Pork Belly, Mean Bao, The Grange, Toronto

Baos have really become all the rage and I first wrote about this during a Taiwanese food festival that I stumbled across in Vancouver a few years ago. The steamed bun sandwich, or bao, has made its way across North America as the latest sandwich craze following the rise and plateauing of the banh mi, including Mean Bao, which already has two locations in Toronto and dedicated to all things bao.

Sampling a bao and some dim sum one afternoon, the baos were heftier than I had imagined. Incredibly filling and large for a bao, this pork belly and cucumber number definitely has satisfies appetites with North American sizes and Taiwanese flavours. My dining companions were very pleased with their selections, which included the Tofu and Enoki bao and the Pulled pork bao. The sui mai dumpling shared amongst us was subpar at best. As I work pretty close to both Mean Bao locations, I have surprisingly not returned, as the soft bun is something I associate with desserts or best on their own, and I prefer a hearty bread option. Still not sure if this is a sandwich, but I am open to continuing the research.

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