Note: they refunded my $)