Bing’s Bao & Beer opened at The Streets of Barangaroo on Monday 14 August.
Dine in and takeaway are available at the casual, retro-style eatery and bar serving lunch through to late night snacks, five days a week.
Bao is the hero on the menu, while soft baked milk bread buns also make an appearance. Fillings include braised beef brisket with lemon aspen, coriander and white pepper; Shanghai red braised pork belly topped with pickled Chinese cabbage; or soft shell crab and a slather of Sriracha mayo. There’s also a crumbed fish fillet with chilli jam and a vegetarian option if you’re not down with meat.
Alongside the bao, noodle bowls, rice bowls and small bites will also be served up. Fried pork cutlet marinated in lemongrass; red braised beef shin with chilli and Chinese spices; and prawn and calamari with chicken broth and mushrooms are among the noodle bowls, while rice bowls include minced pork while Sichuan chilli bean and shredded cucumber; and fried rice with BBQ pork and sweet chilli jam. Small bites range from sweet potato fries to steamed veggies dressed in olive oil and tamari.
For dessert, the ‘bun and ice cream’ sweet bun with palm sugar, coconut ice-cream, and green tea is on offer.
Lotus Dining’s head chef, Chris Yan is at the helm of Bing’s Bao and Beer.
“I love bao — it was a simple breakfast for me growing up in Shanghai either plain or with pork mince,” he says. “When I came to Australia, I learnt how to make fresh noodles and now I can only eat, and serve, fresh noodles at Bing’s. They have a fantastic flavour from the stock we make each day using roasted chicken and pork bones so there’s no artificial seasoning.”
Bing’s own range of pale ales brewed in collaboration with Brookvale brewery Nomad and wines made by Clare Valley’s KT Wines will feature on the drinks list come September when the alcohol license is in place. There’s also a line-up of bottled cocktails created by Kate McGraw, as well as housemade sodas and bubble tea.
“I want to challenge the way people perceive ready-to-drink cocktails. We are pushing the envelope with no ice, no citrus and no cocktail shakers,” says McGraw. “The (bottled) cocktail list is approachable and delicious. Expect tiki-style cocktails as well as a jazzed-up whiskey high ball.”
Designed by Melissa Collison (Madame Shanghai, Rosetta Sydney, El Camino Cantina), the space is a 48-seat retro diner-style reminiscent of a 1970’s milk bar juxtaposed with a local suburban Chinese restaurant with a vintage colour palette of yellow, jade, grey and red. Dine-in and takeaway caters for the local corporate lunch crowd through to after work dinner and drinks.
Image: Alana Dimou