One night only!

Bao La pop-up at Que this Saturday, November 14, 2020 from 5 to 10pm.

Bao is flying solo in our home-style kitchen ∴

*First come, first serve!
*Quantities are limited!
*Space is limited (aka musical chairs and communal style seating on chiếu)!

In a slight deviation from Bao's regular cooking practice—this Saturday, Bao is making an ALL vegetarian menu, likely all vegan (contingent on alternative butter sourcing).

We couldn't be more excited to share the fresh & tasty offerings Bao has come up with. Ingredients are inspired by the numerous places Bao has lived and as much as possible, ingredients are locally sourced.

With an emphasis on accessibility, the menu was created with the atmosphere in mind—eating delicious, nourishing food, whilst sipping natural wine and listening to good tunes (in the case, a comprehensive dad rock playlist, care of Bao himself).

In collaboration, Chuong Pham, is making his infamous sourdough to go alongside the smoked eggplant dish and good friend, Tuyen Bui, is making sourdough focaccia, which will be highlighted alongside Bao's node to his Australian roots, in the form of Vegemite butter.

Bao: Marvin Gaye - Ain't No Mountain High Enough, it's uplifting and inspiring!

Bao: Bún Bò Huế, although trying to cut down on meat...

Bao: Somewhere warm - wearing sneakers, shorts and a vintage tee [haha]

Australian-Vietnamese chef Bao La grew up in his parents’ humble Vietnamese restaurant, Kim Thanh, in Brisbane. Here, family recipes and traditional Vietnamese cooking methods formed his culinary foundation.

As an adult, he initially pursued a ‘safe’ career in Finance, but soon realized his true calling was in the kitchen. Through a series of Twitter exchanges, Bao landed a position with the Merivale Group, working with celebrated Australian chefs Dan Hong and Jowett Yu. After working at their acclaimed Sydney-based restaurants, Mr. Wong and MsG’s, La followed Yu to Hong Kong to open Ho Lee Fook with Black Sheep Restaurants.

After 2 years as sous chef, at the ‘funky Chinese kitchen’, chef Bao opened Le Garçon Saigon with the group. The wood fired Saigonese grill house was the first of its kind in the city and introduced Hong Kong to the rich diversity of Vietnamese cuisine beyond phở. Following the restaurant’s success, he opened Le Petit Saigon, a widely popular banh mi take away. La’s time in Hong Kong was categorized by a passion for expanding the perceptions of Vietnamese cuisine. But he was also becoming a champion for sustainability in the restaurants and beyond.

Through the years, Bao became more in tune with the negative impacts the restaurant industry had towards the environment. Bao fought for changes in the restaurant scene in Hong Kong by initiating recycling programs, reducing organic kitchen waste, eliminating the need to single use plastic within kitchen operations, moving away from commercially farmed produce and supporting local farmers.

In early 2020 with covid19 striking the world, Chef Bao relocated to his parents’ hometown of Đà Lạt, Vietnam. With an aim to learn more about the future of sustainable farming in Vietnam and to further his culinary knowledge.

Links: @bao_la and La Family Farm

To coincide with opening a new day, we also made a new drink menu!

We’ve concocted a handful of non-alcoholic ‘mocktails’ which highlight the fruits flavor 🥒🍉🍒(and for those that like their drinks a bit stiffer, we also have versions with alcohol available).