Cloud Thief | World Square
Cloud Thief (formerly Bao Stop) has opened up in World Square! Why is this such great news you ask? because Matt works at World Square and has been waiting patiently in anticipation for a long time now for their opening. Perhaps it's not a good thing because it's not cheap.. oh well!
We were lucky enough to be invited to the launch just prior to leaving on our honeymoon. It was the perfect excuse as well to test out the new camera so it made perfect sense. Besides.. Cloud Thief wants to serve us all you can eat bao, who in their right mind would refuse! Cloud Thief brings Taiwanese street food to a whole new level. It’s just a little bit fancy with bold flavours and amazing, amazing (yes, I had to repeat that) fillings.
We sampled the braised beef short rib, spicy fried chicken, crispy tofu, braised pork belly, crackling roast pork, beer battered barramundi bao from their signature menu. And from their premium menu, we tasted the peking duck, Singapore soft shell crab, umami mushrooms bao. We did however only take a picture of a few of the bao though.
If you just starting drooling, it’s ok, we don’t judge. Because it was the exact same reaction we got when we saw the exciting menu!
Spicy Fried Chicken
The first bao we could get our hands on is by far the best - the original and still going strong. Crispy fried chicken with a kick and topped with spring onions, chilli, Asian slaw and a very generous slathering of sriracha mayo. We could literally down a dozen of these bao, the bao is fluffy and the chicken has the perfect crunch to leave the best possible lasting impression. If it's your first time trying a bao, do yourself a favour and get the one packed with flavour!
Crackling Roast Pork
This bao was literally more sauce then filling so it was filled with flavour from the hoisin sauce and kewpie mayo. The parts with roast pork belly are incredible because there are parts with both tender pork and parts with the incredibly crunchy crackling. The umami mushrooms bao is in the background, nothing spectacular but I guess that's the life of a vegetarian (sorry vegetarians...)
Braised Beef Short Rib
Braised beef so tender a baby could bite it on a bed of pickled mustard greens, Asian slaw and white onion pickles. The beef is glazed in smoked Plum BBQ sauce so it has a perfect mix of sweet and tangy. The only downside to this bao is the lack of texture - the beef is so tender that it gets lost in the soft texture of the bao.
Crispy Tofu
For the vegetarians out there, Cloud Thief has you covered. The Crispy Tofu bao is most definitely not lacking in flavour, covered in a spicy peanut miso sauce, kewpie mayo and a roasted peanut crumble while served above a bed of pickled mustard greens, shredded lettuce, shredded carrot, and crispy seaweed. This is quite a tasty alternative for vegetarians and being honest, it was one of our favourite baos on the night. Tofu is often given a bad reputation, but when it is cooked like this there is nothing standing between you and pure bliss!
Peking Duck Fries
Peking Duck Fries, one of the all time favourite as seen at Night Noodle Markets or food festivals. This “side” is more like a main or a “sharing plate” as one person could not possibly finish the entire dish. Crispy golden fries that are topped with shredded Peking duck and spring onions. The fries are drowned with their signature Peking sauce and wow do they pack a punch!
There’s also rice bowls from their menu which has the braised pork belly or fried chicken option. Oh and there is a vegetarian rice bowl option as well. Moving on from the rice bowls, other sides on the menu include sweet potato fries, shoe string fries, salt and pepper tofu nuggets, XO green beans, iceberg slim and roasted brussels sprout. If that’s not already enough, you can add tasty sauces to your dining experience like Korean mayo, sriracha mayo, duck sauce, hoisin sauce, peanut miso sauce, tartare sauce and the good old favourite tomato sauce.
Snapshots of Food was invited by Forhill Digital to the launch of Cloud Thief in World Square