Latest news with #BaoBei
The Province
25-04-2025
- Sport
- The Province
For 15 years, Vancouver's Bao Bei gives customers what they want — and brings back some fan favourites
Tannis Ling and her partners, Joël Watanabe, chef, and Alain Chow, back-of-house operations manager, are bringing back six fan favourites Bao Bei's dumplings and cocktails have helped make it a destination for tourists and locals alike. Mark Yammine photo Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Much has changed since Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie's trademark neon sign first lit up Keefer Street 15 years ago. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors For one thing, the city's culinary and cocktail scenes have evolved, perhaps in part due to the pioneering restaurant. 'I think when we opened Bao Bei, there were a lot of fine dining restaurants in the city but no casual dining restaurants with a fun atmosphere,' said co-owner Tannis Ling. From the first, Bao Bei has specialized in small plates meant to be shared with friends and family, with dishes incorporating culinary influences from Taiwan and China. To celebrate the Chinatown restaurant's 15th anniversary, Ling and her partners Joël Watanabe, chef, and Alain Chow, back-of-house operations manager, are bringing back six fan favourites. 'They're dishes that Joël put on during our heyday and that everybody loved and couldn't get enough of, and still talk about to this day,' Ling said. 'We decided to give people what they want.' Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Bao Bei owners Joël Watanabe, Alain Chow, and Tannis Ling are celebrating the Chinatown restaurant's 15th year. Michelle Sproule photo/Scout Magazine Those dishes include Crispy Pork Belly with Vietnamese cilantro sauce, the Shan Tofu with chickpea tofu, and the Steamed Spring Salmon with cilantro and Thai basil fumet. Other anniversary events include a pop-up dinner June 22 with Jesse Grasso, a former sous-chef at Bao Bei and now a chef at Pichai in Montreal. 'We're going to put a bunch of old photos up on Instagram and talk about the good old days before COVID and get people in a nostalgic mood,' Ling said. Bao Bei has also employed high-end ingredients and cooking techniques, and good service from the start, says Ling. Upon opening, it was hailed as a 'best new restaurant' from periodicals such as Where and En Route. 'I've always prided myself on providing every aspect of the restaurant at the highest level, from a great playlist to great glassware, lighting, furniture, menu, design, staffing, service. The restaurant has to have the whole package in order to work for me.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ling was 33 when she opened Bao Bei. Prior to that she was a bartender at Chambar, as well as overseas. She decided on Chinatown partly because she had fond memories of visiting the neighbourhood with her parents as a child, and because it would be easy to source food from nearby shops. At the time, she says, not a lot was going on in the neighbourhood. 'I think it was just us, the Keefer Bar and Fortune Sound Club. It was lacking some foot traffic and some life and energy on the street. There's definitely more of that these days. There is a lot more residential and a lot more businesses. I would say there's quite a burgeoning bar scene happening in Chinatown.' Bao Bei is now a neighbourhood landmark, a tourist destination, a hub for local foodies, and a flagship business in a partnership that also includes the Michelin-starred Kissa Tanto and the recently opened Meo. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. One unfortunate development is that the Chinatown itself seems to have become more dangerous, says Ling. It's not especially unusual to see, in the alley behind the restaurant, a mattress on fire. Some things haven't changed though. The same classic, Hong Kong-style Bao Bei neon sign greets diners. The 50-seat restaurant's interior still has what Ling calls a 'shabby-chic' elegance, with candlelight, black and white photos of her family, and knick-knacks contributed by Ling and other staff. 'Everything we built it with already had a patina of age, as if it was salvaged from some second-hand store,' she said. 'Somebody just gave me a bunch of things that they were getting rid of that I turned into furniture. I think that, because it didn't start off new, it has aged well over the last 15 years.' Read More
Vancouver Sun
24-04-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
For 15 years, Vancouver's Bao Bei gives customers what they want — and brings back some fan favourites
Article content Much has changed since Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie's trademark neon sign first lit up Keefer Street 15 years ago. Article content Article content For one thing, the city's culinary and cocktail scenes have evolved, perhaps in part due to the pioneering restaurant. Article content 'I think when we opened Bao Bei, there were a lot of fine dining restaurants in the city but no casual dining restaurants with a fun atmosphere,' said co-owner Tannis Ling. Article content Article content Article content Those dishes include Crispy Pork Belly with Vietnamese cilantro sauce, the Shan Tofu with chickpea tofu, and the Steamed Spring Salmon with cilantro and Thai basil fumet. Article content Other anniversary events include a pop-up dinner June 22 with Jesse Grasso, a former sous-chef at Bao Bei and now a chef at Pichai in Montreal. Article content 'We're going to put a bunch of old photos up on Instagram and talk about the good old days before COVID and get people in a nostalgic mood,' Ling said. Article content Article content Bao Bei has also employed high-end ingredients and cooking techniques, and good service from the start, says Ling. Upon opening, it was hailed as a 'best new restaurant' from periodicals such as Where and En Route. Article content Article content 'I've always prided myself on providing every aspect of the restaurant at the highest level, from a great playlist to great glassware, lighting, furniture, menu, design, staffing, service. The restaurant has to have the whole package in order to work for me.' Article content Ling was 33 when she opened Bao Bei. Prior to that she was a bartender at Chambar, as well as overseas. She decided on Chinatown partly because she had fond memories of visiting the neighbourhood with her parents as a child, and because it would be easy to source food from nearby shops. Article content 'I think it was just us, the Keefer Bar and Fortune Sound Club. It was lacking some foot traffic and some life and energy on the street. There's definitely more of that these days. There is a lot more residential and a lot more businesses. I would say there's quite a burgeoning bar scene happening in Chinatown.'
