The Belly and Bao is Liberty Village's new takeout spot for Hong Kong barbecue, Western-style wok fry and of course, bao. Found inside The Craft Brasserie, The Belly and Bao is a concept that came to fruition through the bar's kitchen team, who, motivated by the city's lockdowns, wanted to stay inspired and set out to share their collective food culture with their community.
Operating inside The Craft Brasserie and Grille, Chef de Cuisine Johnathan Lui and his team wanted to offer a menu full of dishes that are otherwise hard to come by in the neighbourhood.
Reflective of their name, the menu here focuses on two main items: crispy roasted pork belly and fluffy bao buns.
"There are very few items more synonymous with traditional Hong Kong BBQ as roasted pork belly (siu yuk)," says chef Lui. "It's deliciously tender meat with a crackling that is second to none. One of our biggest shared joys here is the experience of hearing the skin bubble and pop as it cooks. It's a five-spice bacon-like campfire crackle and those who have never had the pleasure of hearing it go are seriously missing out on an experience."
The spot's Hong Kong barbecue options are served over a bed of rice with 5-spice soy sauce, accompanied by bok choy or napa cabbage. The current meat selection includes Soy Sauce Chicken, Roast Duck, Roast Pork and BBQ Pork. You can also find similar options available in their bao offerings.
In terms of the bao buns, the dough is entirely made from scratch. Hand-mixed, rolled and steamed, the pillowy bread is filled with a harmonious blend of fresh or pickled vegetables and protein options, including braised eggplant in garlic sauce, sirloin beef in lemongrass sauce, chicken marinated in rendang sauce and char siu (pork).
"The Lemongrass Beef and Chicken Rendang are both plays on Southeast Asian flavours that we've found to be a bit punchier with the sweetness of the bao," says the chef. "By a large margin, though, a crowd favourite is definitely the Roast Duck on Bao. It's done in the same style as many Peking restaurants--with some hoisin, cucumber, carrots, and spring onion--except instead of the flour pancakes often served, you get a nice fluffy bun instead."
Despite evolving from pandemic lockdowns, with the city beginning to open up again, The Belly and Bao isn't planning to hit pause anytime soon. In fact, there are plans for more fun concepts within the same space in the near future.
"There are many other concepts that we will be looking to explore sooner rather than later," says chef Lui. "We can't say too much beyond that, but what can be said for sure is that there will be new and exciting offerings we bring to Liberty Village in collaboration with other entrepreneurs working out of a common space. Most of all, we're just excited to continue serving the community."
Stay tuned to all the team is up to by following them on Instagram. The Belly and Bao is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. for pick up and delivery. Find them on Uber Eats and DoorDash or call ahead for your takeout orders.
