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First look: New bao bun brand launches as a pop-up in Aberdeen

Stuart Ross and Chloe Raitt.
Stuart Ross and Chloe Raitt.

Foodies in Aberdeen rejoice, for you can now get your hands on delicious fresh bao buns thanks to a new local business.

How BAO Now, founded by Stuart Ross, will be offering a tasty variety of loaded bao buns, artisan salads, desserts and more on the back of its launch today, where it will be popping up at Ninety-nine Bar and Kitchen, on Back Wynd.

The teriyaki tofu bao option with several side dishes.

Their pop-up at the popular bar will run from today to Sunday, and also take place next Friday (July 2) to Sunday (July 4).

However, the food firm will primarily be operating from The Cloud Kitchen, based on Merkland Road East, with the hope of adding more pop-up events to its calendar in the near future.

Their menu items will be available for collection and delivery across the city.

Bao in Aberdeen

A segment of the brand’s menu is focused on bao buns – also known as gua bao, baozi or steamed buns – which are warm, light, fluffy treats of stuffing wrapped inside a sweet, white dough.

Stuart Ross pictured outside Ninety-nine Bar and Kitchen, on Back Wynd.

They are made with a mixture of flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, milk and oil, and are a tad sweeter than their closely related cousin, the dumpling.

Stuart, 35, said: “How BAO Now offers loaded bao buns with home pickles and sauces. We have amazing sliced pork belly with crackling that, we feel, is a showstopper.

“Bao buns are a street food typically. There are lots of variations, most commonly known as gua bao, which is pork belly-filling. They are an adaptation of a northern Chinese dumpling.

The Korean BBQ brisket option for two people.

“As for our salads, they aren’t aimed at being leafy and light. They’re a meal in themselves – well rounded, full of lovely nuts, seeds, and cheeses (even cheese for vegans).

“The name How BAO Now was just an accident really. We were trying to come up with something and it was a joke at first, but people responded so well it felt right.

“The business itself has been in the making for a while now and we’re starting to branch out.

People can expect to find fun and original salads, experimental Vietnamese summer rolls, plant-based goodness, and definitely lots of pickles.

Stuart Ross.

“We have this amazing opportunity to launch in Ninety-nine Bar and Kitchen and after that, we will have the brand fully available for delivery and collection within the city.”

You’ll never go back to Gregg’s

The team at How BAO Now has been teasing locals on social media over the past week about the launch of the new brand.

Stuart added: “Our main goal as a kitchen is to bring innovative brands to Aberdeen we feel it’s missing. The concept of How BAO Now actually came from the salads that we were passionate about.

A n’duja and black pudding hog (sausage roll).

“The idea is that you get a small portion of two or three delicious and dynamic salads and a humdinger of an add-on. This idea of an add-on to round off the meal evolved into bao buns and hogs (our name for sausage rolls).

“I think people can expect to find fun and original salads, experimental Vietnamese summer rolls, plant-based goodness, and definitely lots of pickles.

The teriyaki tofu bao.

“I’d definitely say give the items a go – you’ll never go back to Gregg’s after trying one of our sausage rolls.

“Looking forward, hopefully, we can continue to operate as a pop-up elsewhere.”


For more on pop-ups in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire…