Bobbi Bao

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Update: Out of business…

Whenever I pass Bobbi Bao, I can’t help but think of the Blues Brothers‘ rendition of the song Rubber Biscuit, which includes the words “Bow bow bow” at some point… However, there’s nothing rubbery about the soft Chinese steamed buns served there, and the tasty filling make you quickly forget the sad lunches described in the song.

What lured us in—apart from the prospect of pulled pork and fried chicken—was the fact this restaurant had their own brewery!

Bobbi Bao does not have a brewery on site however, but in an agricultural hangar in Haut-Ittre, which also houses an Bobbi-branded organic market. As too many Belgian breweries, Bobbi Brewery mainly sticks to the classic styles: a blond, a dubbel, a tripel, a witbier, a pils, and the unavoidable venture in modernity, an IPA… It is commendable though they brew their own beer—and not just outsourcing it—especially if you consider they actually use locally grown barley! Apparently they recently even brewed a lambic—for Greenwich Café—but we have yet to taste it.

The rest of the beer on the menu, is the polar opposite in terms of ethics, eco-responsibility, and scale: almost exclusively AB InBev beer… So if you do have a beer with your bao here, support a Belgian farmer, and drink a Bobbi beer!

Bao burgers

Speaking of baos: with a name like Bobbi Bao, it’s not surprising it’s all about these steamed buns here. The menu lists five different bao burgers, and the term ‘burger’ should be taken lightly. Only on the Rocky Balbao you’ll find a classic burger patty, which is provided by quality butcher Dierendonck, by the way.

tl;dr

Beers

  • Only InBev on draught…
  • More InBev in bottle, and a couple of trappists
  • Their own Bobbi Brewery beers!

Bites

  • Tasty bao burgers and a couple of sides
Bobbi-Bao
Rue Henri Mausstraat 25
1000 Brussel
+32 2 269 72 23
http://www.bobbibao.com

What have people been drinking here recently?