In anticipation of my regular rotation from my place in Belize to the Netherlands every few months, I decided it was time to plan some outings to check out a few new eats in the country. When I left in January there was still snow on the ground here in Eindhoven and I was recovering from major thyroid surgery. I could barely make it downstairs to the market, let alone walk around Amsterdam all day.

It’s no secret that both Brett and I are still missing life in Taipei, even five years later. When I heard about a Taiwanese Bao joint in Amsterdam that had a pop-up brunch scheduled for the weekend, I was on it. Award-winning chef Justin Brown is the mastermind behind Bao Buns Amsterdam and does regular “test kitchen” multi-course bao dinners a couple nights a week, and various pop up events like this brunch.

Marvin on Kinkerstraat

The brunch took place at Marvin on the Kinkerstraat. It’s a cute little shop on the Kinkerstraat in the Oud West neighborhood that is a combination of retail space, which may contain a shelving for shops, and a small food service area and kitchen in the back. They do private dinners, catering, workshops, and of course, pop-ups, and more.

The menu featured six different baos and two other items. We were told it takes usually 3-4 to fill up and we managed to sample our way through all eight options on the menu, sharing each one so we could try everything. The menu for March 26th’s brunch included:

Slow Cooked Pork Belly Bao

Served with fried onions, radish slices, and hot sauce, the slow cooked pork belly bao was decadent and delicious. Definitely one of our favorites.

Smoked Salmon Bao

The smoked salmon bao was served with crème fraiche and a hint of lemon.

Open Bao with Fried Hen Egg

The open bao with fried hen egg had spinach and my favorite Korean sauce, Gochujang.

Open Bao with Mushrooms

This open-faced bao had mushrooms and a rich Hollandaise sauce.

Fried Tempeh Bao

The fried tempeh bao had a zesty kimchi mayonnaise. If you’ve never had, or heard of, tempeh, it’s a soybean cake from Indonesia and is similar to tofu.

Fried Chicken Bao

This was my favorite of the day. The fried chicken bao served with a red dragon sauce, coriander, and pineapple kimchi.

In addition to the baos, they also had two other dishes that we had to try:

Beef and Corn Croquettes

It’s Holland, you can’t ever go wrong with a croquette and this was pretty tasty.

Globe Artichoke

I can’t tell you the last time I’ve had a whole artichoke. This was a great way to end the meal, especially with the spicy chili mayo.

Bao Buns Amsterdam

Both for the brunch and the pop up dinners, all baos are 4 Euros each.

Overall, the baos were excellent. The dough was soft, akin to what you find with a good traditional Taiwanese bao in Taipei. The flavors were fun, bright, and I really loved the use of the Korean elements as well.

Great cappuccinos and they have a fun selection of juices like the Elderflower Lemonade I had. We lucked out getting a reservation, but I also think it helped we went early on Holland’s version of daylight savings, or “Summertime” change, which mean every one was likely sleeping in after losing an hour.

If you’re looking to hit one of the Bao test kitchen dinners or any potentially scheduled pop ups and/or brunches in the future, I highly suggest making reservations online. The restaurant area is small and cozy, so you’re risking it trying to walk in.

Check Bao Buns Amsterdam’s Facebook page for future events and reservations links. I’m definitely looking forward to trying one of the pop-up six-course bao dinners at some point while I’m back in Holland for the next month.

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It turns out, the news isn’t quite as bad as it appeared!

While heading out to On Tap for some fish and chips the other night with some coworkers, I was surprised to see a huge line of people waiting for something on Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, just before the intersection with Yanji Street.  This was still a few blocks ahead of the dance clubs on Zhongxiao, and the crowd was a much more diverse mix than you’d expect for a club, so I knew it couldn’t be for that.  But what was it?

I apologize in advance for some of the photos – I was not expecting this find and only had my phone with me!

As the taxi drew closer, I saw the sign that made my day…Ice Monster is Back!

Only open again since May 29, we decided to brave the line to try out the new Ice Monster after our dinner.  What better dessert could you imagine than some iconic Bao Bing and Xue Hua Bing?

The line went pretty quick, we were around 30 people back and our wait was only around 20 minutes.  There were staff at the front of the line handing out the menu and taking orders in advance of your entering the shop, so that helps the line run smoother.  They also don’t let people into the shop when there are no seats available, unless you tell them you just want to order for take away, then they may let you cut into the shop while those wishing to dine in wait longer in the line.  There are around 50 total seats in the shop, so turnover is fairly quick, and being indoors, it’s much more comfortable than the old exterior seating of 15 Yongkang Street.

The Ice Monster menu has four main sections; Avalanche for the Bao Bing shaved ice, Sensation for the Xue Hua Bing snow ice, Mocktail for mixed juice drinks, and Freeze for the frozen drinks.  Many of the menu items seem to be more similar to those that were on offer at Yongkang 15, not quite back to the offerings of the original Ice Monster.

We ordered two Mango Avalanches for the three of us, we actually wanted one to be a Fresh Mango Sensation, but I misordered! The avalanche was a delicious mix of shaved ice with sweet condensed milk and brown sugar syrup, a mango jelly and a scoop of mango ice cream, with a heaping serving of fresh mango mixed in for good measure.

I do not know why, but the staff could apparently see our enjoyment of the avalanche, and perhaps thinking this was our first / only time stopping in, they decided to sample out some other wares on us!  We were each also given a scoop of their lemon ice, a scoop of melon sorbet to share, and they even gave us a small Fresh Mango Sensation to share as well!

The Mango Avalanche and Mango Sensation were both outstanding, but I have to say, I think the lemon ice was one of the best I’ve ever had!  This tasted exactly like the Italian ice I used to get as a kid, and I thought the only thing that could have possibly made this one any better would have been the little white paper squeeze cup I remember from my youth.  I’ll definitely order one of the lemon based items on my next visit to Ice Monster, most likely the Lemon Jasmine Tea Sensation which caught my eye.

Ice Monster
1F., No. 297, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District
+886 2 8771 3263
http://www.ice-monster.com
Hours: Monday – Sunday / 10:30 – 23:30

This is a bamboo shoot salad with mayo, a popular item in Taiwanese cuisine.  This particular order was from a holiday dim sum breakfast at the Brother Hotel.   We don’t normally see the bamboo salad on the menu there so assuming it might have been a special for the Father’s Day holiday weekend.

Some people may think this combination of ingredients sounds less than appetizing, but all I can say is “don’t knock it ’til you try it!”  I was pleasantly surprised by the overall taste.  This street food concoction is said to be an old Taiwan treat and can be at a food stall near the Huaxi Street (Snake Alley) Night Market.  It’s basically a thin pancake with peanut brittle shavings and 3 scoops of ice cream (peanut, taro, and pineapple), topped with cilantro and then rolled up like a small burrito.  The mix of flavors worked surprisingly well together and I’d highly recommend trying this Taiwanese specialty if you are touring a night market on your visit to Taiwan.

Known as “xue hua bing” in Chinese, snow ice is a popular dessert in Taiwan.  It is made with condensed milk and/or juice and shaved into the thin sheets, with various toppings added.  Popular options include the regular xue hua bing with passion fruit, chocolate, or mango, while other varieties include green tea snow ice topped with red bean, or peanut snow ice, topped with sprinkles.