What I Got: Shrimp Bao, Selection of  Three “Pitaroudia” Baos

Price: $$

Location: Rhodes, Greece

Review:

Sea Bao is a bao “food truck” that can be found beside Ixia beach in Rhodes, Greece.  Every bao has a tender, fluffy, subtle sweet bun filled with unique fillings based on Greek flavors.  I love Greek food and baos, so I knew I had to try it.  All the fillings come together in harmony with the delicious bao buns to create one of a kind dishes!

Shrimp Bao – The Shrimp Baos include shrimp from Symi Island, rosemary, red pepper cream, and feta cheese. They come with two baos. The Symi shrimp are a unique delicacy. These tiny shrimp are eaten whole with their tail, head, and shell. They are especially flavorful and sweet. The shell is thin enough that it adds a slightly crunchy texture that can easily be chewed through. I am usually not the biggest fan of shrimp, but I loved the texture of the shell and the incredible flavor of these shrimp. The red pepper cream coats the shrimp and has a delicious creamy, spicy flavor that compliments the shrimp. This sauce makes the bao explode with flavor. The rosemary adds depth with its bright, herby flavor. The feta cools down the spicy pepper and brings the perfect amount of saltiness to the bao. Whether you like shrimp or not this bao is worth a try because the Symi shrimp are so special!

“Pitaroudia” Baos – The “Pitaroudia” baos come with three baos that each show off a traditional recipe from a Greek island. One is a Rhodes bao with chickpeas, fresh mint, graviera cheese, yogurt, cucumber, and herbs.  Another is a Nisyros Island bao with minced beef, onion, cumin, tomato, and tzatziki.  And the last is a Kalymnos Island bao with octopus, mountain oregano, smoked tarama cream, honey glaze, and red wine.  The Rhodes bao is filled with a traditional chickpea fritter from Rhodes.  It is similar to a falafel but has a different flavor profile because it is seasoned with mint, tomato, and onion.  This pitaroudia was super moist and flavorful. The graviera cheese was perfectly melty.  The yogurt and cucumber balanced out the fried fritter with their refreshing flavor. The Nisyros bao is filled with a beef patty similar to beef kofta.  The beef is juicy and packed with flavor.  The fresh, sweet tomato and refreshing, garlicky, tzatziki compliment the beef patty and balance out its richness. The Kalymnos bao is filled with an octopus fritter. The octopus in the fritter is minced very fine so that the fritter is smooth and uniform in texture.  The fitter has a subtle sweet, salty seafood flavor from the octopus and delicious red wine flavor.  The honey glaze compliments the red wine flavor and brings out its sweetness while the oregano balances out the sweetness with its savory flavor.  The smoked tarama cream made from fish roe functions like a mayonnaise with its creaminess and slight fattiness.  These three baos are all so unique and delicious.  They each perfectly show off amazing and different Greek island flavors in a delectable bao bun!