Chubby Bao House — Restaurant in Salem

Okay, where to begin?

I opted for the honey bbq pork and fried chicken.

I got that and the chubby fries with the pablano sauce.

Bbq pork. First, the bao is the most incredible vessel for the flavor combination. Second, the pickled onion is fresh and offers a nice balance to the sweetness of the pork. The cucumber and the slaw balance the slight heat from the bbq sauce as well. It's a perfect bite. Balanced with sweet, heat and cooling. Then the bao which is light and pillowy despite the dense look of it on first glance.

Fried chicken. Again, bow to the bao. Brilliant vessel for this. The chicken is perfectly fried. Normally I want a bit more seasoning in the breading, but, the sauces offer a perfect compliment to the fried chicken and the delicious fresh veg.

Fries. Okay, who cares right? Nope. These are double fried and hand cut. What you get is an adventure in fries. The thinner ones are crispy like chips. The thicker ones have a nice crunch followed by that amazing fluffy mouth feel everyone loves in great fries.

Let's talk sauce. The pablano sauce is irresponsible. That's it.

I'm kidding. It's completely complex and yet brilliantly simple. The vibrant earthiness of the pepper and just a kiss of heat. Honestly, really freaking good.

The meh stuff. It's downtown...so yay, good luck if you're driving in.

There's no dedicated seating area, but who cares?

The bonus, check out the qr code and you can order in advance.

All in all, super impressed. I regret not going sooner but, hey, cannot wait...

Stopped by the Fork Forty Food Hall in DT Salem and decided to try some of those delicious Bao's I've been hearing about. I often get the roof of my mouth scrapped up from toasted bread, but let me tell you this. Those Bao's are HEAVENLY! The steamed buns are like a soft pillow of goodness that gently caressed the roof of my mouth like hug from grandma- so warm and inviting. Those delicious pillows of goodness did the same for the fillings inside and hardly anything escaped their grasp.

The fries that came with were no out of a bag fries either, thick cut and was accompanied by some delicious poblano sauce that was herbaceous and refreshing. I got their featured bulgigi bao and chicken bao and man, sooo good. Owners are super friendly and it was just overall, a wonderful experience. And being withing Fork Forty, a perfect place to take some friends who have different tastes as there's so much good...

I got the tofu bao and hubby got the honey BBQ and fried chicken bao sandwiches for date night. After going going over the experience together, we decided the only downside is that the filling for the sandwiches was just fine. Really what it comes down to,, is that it could have been better seasoned. The seasoning onf the dish was betting on that the kimchi would host the flavor ride. It just didn't make my taste buds sing, and it isn't memorable - now even like 10 minutes later. But, the bao.... Lemme tell you! Made my night. Now, that was a delicate texture like no other, which paired beautifully with the crisp coleslaw and cucumbers in the sandwich.

So, would I come here again for the atmosphere and food?...