Belly Bao - Sydney CBD

If I had to give this week a theme, it'd definitely be fried chicken....so.much.fried.chicken. I'm not complaining (I love any deep fried poultry) just that we've probably had more fried chicken in a week than we normally do in a year. Tonight's blog will be about our visit to Belly Bao. Now, I'd tried to visit two weeks prior (mainly because I wanted their famous baoger so badly) but we couldn't find a table and there was a sign that said it'd take 90 minutes. This week, I was smart enough to make a booking ahead of time so I was guaranteed a spot.

We start our night off with a bit of dessert-before-dinner at Aqua S. They'd just introduced their new flavours: Milo and Fruit Punch. Not being a huge fan of fruity items, I'd opted for the sea salt and milo. Oh what a wonderful choice it was...If as a child, you weren't able to indulge in your love of milo, this will literally blow your mind. The creamy and wonderful texture of the ice cream paired with that intense chocolate and malt flavour just made for a spectacular start to the night. I urge any fan of milo to just get a cone and indulge, don't worry about the other flavours...the milo is all you need.

I've had very good memories with Goodgod small club as the previous food providers, The Dip run by Andrew Levins was my legit FAVORITE place to grab a burger. Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive about trying the new guys as I didn't want my memories tarnished by a disappointing meal. Well, disappoint they surely did not! First to come were the sweet potato fries which we crispy on the outside and sweet and fluffy on the inside, exactly what you want it to be. The chilli mayo drizzled on top really gives it a good kick of heat which just pushes the whole package to a new level.

Next came the main reason the Mrs and I were so stoked to try this place: the much loved bao-ger. Though a little disappointing when you first set your sights on it (looks tiny to someone with a massive appetite), this thing is dense. Not dense in a bad way but dense as in it's a immense flavour and texture hit for something so small. I loved the interplay between that perfectly cooked burger patty, melty american cheese, pickled radishes (think sushi ginger), big mac-esque sauce and the soft, pillowy yet crispy steamed/grilled bun. I would have had another if I wasn't aware of what was to come next...

Realised that flash was better than no flash.

oooze shot.

The Belly Bao Fried Chicken...yep, a whole chicken between 3 people (I forgot to mention, the brother-in-law was also with us). Unexpectedly, they do fried chicken really well here too! I was initially expecting something more asian influences (like korean style fried chicken) but found the batter to be closer to the OG Kentucky Fried Chicken experience. The crispy batter was spicy and peppery which when doused with the chilli sauce (pretty much straight gochujang) made for a mouth numbing dining delight.

BB fried chicken with chilli sauce 

To be honest, I do still miss Levins and his amazing hot dogs and watermelon burgers but I have to say, Belly Bao is a mighty fine replacement. I'm so glad they now have a dedicated spot to sling steamed buns and I can say for sure I'll definitely return for more bao-gers (possibly with a much larger group next time).