BAO BATTLE: To's Bakery v Victoria Cake Shop in Footscrazy

Next stop, central Footscray for my current number one Bánh Bao.Two of Footscray's Bao emporia go head to head (or To to To?)

To's - touched by the hand of the gawdess

Plump Bánh Bao fill the window display. I always pray there will be more than one in the bain-marie (although eating two of these babies never ends well). Hot and fresh straight out of the steamer - I am currently convinced it doesn't get any better than this. This is hands down my favourite way to spend $3 on a Saturday morning post-Footscray market expedition

Victoria Cake Shop

Victoria Cake Shop's bao are stacked in their metal display/steamer just as they are in Hanoi. Unfortunately my bao eating in Vietnam went largely undocumented but I stopped and bought a bao every time the steely glint of one of these displays caught my eye.


At $1.80 - Victoria Cake Shop's offering is almost half the price of To's. I always think of these as the poor cousins. Let's see how they compare...

Guess which is which...

The size difference is significant.

shiny Victoria Cake Shop bao

The VCS bao is much whiter - which is generally prized in bao dough. The VB bao also has the lovely sheen on its skin which generally foretells of a lovely dough.

To's dough is very firm (but still moist) and is missing the glossy sheen. It is not, however, without shine, mind.

So - to the internal examination:

VCS:

Ruh-roh. We got a poor filling to dough ratio going on here..

D'OH! Too much dough. [chanting]

Too much dough

Too much dough

Too much dough

Too much dough

Too much dough

...ok - shhhhhhhhhhhh

To's:


Hooray! That's my champ. The odds were stacked from the start - these really are may favourites.

Look at this baby - perfect ratio of inner to outer.



The flavours? I thought you'd never ask.



To's dough is really not sweet at all - there is only the mildest hint of sweetness. It balances beautifully with the filling which is really, really good. The flavours are strong and distinct but not overpowering each other. There is a slightly spicy note and a nice roundness brought out by the onion.



VCS's dough is really very sweet - especially in contrast to To's. The texture of the dough is actually very good - and there is SO MUCH OF IT compared to the filling. The VCS filling was very understated. Not unpleasant but not at all sufficiently flavoursome to distinguish itself from the sweet dough.



I think you know who the winner is in this BAO BATTLE.