BAO INTERNATIONAL BAKERY AND TEAHOUSE REVIEW
Are you looking for a little change in your life? If you are tired of going to P.J. Bottoms and getting trampled, allow me to suggest a new beverage of choice: tea. Delicious loose tea steeped in steaming hot water. Toss in a few pastries and stuffed sweet buns and call it a bakery. And what a bakery. Melissa Tang, one of three co-owners of the Bao Bakery and Teahouse, introduced me to the broad meaning of bao, the Chinese baked bun.
Opened about a month ago, the bakery and teahouse specializes in a wide variety of sweet and savory baked buns. The establishment, located on the corner of North Bailey and Sheridan, draws an international crowd, ranging from people who have grown up with the tasty bao, as well as curious new-comers. Inside the modest and tastefully decorated space, I tried a roasted pork bao, a sweet-cream filled bao, and an egg custard pastry, as well as the finest tea I’ve tasted in Buffalo. The sweet buns are not only delicious, but they won’t put a dent in your wallet either, ranging in price from $0.50 to $1.25 maximum. In addition to the bakery, fine loose teas are served, as well as coffee and a wide array of Asian bubble teas. Not only is tea served to go, but one can also sit at the dark-stained wood tables and enjoy an endless cup. A wide range of exotic and fine teas are offered, among which Egyptian Chamomile, Kyoto Rose infused green tea, and my personal choice, Monk’s Blend are available. Open until 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and 12:30 p.m. on weekends, Bao Bakery and Teahouse welcomes tea and pastry lovers late into the night.
All three owners are current UB students. Tang and partners Alexander Tse and Gilbert Chu are business students at the university as well as owners and staff of their business. “The days are long,” said Tang, “but I definitely have a new appreciation for [the process of] baking. It’s a science and an art.” Producing one of those little delicious buns takes great practice and meticulous attention to detail. Fortunately, their baker has years of experience in several New York City Chinatown bakeries, and now, a little artistic license as well. He creates new recipes and tweaks old ones, satisfying customer suggestions and requests, producing fresh-baked bao daily.
Word of the Bao Bakery and Teahouse has been spreading quietly but quickly, in perfect accord with Tang’s wishes. “I want it to be more like a pleasant surprise,” she says, in contrast to a highly publicized and thoroughly hyped business. This sentiment explains the delayed grand opening on November 6. Though the venture is still new, the idea is one that all three have had for some time. “We wanted to wait until we graduated, but the opportunity presented itself,” Tang explained.
With the word spreading quickly and new advertisement and publicity on the way, it won’t be surprising when the bakery really takes off. Go in and try for yourself.
