Five of the best: Bao

Light and oh-so-flavoursome, behold our comprehensive round up of where exactly you can get your hands on the best bao.

When it comes to Asian flavours, it doesn't take much convincing to get us on board.

Case in point, the humble bao. A staple in Taiwanese cuisine, bao is a steamed bun packed with delicious, diversely different fillings. Oozing with flavour and soft to the touch, bao is everything we love about Asian-fusion flavours, housed between a perfectly plush and puffy bun.

In a bid to ensure you're getting up close and personal with only the best, we've scoured out the nation's finest buns for your enjoyment. Behold, the top five places boasting the best looking bao we've seen on home soil.

1. Mr Go's, Te Aro, Wellington
Wellingtonians will tell you Mr Go's is the spot for bao and banh mi. On any given night of the week, you'll notice lengthy lines to secure a seat and a packed house once inside, further reaffirming Mr Go's Taiwanese-style steamed buns are worth every bite. Our pick of the buns? The classic fried chicken with herb and peanut slaw and Sriracha garlic mayo – finger-licking good right down to the lucky last mouthful.

2. The Blue Breeze Inn and Chop Chop, Ponsonby, Auckland
Holding pride of place in Auckland's Ponsonby Central is The Blue Breeze Inn. Those familiar with this sensational Asian eatery and the stellar menu curated by chef Che Barrington, will be well across the smaller joint situated next door, Chop Chop. If you're after a casual bite and bar seating, pull up a chair and sample their world-famous-in-Auckland steamed buns, with fillings like roasted pork belly and pickled cucumber (gua bao) or the lighter vegetarian option of five-spice eggplant with black vinegar, sesame and spring onion.

3. Happy Boy, Royal Oak, Auckland
The new kid on the block, Happy Boy comes in as the unconventional pick on our list. While the purists may feel compelled to yell 'that's not bao' we simply can't go past their flavoursome bao-style burgers. Here, you'll find a whole host of scrumptious flavour combinations like soft-shell crab with red cabbage, pickled daikon and carrot, or the cornflake-crumbed chicken katsu. Royal Oak's new addition is bound to put a smile on your dial, if not at the very least to acknowledge that the burger-bao is pure genius.

4. Chinoiserie, Mount Albert, Auckland
A hot favourite among the Dish team, we've been bao-ing down (get it) to these tasty steamed buns for years now. Deliciously simple, here you can choose from four flavour combinations of homemade steamed milk bao with Asian slaw, and a selection of six tasty sides. Easy and oh-so-scrumptious.

5. Hutong, Dunedin
Those down south are no doubt already familiar with this blessed bun locale. A favourite among locals and visitors alike, one look at Hutong's Indochinese street food offerings will have you absolutely salivating. The fried chicken, sweet chilli and fried onion bao are well-worth a trip to Dunners.

Have you missed your favourite bao house? Let us know in the comments below.