My first attempt to visit Little Bao was back in June but that liquid dream (excuse my language, I do fantasize about food in increasingly indecent levels) was crushed when we got to the place and it was closed.  I’m not certain if that was a Sunday or a Monday but it was surely a sad day for my expecting tummy.

It was just instinct kicking in when I found myself in Hong Kong again 4 months later and my first stop after checking in at the Intercontinental Hotel was Little Bao.  It was sort of an expensive cab ride since I had to traverse from Kowloon to Hong Kong side.  I guess the heart wants what it wants.

I can’t count how many times I’ve been to Hong Kong as I travel often to the harbor city of lights for business.  It never gets uninteresting though as the vibe of this place is always so pulsating and evolving, especially when it comes to this one that I love – FOOD.

Little Bao is a tiny Asian meets American diner along Staunton Road.  It can probably only sit 20 folks on a first come, first serve basis only.  We were luckily seated by the bar that faces the open kitchen.  But whilst the name and the size of the place portray little, expect full-size flavors out of their dishes.  Their menu with a slogan that says “fry me to the moon” is simple and only has a few items available.  I already expected the buns to be personal size and with my impersonal slash collective appetite, I almost ordered everything on the menu.  I’m glad I was eating with two gentlemen, which meant I could camouflage my appetite.

On the Table

LB Fries HK$ 68

Mirin, Thai spice, roasted tomato sambal, kewpie mayo

I love truffle whether it’s black or white or in pasta, fries, salt, oil, essence, ice cream, honey, it’s hard to turn your back on it.  Since the LB fries sounded unique, I decided to get it versus the truffle fries.  These thinly and freshly cut fries were flawlessly deep fried, and tossed in mirin, Thai spice and roasted sambal, creating ripples of flavor that’s savory, merely spicy, and taking with it a slight sweetness close to caramel.

It tasted closer to a sweet potato, interspersed with varied tease of flavors, quite crispy and nearly irresistible after one pop, I wanted to run outside with the bowl and not share with anyone.

Truffle Fries HK$ 98

Shiitake tempeh, truffle mayo, pickled daikon

James was bent on getting the truffle fries which I didn’t order at first until we saw how it was prepared with the truffle scent wafting across the room almost nudging at the customers to order them.  The truffle fries was also quite something else, studded with chopped shiitake, I don’t remember the last I tasted fries this delicious.  Oh, roughly 8 minutes ago.  But I absolutely have no memory before that.

I still couldn’t stop thinking about the LB fries and wanted a second round.

Fried Chicken HK$ 98

Spicy nam yu or honey soy

It’s almost a sure thing that everyone will rarely get disappointed with fried chicken but it’s also a dish that doesn’t leave much room to impress us remarkably.  Little Bao’s fried chicken surely swept me off my feet.  Fried chicken at its finest, perfectly fried, it’s so juicy that it’s attention-grabbing.

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