Something You Should Eat: Liquid custard bao from Triple Crown

Something You Should Eat: Liquid custard bao from Triple Crown

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With the Year of the Rabbit upon us this Thursday night, I figured many of you will be making the trek down to Chinatown, so here’s another dessert option, which absolutely beats the industrially-made fortune cookie. First, let me just say I consider myself a huge fan of any kind of bao or Chinese bun. Initially, the love affair was limited to the ubiquitous red-tinged, steamed BBQ pork buns called char siu bao, but it’s moved way beyond that savory snack package. Recently, I had a sweet dessert bun at Triple Crown in Chinatown, called lao sa bao, which translates to “flowing sand bun.”  There are egg yolks - and plenty of sugar involved - but I love the gritty, sweet lava that oozes from these warm buns, especially after plowing off a few steamer trays full of har gao and chow fun.  Incidentally, I had another excellent version of the lao sa bao about a week ago at the new MingHin Cuisine in the Chinatown Square Mall. Totally different exterior (more flaky than squishy) and I think it actually edges out the Triple Crown version. You’ll have to decide for yourself. Happy New Year!