CCCXXII: Bao Bei

In my sleepy reverie of a day, my one salvation was dinner at Bao Bei with Oli and Mylo. Oli had read during a flight that it was one of Canada's best new restaurants. This intrigued me, I must say.

I had no idea where in Chinatown it was even though I knew the address, so a quick look on Google Maps made it even more of a mystery (almost) because the streetview photos they had taken were outdated. Suffice it to say that it is on Keefer Street between Main and Columbia, a block from the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens.

We got there a bit before 6:00pm and it was perfect timing--any later and we would have had to wait with the crowd. The decor was very unique; both a mix of old and new, homey and modern, and a mixed-aged crowd. The French waiter who greeted us was nice (and "deliciously hipster", I might add), and our waitress was friendly and attentive with a Parisian style upon her as Oli so aptly remarked.

Ah, but you're not interested in the staff--though they were a bonus--it's food we care about!

Oli and I took a few peeks at the menu and pretty much pre-determined everything we were going to order (poor and lucky Mylo!). We had:

• Beef Tartar - so delicious!
• Mantou (steamed buns with braised beef shortrib, hoisin, scallions, pickled cucumber, and roasted peanuts) - like beef wrapped in a bread pillow
• Manila Clams (half portion) - I didn't care much for this dish and will not order it again. It was subpar. 
• Rekong Beef Noodle Soup - very yummy and highly recommended by our waitress (not that we weren't going to order it anyway)
• Dan Dan Revolution (dan dan noodles) - ummm, hello? This is possibly the best named and puntastic item I have ever seen! It gets points just on that basis. Oh, and it was also delicious.
• Pork Potstickers - a distinct flavour that I couldn't put my finger on. It was good but not great, and I wouldn't order it again. I prefer Shanghai River's.
• Fried Bananas - if this is on a dessert menu, I am ordering it. Very good - light and coconutty accompanied by a lime-coconut sorbet

The bill came to around $100 before tips (the girls had wine while I had some hot water in true Chinese fashion), so my portion was $34 with tip. Pricey for Chinese food, I know--and I can attest to my mom's disappointing glances and comments--but I am very glad that I went because it was such a special experience, a real gem of a restaurant. The only thing I didn't like was the creepy shrunken doll head on the women's bathroom door, which I quickly forgot about when I entered the quaintly wallpapered bathroom anyway.

When I go next time (though I am not in a hurry to return since there are other restaurants I want to visit before I leave for Italy), I am going to order a cocktail too, along with the Crispy Pork Belly and Shao Bing. My ideal noodle dish would be a combination of the two that we ordered: the Rekong Beef broth with the Dan Dan Revolution's egg noodles; the Rekong Beef comes with square noodles (WTML?).

You should go.