The Chairman

Had a spicy chicken sandwich here. It was amazing.

Bursting with flavor, good pickles (very sweet and tangy) to balance, and two amazing sauces (a spicy red oil sauce and a sesame paste type sauce). It was on a bun, not a bao, which I was surprised about - but even though I was looking forward to the bao, their regular bun was also totally fresh, chewy, and delicious.

Absolutely awesome, would eat again.

Hungry and at the san mateo farmers market, I got to try chicken baked buns made with milk bread. The sandwich was filling, tasty and enclosed in a sweet, fluffy bread. I loved the picked carrot that help round out the umami of the chicken cut the light heat of the sandwich. Overall, great meal and hit the spot.

Pork Belly Baked Bun
$11

"Pork Belly, please"
"Baked or steamed?"
"Whichever one has more meat"

Off the grid parking lot event. People were lining up at the other trucks so I stepped up here. Who doesn't love pork belly?

Tender, lightly sauced, evenly balanced between sweet and savory with a nice crunch from the pickled daikon. Darn good sandwich.

Quick turnaround. They forgot napkins so I had to go back with sauce on my hand. I wish they offered an extra meat add-on. I had skipped lunch that day so this sandwich at 5pm wasn't enough to quash that hunger.

For $11 it was priced and valued correctly for this type of venue. Another truck was $16 and change for a nothing special, no sides chicken sandwich. (Reminds me of Pulp Fiction, Jules if you give the effing nimrod $1,500 I'll shoot him on general principle).

I would definitely order this again.

We had The Chairman food truck at the Alameda Antiques Faire this weekend. I have had it before but have never posted a review. This was my son's first time having it.

He opted for two different buns. Think of these buns as pillowy and soft tacos instead of your traditional shaped enclosed bun.

The young lady who took out order was sweet and patient. I even made an error with tipping and she promptly fixed it without a side eye or any sign of giving her extra work.

Our first was the Tender Pork belly with Pickled Daikon and Red Miso Glaze. Son loved the pork belly as it was the perfect combo of some crisp on the outside and melt in your mouth soft on the inside, He enjoyed the Red Miso Glaze. I absolutely loved the flavor contrast of the Pickled Daikon to go with the savory Pork Belly and Glaze. Really felt that it amplified the flavors.

Our second was the Coca Cola Braised Pork with Savoy Cabbage and mustard. Normally i'm not a fan of mustard because it tends to over power easily but didn't get that sense here. The cabbage had a nice complimentary feel as a whole and I felt like the texture was a nice offset. This was also my 8 year old's favorite.

Price was fair for a bun.

I would have given it a 4.5 if I had that option. Why? Something super basic, these buns are messy and everything falls apart, lots of good juice and flavor. No napkins, not a 1. Since we are at a food truck where restrooms with handwashing aren't ready available, this is actually a big deal because we are sticky and messy for our other activities.

The truck was at the San Mateo farmers market and I did the combo of 4 baos thought these baos were very good! My only downside was that the cabbage was a little sour on the braised pork but the other ones were really good! The bao itself was the best texture and taste! The line was not too long and they were pretty fast to get us our food. Will be back!

Ok I eat here often at the farmers market and love the Pork Belly on steamed bao - today I went for something different - braised pork on a steamed bun

Usually the bun I perfectly soft and squishy, the meat flavorful but not too fatty if that makes sense for pork belly - a hint of Mayo - delicious

Today the meat was also delicious but wow so much mayonnaise and the bao was hard on one side - not sure how they keep the bao soft but this felt like an end bao. They need to have a sacrificial bao on the end to keep all of the inner ones soft - and knock it off with the mayonnaise

A poor showing today, but definitely 4 stars most days - and usually the loss of a star is due to how long it takes for it to come out - got here earlier today, near the crowd? yes I will keep going, hopefully this is a one off. If you are worried, tell them light on the Mayo

Food was pretty tasty. Lots of flavor in the sauces, seasoned well. Only thing is it's a long wait to order and get the food, even for private catered events.

Tried a steamed bao with pork belly. Pickled daikon was a nice vinegary addition.

Baked bao with coca cola braised pork was about double the size of the steamed, like burger size. Moist and the slaw was nice.

Tried this food truck up in the Presidio and the food was incredible! I loved everything I ordered. I had the spicy chicken and coca-cola braised pork steamed buns with wonton chips sprinkled with seasoning and nori. The coconut juice they have here is delicious as well. The meal was filling but not overly heavy- which was perfect for lunch while I was working up in the Presidio. Can't wait to try more items from The Chairman in the future - I'll be back! :)

Bao sandwiches (Asian-inflected fillings in a steamed bun) became really trendy after the revolutionary Momofuku pork belly bun from David Chang. I loved that one (in New York), and I've been chasing a similar experience for the past year. The Chairman is the closest to it, but it still is just good rather than great. This is a food truck in an industrial neighborhood with a good selection of options. And it's better than the other bao spots I've found. But the buns are still a little dry, and some of the fillings could benefit from more sauce. Service is fine (it's a food truck) and there's a bit of space to eat outside.

The bow buns here are fire!!!!!! They were amazing , the staff was cool, they also have sandwiches, will definitely come back to try the sandwiches sometime in the near future!!!!!!!!!!

I loved the bao here at the Chairman! I came to their co-op restaurant location at Hawker Alley for lunch, and had a wonderful quick lunch!

I got 3 of the bao: the karaage chicken, pork belly, and spicy chicken. They were all so warm and fresh, but my favorite was the karaage chicken because of how incredibly crispy it was!

I got to eat at their outdoor dining area, which makes it convenient to stop for a quick lunch during the week. Highly recommend!

I loved the bao here at the Chairman! I came to their co-op restaurant location at Hawker Alley for lunch, and had a wonderful quick lunch!

I got 3 of the bao: the karaage chicken, pork belly, and spicy chicken. They were all so warm and fresh, but my favorite was the karaage chicken because of how incredibly crispy it was!

I got to eat at their outdoor dining area, which makes it convenient to stop for a quick lunch during the week. Highly recommend!