Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: September 15, 2021 | 
| 中文
Bao Bae Food Cart
Karachi’s taste buds are fast evolving and the city craves new flavors every couple of months. This time around, our tastebuds are acquiring some amazing Pan Asian flavors from Bao Bae.
The two food carts are located both at Sindhi Muslim and Khayaban-i-Seher. Bao Bae is fast-changing Karachi’s concept of comfort food. The menu offers a variety of bao buns, hand-cut Udon noodles, two side dishes, and a selection of sauces.
We decided to try out the cart parked at the Sindhi Muslim roundabout, as this was the one closest to us. Once we got there, a server handed us the menu and asked for our order. The selection, while limited, looks very well crafted, and one can tell that a lot of thought has gone into each menu item.
Unfortunately, as soon as we ordered our food, it started raining cats and dogs and right on cue, the area plunged into darkness. While that turned our little food stop into a classic Karachi adventure, it also made it impossible for us to take any pictures of the food or the cart.
Service was pretty fast, and it took them about 20 minutes to get all five things on our list bagged and ready to go. They were nice enough to put our paper food baggie in a plastic bag to make sure none of the food goes to waste. This is worth mentioning, because Bao Bae has previously advertised that all of its packaging is environmentally friendly.
After an eventful drive home, sat down to taste our food in a room lit up with the torches on our phones.
Beef Teriyaki Bao (Credits to Bao Bae Instagram)
First up, we tried the Beef Teriyaki Bao. Even though the pairing of a bao bun with teriyaki sauce was new to us, the flavor of the meat tasted like the authentic sauce and the bao seemed to be made fresh. The garnish of white cabbage on top, added the right amount of crunch to the dish.
Braised Beef Bao (Credits to Bao Bae Instagram)
We then had the Braised Beef Bao, and this became our favorite item on the menu. The crunch of the peanut, the texture of the pulled meat, and the slightly smoky and tangy sauce, really hit the spot for us.
Beef Udon Bao (Credits to Bao Bae Instagram)
The Beef Udon in Bao Bae Special Sauce was slathered in sauce, and the flavors really synced. The hand-cut noodles were thick and chewy and had absorbed a lot of the sauce, so they were extremely flavorful. There was plenty of beef in the serving, and everything was nicely seasoned.
Hand-Cut Udon Noddles
Once we had polished off all the entrees, we realized that we hadn’t even touched the sides or Side Baes, as the Bao Bae people call them.
Sauces (Credits to Bao Bae Instagram)
Despite the fact that the Thick Cut Chips with Nori Salt served with a side of Secret Sauce and Shoe String Onion Rings were slightly cold now, our one criticism was that these aren’t items that transport well, so they may not be great choices on a takeaway and delivery only menu.
Shoe String Onion Rings and Thick Cut Chips with Nori Salt (Credits to Bao Bae Instagram)
The flavor of the onion rings was on point but similar to the chips, these too had gone limp on the short ride home.
On our next trip, we would definitely be ordering the braised beef bao and onion rings again, but we would be eating our food at the newly-placed dine-out tables and chairs around the truck!
To talk about value for money, it needs to be said that for a food cart the prices are a little on the steep side, with bao buns ranging from Rs 450 to 520, and Udon noodles ranging from Rs 600 to 680. The sides were both Rs 200 each. While the bold flavors compensate for this, the portions are still on the smaller side, and this scribe has drawn the conclusion that for its price, this could be an indulgence only after a couple of months or so.
Overall, the flavors are great, and it is recommended that the people of Karachi try the food out at least once, and then decide if this would become their go-to comfort food or not.
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