What’s cooking?

It’s no surprise that Pan-Asian food has become the city’s favourite cuisine. Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Filipino, Korean, Burmese, Malaysian and Singaporean are dominating the culinary scene. This canteen style restaurant’s baos are simply to die for. The BBQ chicken bao is a popular among customers because of the perfect balance of flavours; even the vegetarian options have found loyal customers.

Address: 73, Cathedral Rd, Kanakasri Nagar, Gopalapuram 

Contact: 044 48566555 Cuisine: Asian 

Timing: 12 noon to 11.30 pm

This outlet will leave you wanting more baos. “If you’re someone who doesn’t mind the fragrance of Hoison sauce with a combination of pickled red cabbage, carrot and cucumber then the pulled duck bao is a win for you,” a diner said. The crispy fish and pulled pork baos are favourites as well, and they are as soft as a cloud, we hear.

Address: 2/10, Gandhi Mandapam Road, Kotturpuram 

Contact: 78248 68314 

Cuisine: Burmese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Singaporean 

Timing: 12 noon to 3.30 pm, 7 to 11.30 pm

With a choice of six baos on the menu, this restaurant certainly checks the boxes in terms of flavour and authenticity. BBQ mushroom, seasame-orange fried tofu, crispy fried vegetables, Popeye, Asian salad and The Baochurian are the options diners can pick from. The mushroom bao is a favourite, followed by Popeye — the bao is green because it’s made from spinach!

Address: 2nd Floor, 5/391, OMR Main Road, Thuraipakkam 

Contact: 99624 66511 

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian 

Timing: 11.45 am to 3.45 pm, 6.30 to 11 pm

This restaurant has been the talk of town of late, for finally bringing the original flavours of Sichuan to Chennai. Their baos have been gaining popularity — though there are only two varieties each, in vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The slow cooked lamb bao and stir fried mushroom bao are to die for, while chilli chicken and crispy tofu are the other choices. 

Address: 34, Co-operative Colony Road, Austin Nagar, Alwarpet 

Contact: 044 42661661 

Cuisine: Chinese, Asian 

Timing: 12 noon to 3 pm, 7 to 11 pm