In true Chinese tradition, bao — a steamed bun filled with various proteins — is offered on the go for an affordable cost, according to Bao-ing-Out restaurant owner, Steven Tian. While affordable and timely bao is hard to come by in Eugene, Tian made it his goal to do just that.
Bao-ing-Out is a Chinese and Korean fusion restaurant in the Valley River Center mall’s food court, sandwiched between Thai Esane and Yalla. Honoring his native origin of China, Tian wanted to highlight steam-fried bao, dumplings, noodles and scallion pancakes with a focus on affordability, quickness and convenience with a creative twist.
“In China, where I grew up, you don’t really find a restaurant to sit down to have Bao and Dumplings. It’s all mom and pop stores,” Tian says. “For example, before you go to school, or you go to work, you go over there, grab some bao and dumplings, and it won’t take you more than one minute.”
Tian, who also co-owns the Fuji Japanese Steakhouse, is no stranger to the food industry. The 34-year-old Chinese native has been working in Chinese-focused kitchens for nearly half his life and finally gained the opportunity to open his own Chinese-Korean fusion restaurant at the end of October, inspired by his mother who cooked a lot of bao and dumplings for Tian growing up in Henan, China.
Tian’s mother cooked noodles, bao and dumplings for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so Tian wanted to prioritize these elements into his main products.
Tian talks to his mother who lives in China, every day. Tian notes how proud of him she is for opening a restaurant that highlights her home-cooked meals.
“My recipe is authentic like whatever she cooked, you know. So she’s very happy. Like, we got very good feedback. People really love the food. Love the taste,” Tian says.
The menu also features traditional Chinese fried chicken, rice and veggies, with each bao or dumpling meal topped off with a unique creamy sriracha mayo made with condensed milk and sweet vinegar sauce, all made in-house and served with egg drop soup.
Tian’s mother is also the inspiration behind the sweet and sour vinegar sauce. Tian uses brown and regular sugar to sweeten the traditional vinegar mix.
Danny Jiang, the co-owner of the restaurant, is Korean, so Tian wanted to incorporate Korean concepts into the menu items.
Bao-Ing Out offers gochujang sauce — a staple of Korean cuisine — a bold, sweet and spicy sauce. In addition, pickled radish, which contains probiotic microorganisms, is also offered in the bao and dumpling dishes.
With a growing fanbase for bao in Eugene, Tian wanted to offer something special. The American love for fried food allowed Tian to make his bao and dumpling options crispy.
Being located in the Valley River Center isn’t always what it’s all cracked up to be, Tian says. Despite expensive rent, Tian works to keep his prices at $1 for a bao and $2 for a dumpling, a contrast to what other restaurants in town charge for a sit-down experience.
“People don’t want to spend too much money on food. I don’t want you to have to spend so much money on food, but you can also get some very good food, fresh food,” Tian says. “I make all my food fresh every day.”
Tian is aiming at opening his own fast-service bao restaurant outside of the mall or will stay depending on the price after his lease ends in October 2025. And he says he will maintain his principle of affordability and timeliness wherever his next bao restaurant ends up.