As usual it has taken a while for the latest London craze to arrive in Manchester, although with bao we've at least had the benefit of the wonderful Dim Sum Su in the Kitchens, while that lasted.
Perhaps because of that I was a little disappointed by Taberu which plays it a little safer but the idea of Taberu is more about fusion and a kind of assembly-line operation which has it's own benefits in terms of mass appeal, speed and flexibility.
The bao is quite expensive at £5.95 but was enough to fill me for lunch. I got char sui pork and was recommended to pair it with the hoi sin sauce - there wasn't an obvious sauce pairing (to me) but hoi sin is so distinctive, and so linked to duck, I wasn't sure if this was the best option albeit it is inherently tasty so it's not like it ruined the bao or anything.
For fillings there was various radish/carrot/spring onion mixes which worked well for flavour and texture.
I'm not sure if this is a place I'd return to regularly but I will def add it to my lunchtime rotation for a bit of variety. read more