After forcing fans to travel out to Srinagarindra Road to enjoy their favorite Chinese dishes, many will be relieved that Hong Bao has finally found an additional location on Sukhumvit Soi 39.
Passing through The Library by Water Library on the first floor (same owner), you will find yourself in a very bright, white dining space decked out with classic chandeliers and prints of ink drawings from 18th Century Europe. Of course, there are also reminders that this is a Chinese restaurant in the form of folding room dividers engraved with Chinese patterns.
Bookings are strongly recommended as the place is generally packed with regulars (mostly large groups of friends or families) every weekend.
Unlike many other Chinese restaurants, Hong Bao serves its dim sum, which is some of the best in town, all-day. What you can’t miss here are the various kinds of steamed rice rolls. We’re particularly fond of the steamed rice rolls with crispy shrimps (B120), as the fluffy rice roll and crunchy shrimp go great with the well-mixed dark soy sauce. The ha gao (steamed shrimp dumpling, B120), too, packs in flavorsome shrimp.
While the xiao long bao (Shanghai juicy pork bun, B120) may not be as good as at other places—a little dry—it still represents a solid choice. It’s exceeded by the peking duck (B1,200), which is a real pleasure, coming with a signature savory sauce that is cooked using duck stock until it becomes a pungent brown sauce with sweet notes. You can’t go wrong with their two options: deep fried with garlic or stir-fried spicy chili Hong Kong-style: deliciously moist duck meat covered with dry chili and garlic.
Their famous salapao lava (golden salty egg bun, B85) is also superb, managing a wonderful balance between sweet creaminess and salty egg yoke.
One misstep is the stir-fried scallop with special house sauce Chef Po-style (B450), served with tiny scallops—it’s unbalanced and something you’d expect from streetside seafood, not a fine dining restaurant.
Overall, though, Hong Bao does impressive takes on Chinese favorites in a refined setting where you can be assured of superb service.
