Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Biggest bargain of Aberdeen Restaurant Week? How Bao you get booking NOW to find out!

If you're a fan of bao buns, (let's face it, who isn't?) you're going to want to get yourself booked in at Ninety-Nine Bar and Kitchen this ARW.

Tofu Bao Buns at How Bao Now Aberdeen
Aberdeen Restaurant Week menu by How Bao Now at Bar NInety-Nine

Super cool surroundings? Check. Awesome staff? Check. Some of the most delicious bar snacks you’ve ever had? Massive check. It can only be How Bao Now at Ninety-Nine.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ll have heard us screaming from the rooftops about the fact that Aberdeen Restaurant Week (ARW) is back, and this time it is supercharged.

With a whopping 58 venues signed up, we are well and truly spoiled for choice, but let me narrow it down for you a little. This is probably the biggest bargain of the lot.

Could this be the best deal on offer this ARW?

If like most of us, you’re watching the pennies these days, then this is the deal for you. The top chaps at How Bao Now are offering a set menu featuring five items for just £25, and that’s between two!

We aren’t talking tiny portions or mass-produced beige pub grub either. They’re serving up high-end, hand-made, truly delicious scran.

Before we get the goods, lets rewind for a moment. It would be a complete disservice to refer to the dishes on offer here as mere ‘bar snacks’. Oh no. These tasty little plates are things of beauty.

How Bao Now operates out of the super-cool Ninety-Nine Bar. Image: Supplied by McLachlan Photography

How Bao Now have been ranking highly on Aberdonian foodies’ lists for some time now, thanks to their indulgent range of Korean-inspired delights.

As a self-professed connoisseur of the food scene in the ‘Deen, it’s safe to say that this wasn’t my first How Bao Now rodeo, but absolutely no chance was I going to pass by an opportunity to give their impressive fare another stab, especially with an ARW twist.

Arriving at an already bustling Ninety-Nine on a Tuesday night, it’s almost like stepping into a pal’s living room, albeit an extremely stylish, vintage-inspired one, but with a better booze selection. The whole team are just so warm and inviting, and make you feel right at home.

The Korean cucumber salad and other dishes from the Aberdeen Restaurant Week menu by How Bao Now at Bar Ninety-Nine. Image: Becca Freestone/DC Thomson

The charming Mya settled us in and kept the top chat coming all evening, and How Bao Now’s head honcho Pete visited our table soon after to fill us in on the treats that were on offer throughout ARW.

Spice up your life with flavour-packed plates…

For me, I’m all about sharer style dining (usually whether the hubby likes it or not), and that’s just what you’ll get here. It’s a set menu, with a meaty and a veggie option for each dish.

So let’s get to the good stuff, here’s what we ate…

The deal includes two ‘signature bao’, the options on offer being char sui shredded pork, or teriyaki tofu (vg). As non meat-eaters, it was the tofu for us, but having sampled this one before, I already knew that it would be a fantastic choice, whether you’re of the carnivorous type or not, it’s just phenomenal stuff!

Sharing salt and pepper hash brown bites by How Bao Now. Image: Becca Freestone/DC Thomson

Soft, squidgy, fluffy buns, stuffed with big chunks of nice firm marinated tofu, and the best part is, you get to choose the finish. We both went for the BBQ finish, which involves pickled carrots, wonderfully unctuous gochujang mayo, spring onion, and crushed peanuts.

These little love-filled buns cover all bases. Chewy, crunchy, salty, creamy, spicy – they’ve got it all.

Sharing is caring at How Bao Now…

As brilliant as they are, it’s not all abou’ the bao. The sharers that you’ll receive on the side deserve an equal amount of the limelight.

The menu comes with a portion of katsu dusted tempura prawns with picked cabbage, salt and pepper hash brown bites and a salad of your choice – we went for the Korean cucumber salad.

From the punchy, vibrant and fresh spiced salad, to the impeccably cooked and seasoned crunchy breaded prawns, not a single bite passed without the mandatory “oh that’s good” happy eye-roll.

‘Mystery dessert’ from the Aberdeen Restaurant Week menu by How Bao Now at Bar Ninety-Nine. Image: Becca Freestone/DC Thomson

Oh, and if that katsu sauce for dipping came by the bucket, I’d be here for it.

Special mention also has to go to the hash brown bites, which Pete told us normally only appear on the kids menu. If you ask me, this is a crime against all adults, because we all need these savoury, salty little snacks in our life. Just prepare for a little heat if you want to take on the fresh chilli garnish…

The promise of a ‘surprise’ dessert special had me on the edge of my seat from the off, and in the spirit of not ruining things for those who get as excited about desserts as I do, I’ll leave you with just three words about this one…

The delicious cocktails on offer. Image: Becca Freestone/DC Thomson

White. Chocolate. Ganache.

And yes, it is every bit as fabulous as it looks.

While they’re not on offer for the ARW – which runs until Sunday, August 20 – menu, no trip to Ninety-Nine would be complete without a cocktail or two, and who were we to break tradition? At the recommendation of the lovely Mya, we tried the ‘Pollen out method’ and the ‘Renegade’s salvation’.

Utterly phenomenal stuff and a wonderful visit all round.

Information

A: 1 Back Wynd, Aberdeen AB10 1JN

W: 99aberdeen.com

Price: £25 (not including drinks)

Aberdeen Restaurant Week promotion: Five small plates (for two people) for £25

For more Aberdeen Restaurant Week August 2023 reviews…

Conversation