Bao Tao'n

This review is mainly for their lobster Mac and cheese tots as I didn't try any of their baos. They seemed to come onto the scene right towards the end of bao boys. I was actually a huge fan of bao boys and became a regular until they disappeared from the face of the earth :( I haven't given bao tao'n a try until recently when I found out they also served lobster Mac and cheese for a whopping $14. I kinda wish there was a smaller portion of it and maybe if the plate wasn't so long/rectangular it might be easier to transport home. But anyway the flavor of this was really good and it was filling! The lines was really long but as we got closer to pay and order. We kinda saw why the line had a hard time moving. Turns out the father was in charge of ringing people up and had a hard time with the credit card machine which led both people super frustrated (the cook that was probably the owner and the father the cashier). Luckily I wasn't in too much of a hurry so it was bearable but it was also understandable too. I haven't tried any of the baos but I think I'll stick to the Mac and cheese if I do see them out. My husband ate them cold a few days after since I had some left overs and devoured it.

I really wish I had a better experience. Tried this vendor at the Mo'ili'ili summer fest this year. BAO TAO'N makes their version of a "modern" bao. I ordered two items out of the 3 displayed. $11 for two KFC baos, they were actually a pretty good size & $14 for the lobster Mac n cheese tots. Korean Fried Chicken Bao- Very mild and sweet. I feel like It needed something spicy to kick up the flavor. My bao had mostly pieces of thick fried batter and not much actual chicken. The chicken itself reminded me of sweet and sour chicken from like a Chinese buffet or Panda Express. I wasn't getting anything "Korean" in it. The bao was nice and warm but everything else in It was cold. I know this is the most efficient way to serve a long line of customers though. Pre-frying most of the chicken before assembling the baos. With all of that in mind, It just wasn't something that I liked. Lobster Mac n tots- I enjoyed this more than my bao, tots came out fresh and hot. Nice chunks of lobster, and that cheese sauce was really good. It looks like the macaroni wasn't actually tossed into the cheese sauce, rather the cheese sauce was poured not top of the lobster and macaroni. I kinda wish It was all mixed in together, that way the cheese sauce can actually cling to the macaroni. Sometimes I would get bites of macaroni and It had no flavor, then the cheese sauce just sunk to the bottom. Unfortunately, about 30 minutes after eating I got sick. I started feeling really hot and clammy. Got dizzy and nauseous. I don't want to say for sure that It was because of what I had just ate, but I can't think of any other reason I would get sick so suddenly after eating. With that being said, I thought I would like It better, everything looks so good but fell short in flavor. Getting sick was the icing on the cake.

Tried their bao at the Best of Honolulu Festival. I got the Korean fried chicken bao (2 for $11) and it was delicious. The bun was perfect. Nice slaw and sauce portions topped with scallions. I'd go back to try their pork belly bao.

I had the **Tam Tam Bao** (2 baos for $10) at the Mo'ili'ili Fest and my goodness -- it was the best pork bao I've had in a while. I've had my fair share of pork belly baos as a Taiwanese American (gua bao, ftw), but the ones I've experienced have stayed true to the o.g. braised-meat preparation.Why is the Tam Tam Bao so good? The pork belly is BOTH braised and fried! They fried the skin of belly for an insanely addicting crunch, while still retaining all the nostalgia of the traditional braised pork, omg *sheds tear*. Kind of reminds me of the crispy pork of Hong Kong style street food.Tbh, the actual bread of the steamed bun was meh (could've held shape and bounce more), but I did enjoy the accompanying sauces ("hoisin sauce + secret spices"), as well as the acidity the pickled cucumbers and onions + ginger added.Def would recommend, as it was by far the most delicious item I had at the Fest (and there were a lot of great food vendors!) I am also sad that I was stingy and didn't try out their supposedly also delish KFC bao, but there's always next time :3

Had the chicken bao with tater tots and batter fried pickles for $13 at the Kahala Mall Burger Bash. The chicken was crispy and tender. The bun was slightly sweet and pink! The tater tots and fried pickles were interesting sides. Price was a little on the high side but the food was tasty.

I came for two things at the Best of Honolulu festival and one of them was this place. OMG! I had their Ocean Edge which was a mothership of all deliciousness! It had shrimp, snow crabs , lobster, Mac and tater tots. I really wanted to try their steamed bao buns, but I couldn't resist the seafood temptation. It was a serious explosion of flavors in my mouth. I am definitely looking forward to their other items.

Stopped by today at the Best of Honolulu festival. The best steamed buns I've had! Will find you guys again!Found you guys again at the Oktoberfest at Bishop Museum last weekend! Loved the German themed food!

Tam Tam and KFC at the Kakaako Night Market... was supa good. I have to remind myself how hard running a small business is and even though $22 is a lot for a bao snack we are supporting small biz guys and help keeping their art form and food going! Imua!

It is worth the wait! We got the Tam Tam, KFC and lobster tots. The flavors were all awesome but the KFC and lobster tots were my favorite. It is a bit pricey but it is a local business and I am happy to support it.

Tried their baos at the SALT Night Market. There were two types, a pork belly and a korean fried chicken. Prices were somewhere like $11-13 for two baos. My husband and I shared so we each had one of each type. The KFC looked to be the tastier one, but upon eating, the pork belly was clearly better. Worth a try! I only wish it was more affordable, so I could eat more. Two is a nice snack, but not quite filling enough to serve as a meal.