Baos @ Dabao Restobar, Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur.

 

It is quite interesting to see a revival of sorts in one of the old streets of KL. It was once touted as a seedy underbelly, but now the hip and trendy thrive here. With retro-modern style cafes and restaurants, this maze of alleyways now paves way to a new era of modernity, yet still gives a nod to its heritage. 

The refurbished Kwai Chai Hong, now a popular photo spot. 

But that is where the problem lies. There are many shops here that try to milk this proverbial cow a bit too much. Sure, this old school charm makes for interesting Instagram posts. But what about the food? It can be a hit or miss. Lucky for me, my brother introduced me to a delicious establishment that is worthy of your time, and hard earned money. 

Note the neon lights. 

Dabao, is one such establishment, which specialises in big buns. No surprises here right? It plays off the retro-modern vibe really well, with its interior and menu. Being a bao (or pau for some of us) restaurant, this is their main star maker. Sure, there are rice dishes and certain snacks. But its the buns that keeps the conversation going. 

Oinky!

If you are a traditionalist like me, then the braised pork belly is the way to go. This was a masterclass of flavour. The meaty part of the pork was soft and succulent, while the fatty part gave it a buttery aftertaste. The bun was laced with crispy bits of fried lard while pickled greens gave it some balance. The bun itself was great. A classic old fashioned mantou, which was soft and fluffy was the packaging that wholes it old together. Yet, it was able to hold the weight of its contents and was able to soak up the juices without much problems. 

Mr Krabs! Is that you? 

But, if you like your fillings a bit more exciting, then you can opt for deep fried seafood. My old man chose the soft shell crab while my brother got the deep fried fish buns respectively.  The crab was fried to perfection and the batter was doused with a salted egg sauce. Sounds good on paper right? And indeed it did. However, I have to say that the bun had to absorb a some amount of the grease and made eating this a bit of a challenge. I think readers know by now that I love fried food. But if it was less greasy, I would provide a more favourable opinion. Luckily, there is a Thai style salad stuffed with the crab to give it some vibrancy and to balance off the grease. Still good though, and if you like soft shell crab, this is a must order. 

So loaded

The same can be said about the fish. The deep fried fish filling was stuffed with a salad and some fried fish skin. On its own, it was incredible. The bun for this dish is the same as the one I had. It was alright but it became more like a prop rather than a part of the dish. Still much better than most fish and chip places, which took me by surprise. 

Zinger after some make up. 

My mom continued the deep fried streak by ordering the spicy fried chicken bun. As mentioned earlier, I am a traditionalist. Perhaps that gave me that bias and prefer my own porky delight that the rest of the deep fried dishes. Still, the chicken was well fried and was spiked with some spicy Korean chilli sauce. It was a beast compared to the Spicy Chicken McDeluxe, and that does say something. Like its other deep fried brothers, this chicken behemoth comes with its own veggies, a coleslaw this time, to cut out the grease and balance the overall dish. You might think that I am a bit too harsh on the other items for the night. Maybe I am, but since the original classic is not broken, why fix it? Do not get me wrong though. The deep fried items were actually good. Just that the old fashion favourite is just miles better by being what it is. 

Some epic mural work. Ignore the security cam. 

In any event, this is a place I might consider revisiting. It has a rustic Chinatown vibe that has flashes of modernity in it. If you are having a lads night out for drinks, there is a bar upstairs that serve fusion cocktails. But since we had to work the next day, that was not in the plan for that night. Also, I think personally that the food here is reasonable. A steamed bao stands around RM17 to RM20 depending on the filling. Considering the quality of the food here, I think that is justified and quite an easy place to recommend. Heck, this place is worth visiting just for the environment alone. So fancy a go? The address is as follows: 

145, Jalan Petaling, 50000 Kuala Lumpur

Old school sign!