Such a great experience from walking in to walking out. Greeted kindly by staff and seated promptly. Staff explained any questions and gave us time to order by being able to scan the QR code on the table when ready. Spicy chili wontons were a hit. Nice spicy chili oil with just the right amount of kick. Flavor of the wontons themselves were magnificent. Nice texture of the pork and shrimp cooked to perfection. Xiao long bao had an amazing juicy broth. The bao itself is a perfect vessel to carry the pork and broth. Cooked perfectly and comes out hot and ready. Pork sheng jian bao were absolutely the perfect combo of fluffy and crispy. Bottom pan fried sesame gives a great crunch that highlights the pork filling. Being able to bite into the bao that is fluffy as a cloud makes this dish absolutely amazing.
Happy Baos
Excerpts
Such a great experience from walking in to walking out. Greeted kindly by staff and seated promptly. Staff explained any questions and gave us time to order by being able to scan the QR code on the table when ready. Spicy chili wontons were a hit. Nice spicy chili oil with just the right amount of kick. Flavor of the wontons themselves were magnificent. Nice texture of the pork and shrimp cooked to perfection. Xiao long bao had an amazing juicy broth. The bao itself is a perfect vessel to carry the pork and broth. Cooked perfectly and comes out hot and ready. Pork sheng jian bao were absolutely the perfect combo of fluffy and crispy. Bottom pan fried sesame gives a great crunch that highlights the pork filling. Being able to bite into the bao that is fluffy as a cloud makes this dish absolutely amazing.
I had the beef noodle soup and their soup dumplings. My beef noodle soup was quite nice. I especially liked how it was brisket cooked Cantonese style. It was not too chewy, and it doesn't tend to get stuck in between teeth (just a little little bit, definitely much above average). The noodles were handmade in a good way, and the soup was seasoned appropriately. I'd have given the soup 4.5. The xlb however was a little disappointing. The handiwork was average. I thought the reason may be due to the wrapper not tweaking their dough thickness throughout each wrap, approaching it with making the thickness of the skin roughly flat instead if internationally varying the thickness of the skin when creating each wrap- as a result, the bottom part of the dumpling where soup tends to accumulate is too thin to handle the wetter environment, and the top portion was actually too thick despite the dumplings only had maybe 15-20 folds. I was not able to enjoy all the dumplings without breaking them, and while that is partly my fault, I think the restaurant has some responsibility in this case as well. All in all it was a good experience. I hope the N Phoenix metroplex will have more restaurants like this in the future!
I had the beef noodle soup and their soup dumplings. My beef noodle soup was quite nice. I especially liked how it was brisket cooked Cantonese style. It was not too chewy, and it doesn't tend to get stuck in between teeth (just a little little bit, definitely much above average). The noodles were handmade in a good way, and the soup was seasoned appropriately. I'd have given the soup 4.5. The xlb however was a little disappointing. The handiwork was average. I thought the reason may be due to the wrapper not tweaking their dough thickness throughout each wrap, approaching it with making the thickness of the skin roughly flat instead if internationally varying the thickness of the skin when creating each wrap- as a result, the bottom part of the dumpling where soup tends to accumulate is too thin to handle the wetter environment, and the top portion was actually too thick despite the dumplings only had maybe 15-20 folds. I was not able to enjoy all the dumplings without breaking them, and while that is partly my fault, I think the restaurant has some responsibility in this case as well. All in all it was a good experience. I hope the N Phoenix metroplex will have more restaurants like this in the future!
Happy Bao just opened, and I can tell they’re really trying to create a concept similar to Din Tai Fung though, to be fair, that’s a tough act to follow since Din Tai Fung has set such a high standard. We visited on October 24, right before their grand opening on the 25th. When we walked in, there were two iPads at the entrance one for joining the waitlist and one for placing to-go orders. It was a neat setup, though I did notice quite a few open tables, so we went up to the front and asked to be seated. The staff were incredibly sweet, and even though you could tell some were still getting the hang of things, they were trying their best. A bit more attentiveness to tables would be nice, but since they’re brand new, I’ll give them grace there. We ordered the chicken dumplings, spicy beef soup, garlic soy bok choy, and xiao long bao. Unfortunately, the chicken dumplings missed the mark the outer wrap was too thick compared to the filling and seemed slightly undercooked, so we ended up returning them. The spicy beef soup wasn’t spicy at all (despite the warning!) and had quite a bit of beef fat floating on top, which made it less appetizing, though the flavor was okay. The xiao long bao had good flavor, but the skin was too delicate and tore easily, causing all the soup to spill out kind of defeating the purpose. Overall, I can see potential here. The concept is great, the staff is kind, and the atmosphere is welcoming they just need time to refine their dishes and execution. I’ll definitely consider giving them another try down the road once they’ve settled in.