Daddy Bao
Taiwanese
113 Mitcham Rd, Tooting, SW17 9PE
£
It’s safe to say I’ve eaten at a lot of good places recently, and Daddy Bao is no exception. Situated on the busy road from Tooting Broadway station up to Mitcham, a place that reminds me of mornings I was late for my nearby sixth form college, or trips to Primark when I was 13 to purchase something along the lines of neon leg warmer hideousness. It’s almost out of place, if it weren’t for nearby pubs like Graveney and Meadow and The Castle bringing up Tooting’s edge and sex appeal.
We went on a Tuesday night, arrived around 8pm, and the place was popping. We waited a few minutes for a table and were then seated on a large 6-seater, 2 other diners at the other end. Service was friendly and accommodating, mostly 20 somethings that probably studied something like Philosophy or English Literature at a University up north and now complain that pints in London aren’t £3 or less (I’m allowed to say that because I’m one of them). The menu comes as a single sheet of paper, on which you mark how much you want of which dish – like old school dim-sum style. We went for the Sesame Aubergine (£3.6), Pork Dumplings (£4.1), Tenderstem Broccoli (specials board), and Fried Chicken (£4.9), followed by the Pork Belly Bao (£4.3), Mushroom Bao (£4.5), and Drunken Prawn Bao (£4.5).
The dumplings were divine, more like Gyoza than the typical mince-stuffed round things you get at other Chinese joints. The Aubergine was so much more than just Aubergine; topped with pomegranate seeds, spring onion and a layer of sesame sauce – beautiful on the outside and inside my stomach. The fried chicken was crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside – I wasn’t mad on the yellow bean sauce that came with it, but these were good enough on their own. As for the tenderstem broccoli, it was perfectly cooked – aldente, warm, soft with a chew. So simple, yet the best I’ve ever tasted.
The Bao buns were to follow, a somewhat quizzical food that I hadn’t yet made my mind up on – it’s safe to say I have now! I went for the Pork Belly, which was complimented with pickles, peanut and coriander, whilst Asta went for the Mushroom, complimented with miso, onion and teriyaki. We both opted also for the Prawn: Beer marinated, complimented with radish and spring onions. The pork belly was tender without being fatty, flavoursome without being overpowering, and completely threw a curveball at my previous disappointing pork Bao experiences. The prawn was also fantastic, a giant tender prawn engulfed in spongy and light bun – it could have maybe upped the flavour a little more, and added a bit of crunch, but I now find myself clutching at straws to find some fault…
With my ½ price voucher, the bill came to a little over £10 each (beer included). A ridiculous price to pay for the best Taiwanese food ever tasted – and Bao’s to trump all others. Whoever came up with this joint really is the Daddy.
OVERALL RATING *****
https://www.daddybao.com/
