Next on my Food Truck adventure through San Francisco, I tried out The Chairman. I really wasn’t sure what sort of food to expect when I heard the name, but when I realized it was Chinese bao buns, the name made sense. I actually am a huge fan of bao buns, so I was really glad to find a place that did them in the area. It turns out that the food truck is connected to a restaurant in the city (and I may have tried it quite soon after moving), but at the time I didn’t really connect the dots. They do two types of bao: One with a large, baked bun and one with a smaller, steamed bun.
Since I am usually quite indecisive, I decided I should try one of each, so I ordered the steamed bao with a miso glazed pork belly filling (because I’m a sucker for pork belly) and a baked bao with a spicy chicken filling (because I always want spicy food). I also decided to give their wonton chips a try as well as they are covered in citrus salt and nori which sounds like a heavenly combination to me. The baked bun is significantly larger than the steamed bun and also higher in price, so make sure you know how hungry you are when you order your food!
As bao go, they were pretty delicious. The steamed bun was nice and soft, although I felt the filling was a bit too sweet for me, even if the pork belly was soft and well cooked. The baked bun felt a bit like a burger, and the chicken filling was flavorful and had a good kick to it. The won ton chips were very moreish with the seaweed on the outside giving it a nice hit of umami. I was definitely a fan, although I really did feel that the baked bao was a better way to go as it was less messy and significantly bigger. Although I suppose two baked buns might be far too much food. I definitely go back to have it again if I saw it nearby and was craving some tasty bao.
Score: 4/5
Recommendation: Baked bao with spicy chicken and won ton chips!
Yum! I’ll be on the lookout for this one!
I can barely make out the smaller bun in the picture, is it really teeny? Looks like garnish!
It was quite a bit smaller, and had quite a bit of garnish. I realize after I ate, that the picture probably could have been better, but then there was nothing left!