Just opened a couple of weeks ago. Ostensibly setup like a Singapore hawker market, it may bear some resemblance, but only superficially.
So, the setup is, you walk in, there's a bar where you can get your beer, soda, or water, and you also buy monedas for 100 pesos apiece - tokens, that you can then redeem for food at one of the four stands at the far back. The things along the walk that look like they're food carts are just places to sit. At the back, you've got a Japanese yakitori stand, a Korean dumpling stand that also serves rice bowls, a Japanese ramen stand, and, a Taiwanese guabao stand. Dumplings and yakitoris run 1 moneda, all the rest run 2 monedas.
With few people there, the system works smoothly. I imagine that if the place is packed, it could get a little annoying, or at least require planning, because you're going to have to stand in line to get your monedas and drinks, and then again, at each stand. Then again, local food festivals, like Masticar do much the same with tickets. I'd say the average person is going to need anywhere between 3 and 5 monedas for a decent meal, depending on how hungry you are, who you're with, sharing, and all that. I, of course, am always hungry....
Started off with kimchi dumplings and a bottle of beer (somehow I missed that they also have craft beer on tap). Delicate, with that lovely crisp fried side. The kimchi inside lacking punch, so kind of cabbage dumplings, but they bring hot sauce to the table, and when the one they brought was still a bit weak for my tastes, the manager brought over two additional ones, a housemade one that was very good, and also a small dish with just about a demitasse spoonful of a fiery red liquid that with one drop on the tip of a chopstick set my mouth on fire. Mostly I used the housemade one, which was hot, but didn't overwhelm the food.
Very good chicken yakitori, and a decent portion for the price. Nice char on the grill, but still juicy. Good marinade with a nice balance between salty and sweet.
I wouldn't say that this is my favorite guabao ever.... The pork belly is sliced really thin and then grilled, so rather than being unctuous and packed with flavor, it was kind of like semi-crispy bacon without the smokiness, and piled with chopped raw cabbage and green onions. There just wasn't a lot of flavor going on. And the steamed buns, which look like albino hamburger buns, aren't done to order, so they're cold, and a little dense as they've... settled.
I decided to finish up with one more round of dumplings. I was going to get the classic pork ones, but thought I'd ask the dumpling guy. He said that while that was what everyone orders, because they're the classic, the real killer dumplings were the curry chicken ones. And damn, he was right. Noted, early on, see the photo earlier, when there were few people there, the dumplings were presented nicely lined up - once there were more people lined up to get stuff, they're just kind of dumped on the plate.
All in all, I like the space and the decor, it's just kind of fun. The music, however, really turned me off - it's all Asian gangsta' rap, with way too much cursing for my tastes. I mean, I don't mind someone throwing out an occasional four letter word, but when virtually every line of the lyrics in every song seems to include some version of fuck, motherfucking, shit, and more, at high volume (the place is, according to my sound meter, running just shy of 75dB steadily - about the level of standing next to a vacuum cleaner that's running continuously), it's a bit irritating when you're trying to eat, and it's too loud to really tune out, and would be really hard to hold a conversation.
The food, two very good dishes, one good, and one mediocre. Mostly fair prices - 100 pesos for 5 dumplings is actually quite reasonable, as it is for 2 yakitori skewers. On the other hand, 200 pesos for a single bao (even if I'd have liked it) is a bit much, when you can get them at places like Bao Kitchen for 140, Fukuro for 175, or Koko for 150, and all better than this one. I mean, it's just about a dollar to a dollar and a half difference, but we're talking bar/street food, so it's a difference worth noting. read more