Bao

The very first cookbook from the hugely popular Taiwanese-inspired restaurant and cult brand, BAO

BAO presents an exciting and unique interpretation of Taiwanese culture through food and design and has established a passionate and devoted following for its restaurants situated across London. Named after the traditional steamed bun, BAO creates dishes and designs restaurants inspired by Taiwanese street food, the late-night grill culture of Taipei and Tokyo and xiao chi houses in Taiwan. 

The book tells the story behind each of the five BAO restaurants – Soho, Fitzrovia, Borough, King’s Cross, and Shoreditch – and explores their individual style of eating and how they are inspired by the team’s travels and Asian culture. It takes readers deep into the BAOverse, revealing the inner workings of the brand, the ideas behind the restaurants and also introducing the concepts of the School of BAO, the Lonely Man, and embracing solitude. 

This playful cookbook-cum-manifesto features 100 recipes, from the traditional steamed buns of its name to noodles, xiao chi, dumplings and drinks, and takes readers to the very heart of the BAO world, telling the fascinating story of the food, heritage, artistry and mastery of BAO’s cult restaurants.

Erchen Chang, Shing Tat Chung, and Wai Ting Chung are the brains behind BAO. Brother and sister Shing Tat and Wai Ting were born in Nottingham to parents from Hong Kong, who operated Cantonese restaurants in the city, while Erchen spent her childhood in Taipei, before moving to the UK aged 14. The trio dreamed up BAO in 2013 when they traveled across Taiwan together and were inspired by the informal street food culture and culinary traditions they discovered