#IReview: The Fatty Bao, Bangalore

Situated in Indiranagar, Bangalore, the Fatty Bao is actually a quaint little Asian Gastro Bar. We were there for S's birthday celebration last week, having heard so much about it already. Now, in the interest of full disclosure I must say at the onset that I absolutely love Asian cuisine. It’s one of my absolute favorites. 9 out of 10 times you can count on me to select an Asian Deli or Restaurant for eating out. That's how much I love Asian food. So in a way I was actually fulfilling my wish by going there in the pretext of S’s birthday lunch. But then as I said who can tell if it’s his birthday or mine!

So, without any ado, let me tell you what we ordered once there.

What did we order?

• Curried Chicken and Shrimp Dumplings
• Duck with hoisin and spring onion
• Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Bao
• Malaysian Chicken Kapitan Curry
• Vegetable Fried Rice

Both S and I, loved the dumplings. The wrapping was so soft and delicate, almost translucent. The filling was, well, extremely good as well. Every bite was a burst of flavors, subtle yet effective. I'm slightly confused about the Bao though.

Duck with hoisin and spring onion Bao

Now, we couldn't have not tasted the Bao having gone to, well, the Fatty Bao! While S loved both the Baos, I'm not so sure myself. I would perhaps not opt for one the next time around? It's not to say that they weren't well prepared or delectable. It's just that anything bread like, or rather bun like, isn't a particular favorite of mine. Having said that, you should certainly try one out. The fillings were again well made, no dearth of flavors there. The Bao for the Duck with hoisin and spring onion stuffing was actually slightly sweet. Something different. S absolutely enjoyed it and went on to order the Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Bao. For this too, I loved the stuffing more then the bun.

Next, the Chicken curry and fried rice were again full of flavors, delicious to say the least. The curry was very well made, so full points there. I could actually go back just for the latter two, again and again and again!

"A baozi or simply known as bao, bau, humbow, nunu, bakpao (Hokkien), bausak, pow, pau or pao (Hakka) is a type of steamed, filled, bun or bread-like (i.e. made with yeast) item in various Chinese cuisines, as there is much variation as to the fillings and the preparations. In its bun-like aspect it is very similar to the traditional Chinese mantou. It can be filled with meat and/or vegetarian fillings. In Japanese, the dish is known as "paozu"." - Source: Wikipedia

Overall, the lunch was fun, filling and tasty. The ambiance inviting, very easy going. We were seated at the non-smoking section but I hear there is a roof-top seating too. So, not a bad option at all, especially for dinner.