Bao buns in Vilnius (also known as Asian sandwiches or Asian burgers) may not be a groundbreaking discovery, but we’ve certainly never seen a place quite like what our Latvian neighbours have brought to the table. So, what’s the difference with Latvian-founded restaurants? You might ask. While we can’t make sweeping generalisations, the newly opened Bao Buns Vilnius in the heart of Shopping Center “Europa”, “Dialogai” food court, truly stands out from the crowd.

What sets them apart is their commitment to crafting everything from scratch. From making their own homemade tofu to whipping up vegan sauces, they’re all about quality, and it definitely shows. They haven’t skimped on selecting better ingredients, and you can see the effort in every dish. Our chosen bowls with salmon or tuna contained almost 40% fish in total.

Now, onto what we specifically got to taste?

For starters, we indulged in crispy sweet potato fries with sauce and crunchy shrimp bites.

From the bowls, we opted for Masago salmon with noodles, avocado, cucumber, radishes, cabbage, carrots, edamame beans, seaweed, kale, and greens.

Ponzu tuna with rice, avocado, cucumber, radishes, cabbage, carrots, edamame beans, seaweed, kale, and sprouts.

Mango chili shrimp with rice, avocado, cucumber, radishes, cabbage, carrots, edamame beans, seaweed, kale, and crispy onions.

Marinated tofu with noodles, avocado, cucumber, radishes, cabbage, carrots, edamame beans, seaweed, kale, and sprouts.

And from the bao buns, we savoured crispy chicken with aioli sauce, cabbage, Korean carrots, cucumbers, pickled radishes, peanuts, and spring onions.

Duck confit (with hoisin sauce), cabbage, Korean carrots, jalapeno sauce, pickled radishes, parsley, and chili.

Coconut shrimp (tempura style) with mango-peanut butter chutney, salads, marinated cabbage, Korean carrots, fresh cabbage, cucumbers, and chili.

Mushroom bulgogi with rosemary, parsley pesto with walnuts, cabbage, Korean carrots, cucumbers, pickled cucumbers, sesame seeds, and spring onions.

Crispy tofu with buffalo sauce, cabbage, Korean carrots, cucumbers, pickled radishes, ranch sauce, sesame seeds, and pea sprouts.

In all fairness, there was just too much of everything because it was so incredibly filling! My favorites this time around were the crispy tofu bao, the mango-chili shrimp bowl, and the unbelievable homemade cashew ranch sauce!

We’re already planning our next visit, this time to Baltas Tiltas food court.

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