Ordering in: Three law graduates turned a hobby into a lucrative bao business

The Bao Guys features all sorts of contemporary flavour pairings with bao as the base. — Photos: THE BAO GUYS

The year 2020 was a momentous turning point for law graduates Lucas Isaac Seneviratne, Dominic Chou and Marc Wong Chao Hong.

The three friends – who are also housemates – discovered that the certificate of legal practice (CLP) exam, which they needed to take in order to become qualified lawyers, was postponed as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With time on their hands, the trio decided they might as well as do something instead of just sitting around twiddling their thumbs.

“We knew the exam was going to be postponed indefinitely so rather than wait, we figured we would start something at home instead. So when we were discussing what to do, we realised that all of us had different, unique experiences with bao.

“And then we discovered that something that was missing in Malaysia was ‘fast food bao’ that was accessible to the Muslim community.

“Most of the bao in Kuala Lumpur has pork, so we figured we could come up with a good alternative. We basically wanted to be like the McDonald’s equivalent of bao,” says Lucas.

Wong took charge of coming up with menu ideas and Lucas estimates that they went through at least 1,000 bao iterations before coming up with their final menu!

Although they haven’t entirely given up on their law careers, the founders of The Bao Guys are currently focused on expanding their brand presence. From left: Chou, Lucas and Wong. — Photos: THE BAO GUYS

From the onset, the friends wanted to run a 100% delivery-only online model, operating out of their shared condo. What they didn’t anticipate was the response they would get when they launched their brand The Bao Guys in late 2020.

“When things started to pick up, it was a nightmare sending orders up and down our condo to the various delivery riders. And we lived in a 83sq m condo, so the moment we came out of our rooms – it was crazy!

“Three months into it, we realised we needed to move into a bigger space and that’s when our mentality switched from ‘This is just a hobby’ to ‘We need to plan and strategise for a full-time business’,” says Lucas.

The Bao Guys now has a physical outlet in SS2, Petaling Jaya and has plans to open multiple kiosk-style outlets in shopping malls across the Klang Valley this year.

“It’s been a steep learning curve, but we believe the demand is there,” says Lucas.

The menu has been developed in homage to the nostalgia and importance that bao has in the local culinary tapestry, but with modern flavours thrown into the mixture to give it a more contemporary spin. In terms of size, each bao is designed to fit snugly as a hand-held meal and will leave you feeling full but not stuffed to the gills.

The baos are easy to eat and neither too large nor too small. Pictured here is the Beef be With You, which features tender beef and a virulently spicy sauce.

All the dishes have quirky, offbeat names to allude to the fact that the friends were “the fun guys at uni”.

To begin, you could opt to try the Beef Be With You (RM11.90), which is essentially beef slow-cooked for six hours till it reaches tender pliancy. This braised beef is topped with a spicy mala sauce and the entire assemblage is couched in a deep-fried bao.

The bao is fantastic – a lightly golden exterior gives way to tender innards, which in turn segues into fantastically succulent meat. The mala sauce is thick and potent and is likely to rouse a fire in your belly and instant heat on the tongue. This is a bold bao that knows what it’s about and makes it mark.

Up next, try the Sawadee Cluck (RM12.90), which is composed of deep-fried coriander chicken, an onion lime slaw and spicy Thai mayonnaise. The charcoal bao is fluffy and incredibly soft and makes the perfect receptacle for the fried chicken, which features ASMR-quality crunchy chicken that segues into tender meat inside. The spicy mayo and onion slaw add spice and textural contrast, but the true star of this show is that incredible fried chicken.

The Cluck Norris (RM10.90) tries hard to follow in the footsteps of its poultry brethren, but the combination of fried chicken, Japanese mayonnaise and gherkins delivers a meal that is less memorable (although it delivers on the satiety count).

Some of The Bao Guys' best-sellers include the Sawadee Cluck (top), Beef Be With You (middle) and Cluck Norris (bottom).

This is quite swiftly remedied by the Pho-King Good (RM13.90). “All three of us like Asian food and we really like pho so Marc decided to make a pho broth and reduce it with lamb until it reached the flavour and texture that we wanted. What came out is a pho-flavoured lamb dish. It’s like a bowl of pho in a bao,” says Lucas.

This is a dynamite combination that nails those lovely pho flavours. It might seem confusing not to see the pho anywhere in this equation, but you’ll understand where it is once you sink your teeth into the meal.

The Teppanyaki (RM18.90 with fries and a drink) meanwhile is a bao that is sure to stir up divided opinions. The bao features grilled beef, wasabi mayo and fried garlic chips and has a lot of sharp, pungent notes. You might think this would come from the wasabi mayo, but that component is surprisingly understated and almost elegant. No, in this instance, the garlic chips are the potent culprits you’ll either love or hate. The beef in this ensemble is packed with flavour, but is also a tad chewy in some parts.

On the sweet front, definitely try the Onde-Onde Bao (RM8.90) which features deep-fried mantou buns, a thick pandan sauce and plenty of grated palm sugar. Mix it all together and you have the bao equivalent of onde-onde.

The mantou bun acts as a sponge that soaks up all the goodness of the pandan sauce and caramelesque undertones of the palm sugar. This is a truly divine sweet treat worthy of your time (and an encore).

Ultimately, it is clear that Lucas and his friends have stumbled upon a seemingly simple idea with untold potential. Which is why the friends have now put their law goals on hold and are instead determined to push ahead with expansion plans for their F&B brand.

“Ideally, we will not be giving up law – law will still be in the equation, so I think at some point, we will continue to pursue it.

“But our priority for now is to strike while the iron is hot and take full opportunity of what may become something bigger than any of us ever thought was possible. The legal industry will always be there, but an opportunity like this may not,” explains Lucas.

Order from The Bao Guys on Beep Delivery or GrabFood.