Chairman Bao

Pork belly steamed bun with pickled daikon

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Braised pork steamed bun with savoy cabbage and and preserved mustard seeds

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Bao chips

The apex of our obsession with pork products might be Chairman Bao, peddled from the roving food truck we were first introduced to at Off the Grid Fort Mason. As it swung by our neighborhood today, we couldn't pass up the chance to snag a few of our favorite buns. Rosie greedily opted to get two pork belly buns and a braised pork bun while Cheney had two pork belly buns and a bag of Bao chips, which were deliciously greasy deep fried wonton skins with nori. As always the pork belly was heavenly, with crisp skin, incredibly juicy meat, and a layer of velvety fat. Offset with tart and crunchy daikon and the soft bun, it was perfect. The braised pork bun was good, but less memorable. Without the benefit of the pork belly's sauce, it had a drier texture while the shredded cabbage seemed a little limp. Satiated, we left the Civic Center in such a state of glazed happiness that even seeing a dead pigeon and what might have been human feces on the way home (Oh, living in the Tenderloin) couldn't completely shake it.