Longtime Good Food on Montford Chef Larry Shreiber is finalizing the menu for Bao + Broth, a concept located inside of upcoming food hall Optimist Hall. Bao + Broth is named for the traditional Asian soft steamed buns and ramen, and the menu prominently features both of those things.

Schreiber says the menu is inspired by Baohaus, a restaurant by renowned chef Eddie Huang that serves a rotating menu of steamed buns each day. The kitchen there offers a handful of bao options, a couple of rice bowls, and that’s the whole menu. Schreiber visited the restaurant in New York.

“I wanted to take that concept and a ramen concept and mash them together basically,” he says.

The Bao + Broth menu lists several buns, some that use traditional Asian flavors, and others that have a Southern personality. The buns include the following:

• Belly Bao: Char siu pork belly, diakon, ginger scallion sauce
• Chicken Bao: Fried chicken, slaw, sriracha aioli
• Bulgogi Bao: Bulgogi beef, cucumbers, gochujang
• Pork Bao: Roast pork, garlicky greens, provolone
• Falafel Bao: Cucumber, tomato, onion, tzatziki

The ramen menu will include a few recommendations, as well as a build-your-own option starting with broth options of shio, chili miso, miso, black garlic, and pork shoyu. Schreiber says there will also be Asian noodle dishes.

The belly bao is Schreiber’s favorite, but the fried chicken is also up there, he says.

“The fried chicken’s really good because you have the soft bun then the really crispy chicken so it’s got a cool texture,” he says.

Schreiber will remain at Good Food until a few weeks before Bao + Broth’s opening early next year; the new restaurant is also owned by Moffett Restaurant Group. Optimist Hall is located just outside of 277 towards Plaza Midwood and NoDa, where Caldwell Street turns into Parkwood Avenue. —Kristen Wile

Unpretentious People Say...

Other Articles You Might Enjoy