Atlanta Feasts: Suzy Siu's Baos

I love a good steamed bao.

Although I haven't had a lot of experience in tasting the genuine articles, I'm certainly aiming to build on that with the more places I come across. Of course, getting them from hip and trendy places in Atlanta, you're almost guaranteed to get a spin on them.

One of the first places I tried some baos was Simply Seoul in Ponce City Market. It's now closed due to the owner moving but it was very highly rated so I was interested in trying it, but... I was pretty disappointed. I went for a combo of three - a pork, beef bulgogi and a chicken - and they all tasted the same after a few mouthfuls. They were all sweet and ended up blending into one, with only the meat's texture and accompaniments differentiating them from each other. Maybe some other options would've been better, but it didn't exactly have a long menu at this location.

Now, this post wasn't intended to start negatively ranting about another restaurant because I still get the impression that Simply Seoul has a lot more to offer because although as a customer (and as a business owner) you expect top quality at every visit, but things do happen. And hey, it could just be me due to my lack of bao experience, but I've certainly had experience of a good bulgogi.

Also, so I don't give the wrong impression, I am not comparing this restaurant with Suzy Siu's Baos by any means. I just thought 'bao' and thought I'd share my other recent experience.

Suzy Siu's Baos can be found in Krog Street Market - a very lively place, especially at the weekend - full of delicious food places, local craft shops and other independent businesses (such as a chocolatier... oh yes).

I went with the 3 baos + 1 side; the Korean fried chicken (with spicy sauce and pickles), the pork belly (with pickled red onions, cilantro, and pecan sugar), and the Kalbi BBQ beef (marinated brisket with scallions and salad).

The buns were perfectly soft and the pork belly was definitely my favourite - firstly because pork belly is usually at the top of the tasty pile when sauced up and fat charred - but mainly because the pecan sugar set off the marinated pork and contrasted the pickled onions really well.

The beef was good and well marinated but I feel it lost some of its punch a couple of bites in - still good though. My least favourite was the chicken. It was a decent bun concoction but I think the sauce could've had a better texture, more chicken could've come through than the batter (especially in such a small bun situation), and the sauce could've been punchier.

For the side, the spicy wontons looked very tempting (next time) but I went with the Korean street corn which had been roasted and drenched in gochujang butter.

The corn was absolutely delicious albeit messy (maybe some disposable corn holders would be useful). It had a bit of a kick to it and was deliciously roasted and buttery. I'll definitely go back so I can try some of the other options and will report back!

Give them a try and let me know what you think!

#Atlanta #ATL #restaurant #food #SuzySiusBaos #KrogStreetMarket #EastAsian