bao-bei | lynnfield eats everything

the review: Today 13 of us headed to my fav restaurant in Vancouver, Bao-Bei. While I was living life through rose coloured glasses, when I thought I could include this restaurant on my under $15 list, we all decided to splurge for this special occasion.

When entering Bao-Bei, you are instantly inspired by the hipster-meets-asian influenced décor, the good looking waiters/bartenders sporting suspenders and bow-ties, the amazing floral wall paper, and the awesome vintage street fighter arcade game at the front. The vibe at Bao-Bei is ultra chic and totally hip. We were lucky enough to score their chefs table at the back which we all squeezed into.

We opted for a $30 tasting menu, in which our server chose a selection of Bao-Bei’s best dishes. We dined on marinated eggplant and sichauan cucumbers to start. Then moved onto a round of prawn/chive dumplings and truffle dumplings, which Janelle and myself, the resident dumpling enthusiasts, adored. We then dined on beef tartare, shan tofu, lamb flatbreads, steamed pork buns, duck fried rice, sticky rice cake, and sides of brussel sprouts and king pea tips. I was an amazing feast and the best part is that everything is locally sourced and ethically raised!!!

With the tasting menu, I tried new and delicious dishes outside of my usual norm for Bao-Bei. My classics always include the crispy tofu, the kick ass fried rice, the seasonal fish, the dumplings, and the king pea tips. Tonight, however, I totally fell in love with the Shan tofu which features chickpea tofu, greens, mushrooms, and chili. A definite must!!

While everyone adored the unique asian-fusion cuisine, we all decided that the price point definitely puts Bao-Bei into a “special occasion” category and it doesn’t fit into the everyday student’s budget.

Finally when visiting Bao-Bei, be prepared to wait, put your name on the list and head down the street to Keefer bar for some amazing drinks.

the rating: Bao-Bei scored a 4.5 on ambiance, a 4.5 on menu, a 3.5 on pricing, a 4.5 on service, a 4.5 on presentation, and a 5 on taste generating an overall score of 4.5 stars.