Bai Nian Tang Bao’s Small Taiwanese Bites of Happiness
SPECIAL CRAB ROE XIAO LONG BAO (P288)
On the pages of its menu, Bai Nian Tang Bao proudly flaunts all the awards and accolades bestowed on its flagship dish, the Xiao Long Bao. Consequently, this definitely increased the expectations and hype around its dish exponentially.
The restaurant offers a variety of xiao long bao flavors; however, not as many and not as ‘creative’ as Paradise Dynasty’s array of soup dumplings. We opted for the Crab Roe Xiao Long Bao, as well as the Original Xiao Long Bao. A sip of its flavorful rich soup, and you know that it deserves all the recognition it received.
Its powerfully flavored soup shows no restraint so one should definitely go easy on the dipping sauces. The Original Xiao Long Bao is delicious, but it’s the Crab Roe Xiao Long Bao which really blew me away.
SHANGHAI GOLDEN SHENG JIAN BAO (P138) and PORK GUO TIE (P138)
Apart from the Xiao Long Bao's, the restaurant also serves other dimsum varieties such as the Shanghai Golden Sheng Jian Bao and the Pork Guo Tie. Both plates looked perfectly drool-worthy; unfortunately, they failed to deliver on flavor.
The Pork Guo Tie, or the fried dumplings had fillings which were dry and bland, with wrappers which were thicker than desired. For deep-fried dumplings, it’s still best to get them from Mendokoro Ramenba/Yushoken and Osaka Ohsho (for the Japanese gyoza variants) and Kaya (for the Korean mandu version).
The Shanghai Golden Sheng Jian Bao, or the traditional fried siopao, was also lackluster. Like the Xiao Long Bao, tasty broth is enclosed in its thick wrapper; however, it failed to excite my taste buds as much. I recommend getting your fare of fried siopao’s from Mien San Noodle House instead.
SCALDING OKRA (P139)
I was never a fan of okra, especially because of its characteristic slimy and gooey texture. However, thanks to Mien San Noodle House, I was given a crash course to how addicting these green ladyfingers could be as Mien San serves them simply blanched and paired with a stickily sweet soy glaze as its house appetizer. I had no idea that this dish is referred to as Scalding Okra; however, thankfully, Bai Nian Tang Bao’s menu came accompanied with photos so we quickly requested for an order of this after catching a glimpse of it.
Bai Nian Tang Bao’s version tasted more ‘raw’ than that of Mien San’s which meant that each piece came with stronger ‘leafy’ and ‘green’ flavor. It was still good, but not enough to top Mien San’s.
SHANGHAI STYLE FISH FILLET (P199)
The Shanghai Style Fish Fillet of Bai Nian Tang Bao was definitely not what I imagined as I was expecting something steamed and clothed in a fiery hot sauce. Nonetheless, these deep-fried fillets came marinated in a tasty blend of sweet soy sauce with a perfect tinge of tanginess. Crisp, fragrant, and served with just a tad bit of sauce; these fish fillets were perfect to pair with the restaurant’s Signature Crabsticks Fried Rice.
SIGNATURE CRABSTICKS FRIED RICE (P239)
The Signature Crabsticks Fried Rice came bursting with a powerful umami flavor that I find myself enjoying the fried rice on its own. Best to share this as it comes in a bowl that’s definitely more than a cup’s worth of rice.
THREE SEAFOOD TREASURE FRIED NOODLES (P229)
A more subdued-tasting meal filler would be the Three Seafood Treasure Fried Noodles. On its own, it tended to be dry and underwhelming; however, it serves as the perfect accompaniment to the tastier dimsum and small plates served by the restaurant.
Bai Nian Tang Bao
Uptown Parade, 36th Street cor 9th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
Date of Visit: May 6, 2018 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua and Jem Chua
