Best BBQ Pork Buns- Baked and Steamed, and Other Meat Pastries in Chinatown

[opinionatedchef]

Been doing some comparisons lately. Have tried BBQ pork buns, baked, at: China Pearl, Winsor, Eldo Cake, Hsing Hsing, and Ho Yuen. The fillings all taste pretty comparable to me but my favs are from Winsor because the meat is sliced and more generous than the norm, and their buns are particularly light and tender.(I wonder if Parker House rolls derived from these.) Winsor's are smaller than the norm and come in threes.

Both Eldo Cake and Hing Shing do Curry Beef pastry; I prefer those from Eldo because there's much more filling. For me, because this 'puff pastry' is made w/ lard and has that sticky mouth--feel when cold, these are only really good when i bake them further in my toaster oven (after i cut off the excessive pastry.)

101Bakery is the only place I have found small pork turnovers( in a tender short pastry crescent, braided on the edge). Of all the meat pastries I've had in Chinatown, these have the best, highest, protein/pastry ratio. They are located all the way in the back, to the right of the pay counter.

How 'bout youall? If any of these have superior versions outside of Ctown, plse tell also! thanks much.

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China Pearl Restaurant
9 Tyler St, Boston, MA 02111

Eldo Cake House
36 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA

[saria]

Okay, I'm going to disagree and I'm really surprised by the love for Winsor's pork buns. I liked my meal there overall, but the pork buns have been my least favorite by far. Way too much sweet goop with tiny slivers of pork. Hing Shing has generously filled buns with nice big chunks and not too sweet. Mei Sum is sweeter and goopier, but still more generous with the meat and just better overall. I really couldn't believe these are the favorites. I'm looking forward to Great Taste's, since I've really liked their stuff overall.

[opinionatedchef]

saria, are you talking steamed or baked? i compared their baked with all the places you mentioned except Great Taste and W's were the best by FAR.imo of course. i do not like cloyingly sweet goopy w/ little pork. i was actually thinking of going in tomorrow for a top-up and if you tell me you were speaking of the BAKED pork bao, i will try again the places you mentioned.

[saria]

I had both their steamed and baked at Winsor. Theirs was by far the sweetest and goopiest and with the skimpiest amount of meat (and Mei Sum's wasn't generous, but it was still more meat than Winsor).

[opinionatedchef]

Had to get this project out of my system so we returned to Ctown today to try various bbq pork and curried beef buns and turnovers at Bao Bao, Crown Royal , Mei Sum. I was perfectly open to discovering better versions of my fav meat pastries, but surprisingly, that did not happen.

The curry beef baked buns and flaky pastry turnovers >> none had the robust curry flavor of the curry beef filling at Eldo, and all the curry beef buns were very scantily filled. the Japanese Curry Beef Donut at Bao Bao could not compete w/ that at Cafe Japonaise in Brookline.The baked bbq pork buns>> none had the flavor and quality sliced pork of those at Winsor.

Mei Sum had some interesting different things: dumpling-like pork and water chestnut filling in flaky pastry round ( the lightest and less greasy flaky pastry i've had in Ctown.) And also steamed white bun bread filled with meat flecked sticky rice like you'd get in some banana leaf packets, and sliced. The beef banh mi was deliciously refreshing.

So my conclusion:

Winsor for Baked BBQ Pork Buns

Eldo for Curried Beef Turnovers

101 for Pork Turnovers

[KWagle]

Mei Sun sounds like it should be a winner for *something*?

I'm certainly inclined to try the things you mention.

[opinionatedchef]

didn't a bunch of people in the posts above- say they have the best banh mi? i think i remember that.

[StriperGuy]

Thanks, my SO loves curry beef turnovers.

At Mei Sum you also MUST try the thick rice noodles (name?) with either shrimp or beef inside. General consensus is they do the best version of this dim sum classic. Served in a VERY unglamorous styrofoam box, but amazing.

[galangatron]

you mean cheung fun? i didn't know mei sum made cheung fun. are they always available?

[gourmaniac]

It's on the counter. It's good and part of my rotation. May's Cafe is also nice for Cheung fun.

[galangatron]

thanks for the tip

[StriperGuy]

Yes, and they are superb.

[Beachowolfe]

They often have this roll thing at Mei Sum... I think it has sesame seeds and garlic or leeks/scallions (?) but the most distinct is the cotton candy texture pork (I think) on the spiral side.

Does anyone know what this is?

[galangatron]

pork floss (rou song)

[Beachowolfe]

Thanks!

[VivreManger]

I had the steamed pork buns at Windsor last night. The filling is excellent. The pork generous and tasty. It was not overly sweet and cloying a defect that sometimes afflicts the pork in this dish. On the other hand, I was not as excited about the bun itself. It is whiter than bleach and a bit dry. I suspect I prefer the baked to the boiled. However it was light in taste and texture and went down the gullet easily enough so it was not too dry. It was around 8:30 in the evening so perhaps earlier in the day the buns are slightly moister.

[opinionatedchef]

vivre, have not seen you posting in a long time. don't know if you're still here, but you might want to give these a quick steam before you eat them.

[gimlis1mum]

Our household is split - hubby preferred the steamed BBQ pork bao from Hing Shing, because of the greater meat quantity (the egg was nice in there, too). I preferred Eldo's for the the lighter, fluffier quality of the bread, even though there was much less filling. Eldo's remind me of the ones we used to get in Monterey Park when we lived in Los Angeles, long ago. Thank you so much for making a bao run!!

Have you tried the curry donuts at Japonaise in Brookline (with outposts at Porter Exchange and Comm Ave)? They are pretty darned good cold, even better warmed up and consumed with a nice strong cup of black tea.

[FoodDabbler]

Those curry buns are very good and they have many fans, including, I believe, the OP.

[gimlis1mum]

Ha! I should've known :-)

[opinionatedchef]

my pleasure, mum,anything to support the international palate of those pups! yes, as FD so amazingly remembers(!!) i loooooves me them curry donuts! and yes, they are so much better w/ a brief nuke.
i've actually fantasized about trying to infiltrate the kitchen at Japonaise Bakery so i could get a recipe approximation of that creamy/pasty filling. Shades of Tampopo !

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Japonaise Bakery
1020 Beacon St, Brookline, MA

[gourmaniac]

OC, should you be in CTown, Bao Bao has a decent curry beef turnover (donut). They are in the glass case where the cash register is located.

[opinionatedchef]

yum, th you. i will def be going again soon- to get samples from the rec'd places herein, right? ;)

[opinionatedchef]

hi there mum, the only prob w/ those curry buns is that it takes at least 3 for me at lunch!

[lc02139]

I have been wondering how does boston steamed buns compare with New Yorks Chinatown buns? I haven't been to NY's since I was a kid and don't know if it is just yourthful remeberence or that they were much better than todays Boston buns. also the white rice cake desert. Any thoughts??

[StriperGuy]

Great Taste has good stuff, as does the place with the Ginormous TV off to the side near the arch in Chinatown. Thanks for the tips though.

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Great Taste
201 Main St, Milford, MA 01757

[gourmaniac]

do you mean crown royale bakery?

[StriperGuy]

Yes.

Nice steamed pork buns, char siu bao, and curry beef buns.

[Wannabfoode]

help a neophyte out. whats the difference beween char siu bao, steamed pork buns, bbq pork buns? thanks!

[StriperGuy]

I am sure there is someone out there more knowledgeable about the Chinese names.

Char siu is the lacquered red roasted pork.

Buns with char siu can either be baked or steamed. I like both.

What I refer to as a pork bun (help with the Mandarin name) usually contains ground pork, hard boiled egg, and cured Chinese sausage (kinda like salami).

Char Siu: http://norecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/char_siu-1-500x3341.jpg

Steamed Char Siu Bao: http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/pandacuisine3.jpg

Baked Char Siu Bao: http://http.cdnlayer.com/smoola/00/00/4f/49547f820bb6fb59_m.jpg

Steamed pork bun: http://www.handsonkitchen.com/forum/a...

[gourmaniac]

Agree on the Eldo curry beef turnover, due to the filling which seems thickened with potato (in a good way). I also like their baked pork buns but I think this is nostalgia as they taste like I remember them from the 60s.Sweet, red and more sauce than meat. Winsor and Hing Shing and Great Taste are notably better. I'm not a steamed bun fan but make an exception for the Big bun (Dai Bao) at Great Taste which has ground pork, chinese sausage, black mushroom and hard boiled egg and is enormous. They have raised the price from 1.50 to 1.75 but still a bargain. If you wish to expand your selection at Great Taste, I also like their sticky rice (gai mei faun), fried taro turnover (woo gwok) and pork and preserved egg congee (pei dan jook).

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Great Taste
201 Main St, Milford, MA 01757

[galangatron]

mmm...love the curry beef turnovers at eldo cake house

[Matt H]

Mei Sum Bakery for the Pork Pies, Im addicted to those things. Agree with your other options as well. Also Great Taste is worth checking out for their Pork and Beef Buns also.

[FoodDabbler]

How many ou. of meat do the Winsor pork buns and 101 turnovers have?

[Jenny Ondioline]

Cause it has to be at least 4.