REVIEW: Bend the Bao Opens With Several Delicious Options at Universal Orlando CityWalk

Shannen Ace

Updated on:

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REVIEW: Bend the Bao Opens With Several Delicious Options at Universal Orlando CityWalk

Bend the Bao has opened at CityWalk in Universal Orlando Resort. The bao kiosk replaces the Fusion Bistro sushi kiosk that closed earlier this year. We got a look at the menu yesterday and were excited to get a bite of the new fusion bao.

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Two bao are $11.99, and an additional bao is $4.49.

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Since yesterday, the beverages menu has been covered up with a temporary sticker. It seems the sake is not available yet.

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Every bao bun was soft, fluffy, and perfect.

Kimchee FC

Kimchee fried chicken, kimchee butter, gochujang, cucumber, scallion, sriracha aioli

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We couldn’t believe how good this chicken was. It was tender and melt-in-your-mouth in a good way.

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We aren’t sure where all the flavor came from (maybe the kimchee butter or sriracha aioli) but it was amazing.

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This was one of our favorite of the fusions.

Pork Belly

Pork belly, scallions, cucumber, honey roasted peanuts, cilantro

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We wouldn’t have thought this would be among our favorites, but it is.

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The sweet, sticky flavor is like the char siu pork they serve at food booths inside the park. It wasn’t too chewy or too fatty, it was just right.

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The honey-roasted peanuts gave it almost a peanut sauce flavor, but with crunch instead.

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This will be our go-to when we stop here.

Duck

Braised duck, kimchee slaw, XO sauce, cilantro, 5 spice aioli

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We ate this whole thing, it was excellent.

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The meat was tender and juicy.

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The XO sauce and aioli aren’t what we would call spicy, but they do add a good kick of flavor.

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Beef Brisket

Beef brisket, fried jalapeno, pickled red onion, cilantro, avocado lime crema

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We expected to love this too, but the meat was just too fatty and chewy. There were two chunks of meat and the second was fine but the first was not.

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It also had a strong, smoky, almost charcoal burned flavor we didn’t care for.

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The lime crema and crunchy pickled red onion were nice.

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This is the only one we didn’t like and wouldn’t order again.

Veggie

Roasted oyster mushrooms, spinach, sweet potato, caramelized onion, smoked ricotta cheese, tomatillo salsa

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The chef told us this was his favorite and they’re trying to offer vegetarian offerings with fresh, good ingredients.

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It has a nice variety of veggies and is a hearty portion.

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We didn’t realize it was the veggie offering at first because the mushrooms are so big and meaty-looking.

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Shrimp

Fried shrimp, shredded cabbage, avocado, pico de gallo, chipotle crema

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This was delicious. It had two decent-sized fried shrimp, an actual slice of avocado, and a bit of pico and cabbage.

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The chipotle crema is spicy but good! It’s zesty and has heat but it’s complimented by the fluffy bao and cooler pico/cabbage mix and avocado.

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The sauce is what makes this one really stand out.

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Crab Cake

Maryland style crab cake, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, mustard aioli

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The crab was only a bit fishy, which is good news if you aren’t a seafood fan.

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The mustard aioli was so good we kept going back for more. The lettuce and tomato are simple but work well with the mustard.

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This wasn’t our favorite, but still a good option.

Which fusion bao will you be trying? Let us know in the comments.

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