Nam Loong Chinese Restaurant

223 Russell St, Melbourne 3000
Date visited: 26th October 2012

MerlinFan and my most disappointing visit to Bao Now yesterday left us with an un-satiated craving for Hot Asian Buns.  Where else would we go other than Nam Loong, which has been my family's favourite place to buy their infamous char siew baos whenever they come to Melbourne.

Nam Loong sells all the usual types of baos for $1.80 each (takeaway price). 
Sweet: Red bean, Golden Sand, Lotus Seed, Black sesame, Egg custard
Savouries: Roast pork (char siew), Chinese Sausage, Vegetarian, Chicken & Mushroom, Seaweed Pork.  They also have a Combination Bun with chicken, pork, Chinese sausage, egg & vegetables for $3.50.

It was full when we got there, so we decided to take away our baos and eat elsewhere.

Our hot baos were stuffed into a paper bag so by the time we reached the QV foodcourt to eat, our bao skins had stuck to the paper and became not-so-pretty =(

Char siew bao $1.80

My char siew bao was pretty damn good, just like how I remembered.  Soft, fluffy skin that was not too thick.  Juicy roast pork filling with just the right amount of sweetness.  Just a little mound of deliciousness.

Lotus seed bao $1.80

MerlinFan had her favourite lotus seed bao.  The lotus seed paste itself she liked, however she felt some of the edges of her bao were a bit hard and stale as though it had been sitting around for a while.  We both agreed the one at Gold Leaf was much better. 

We both had to get a Golden Sand Bun each, which is made from salted egg yolks - the whole idea is that the insides ooze out like golden lava when you bite into it.

Golden sand bao $1.80

I split mine open in half for the photo, which was such a big mistake.  As soon as I took a bite, the golden sand came trickling down my hand.  Grrr!  Really yummy though, with soft fluffy skin and the salty sweet, almost gritty texture of salted eggs that I love.

Isn't it obvious?  For $1.80 each, Nam Loong is the place to go when it comes to fulfilling your bao cravings.



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