Bow down to the Bao

The bao bun trend is said to have started in 2009 when the famous Momofuku restaurant in New York City put it on the menu. Interest in bao buns was bubbling away and then in 2015 it rapidly started gaining traction. Google searches for ‘bao buns’ worldwide shot upwards, coinciding with when restaurants specialising in bao buns were opening across the globe, such as ‘Bao’ in London.  

Fast forward to 2020 and this tasty snack is now a staple menu item across the food capitals of the world. Once a food trend with authentic origin becomes so widely well-known, chefs can begin experimenting and fusing it with other cuisines as consumers are familiar enough with the concept to appreciate artistic licence. For instance, our culinary and insight teams tasted the Bun Shop products in Victoria Market Halls where they have developed Lamb Tikka, Ham Hock and Welsh Rarebit buns.  

Our Char Siu pork bao which won the 2019 On-Board Hospitality award was inspired by the bao buns from the Sham Shui Po region in Hong Kong. Our chefs went out there to taste and learn the authentic recipes. However, since then, they have been experimenting with their own creative fillings, such as teriyaki vegetable, scrambled egg and turkey bacon or American ‘sloppy joe’ fillings.