Bing’s Bao & Beer opens at The Streets of Barangaroo on Monday 14 August. Bing’s is fun, fast, big on flavour and heaven for lovers of bao and good beer in Sydney (alcohol licence in place from September). Dine in and takeaway are available at the casual, retro-style eatery and bar serving lunch through to late night snacks, five days a week.
Bao is the hero on the menu and there’s also a bun (soft baked milk bread) option for the less adventurous. Fill it with meaty morsels including braised beef brisket with lemon aspen, coriander and white pepper; Shanghai red braised pork belly topped with pickled Chinese cabbage; or soft shell crab and a slather of Sriracha mayo. There’s also a crumbed fish fillet with chilli jam and a vegetarian option if you’re not down with meat.
Whatever you do, don’t skip dessert. The ‘bun and ice cream’ sweet bun with palm sugar, coconut ice-cream, and green tea is a sugar high you’re going to want to try. Wash all of that down with Bing’s own range of pale ales brewed in collaboration with Brookvale brewery Nomad and wines made by Clare Valley’s KT Wines. There’s also a line-up of bottled cocktails created by Kate McGraw.
Bing’s Bao & Beer is by the Lotus Dining’s Head Chef, Chris Yan. “I love bao, it was a simple breakfast for me growing up in Shanghai either plain or with pork mince,” explains Yan. “When I came to Australia, I learnt how to make fresh noodles and now I can only eat, and serve, fresh noodles at Bing’s. They have a fantastic flavour from the stock we make each day using roasted chicken and pork bones so there’s no artificial seasoning.”
To complement the bao, there’s also three big bowls of noodles to win over even the most sceptic slurper. Fried pork cutlet marinated in lemongrass; red braised beef shin with chilli and Chinese spices; and prawn and calamari with chicken broth and mushrooms are among those on the menu. Don’t want to risk spraying that crisp white shirt with broth? Bing’s rice bowls come with a kick. Think minced pork cosied up to Sichuan chilli bean and shredded cucumber; and fried rice with BBQ pork and sweet chilli jam. Small bites range from sweet potato fries to steamed veggies dressed in olive oil and tamari.
There’s housemade sodas and bubble tea for now and Bing’s alcoholic drink offerings are available from September (when licensing kicks in). Cocktail artist, Kate McGraw, has gone a little nutty professor with a range of bottled cocktails. “I want to challenge the way people perceive ready-to-drink cocktails. We are pushing the envelope with no ice, no citrus and no cocktail shakers,” says McGraw. “The (bottled) cocktail list is approachable and delicious. Expect tiki-style cocktails as well as a jazzed-up whiskey high ball.”
The space is a 48-seat retro diner-style reminiscent of a 1970’s milk bar juxtaposed with a local suburban Chinese restaurant and designed by Melissa Collison (Madame Shanghai, Rosetta Sydney, El Camino Cantina). The vintage colour palette of yellow, jade, grey and red just about transport you to a Bee Gees music clip. Dine-in and takeaway caters for the local corporate lunch crowd through to after work dinner and drinks.
The Streets of Barangaroo now has its very own bao and beer destination. Bing’s opens on Monday 14 August.
Bing’s Bao & Beer
Opens Monday 14 August
Scotch Row, Barangaroo (near corner of Watermans Quay)
Opening hours: M-F: 11am – 8:30pm
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