photograph by michael donahue
L–R: Thuy Luong, Karina Pham, Chloe “Bella” Tong, and Margaret Tong
What struck me about Bao Toan is that I experienced tastes I wasn’t familiar with at all. Canh chua, for instance — a soup with a tamarind broth — tasted somewhat citrusy, but it wasn’t like anything I have encountered in the past. And the restaurant’s sea bass dish was a whole new experience for me, too — plus, it was my first encounter with fish served in its cooking vessel.
Bao Toan is a Vietnamese restaurant owned by Karina Pham and her daughters Diana, Margaret, and Bella Tong, in Crosstown Concourse. With its elegant decor and subtle lighting, it’s the perfect escapist or romantic restaurant. The atmosphere is just as much a part of the dining adventure as the food.
“We want it to be a more relaxed vibe in there,” says server Jeremy Allen.
photograph by michael donahue
Bò tái chanh (beef carpaccio) appetizer
Margaret Tong is the business manager and answers a lot of questions for first-time visitors in text printed on the back of the menu: “Bao Toan, pronounced ‘Bao Tw-ahn’ in Vietnamese, symbolizes ‘preservation’ or ‘complete protection.’ Our kitchen and cocktail bar reflect not only our family’s journey, but also our grandparents’ enduring legacy here in Memphis. After fleeing Vietnam during the war, our family found refuge here in 1978 and worked tirelessly to rebuild a life while uplifting others in the community.”
Their restaurant is a “way of sharing the flavors we grew up with while embracing our experience as first-generation Americans.” The goal of Bao Toan is to become “a space where you feel at home — where stories, traditions, and new experiences come together at the table.”
Unless you can read Vietnamese, you’re not going to know what the menu item names mean because they’re all presented in Vietnamese. The descriptions are in English, though.
A friend and I recently visited Bao Toan. Allen, who was our server, was extremely informative and down-to-earth. He made sure we knew what to expect from each dish.
It’s going to take multiple visits with multiple friends to check out all that Bao Toan has to offer. This is cuisine to keep you intrigued, surprised, and delighted.
We began by learning the translation of each section of the menu. Ăn chơi means small plates or appetizers. Xà lách are the salads. Cơm mẹ nấu translates to “Mom’s Cooking.” Those are the traditional recipes, old-school, rustic dishes, says Allen. “Our spin on traditional things.”
And Đặc biệt are the house specials, Allen says. “Dishes you’re only going to find at Bao Toan.”
We were amazed at how tasty the tofu was in our “Temple Tofu” appetizer. Tofu has a reputation for being bland and chewy. But this preparation is very appealing. The dish is accented with onion, carrot, sweet pepper, cabbage, shallot, peanut, and lime vinaigrette.
I thought the bò tái chanh appetizer was wonderful, too: It’s thinly sliced beef carpaccio with crispy shallots, pho spices, and lime. I ate the small circular pieces of meat with my hand.
photograph by michael donahue
Canh chua (sweet-and-sour tamarind soup)
My dining companion loved the “BT Pillows” — puffed and fried rice noodles stuffed with seafood. You can also order it with beef or tofu. I thought the pillows were bland until manager Tony Nguyen suggested I dip them in the liquid on the bottom of the bowl. I suddenly loved the pillows. The liquid is “a mixture of whatever protein you’re getting,” Allen says. “If you’re getting beef or seafood, it’s that stock mixed in with all the seasonings.”
Cá kho tô, the sea bass, is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. It’s caramelized and braised sea bass in a pot with a mixture of coconut juice and the fish sauce with rice on the side. There also are little red, very hot Thai chilis mixed in the juice, so beware. I accidentally ate one whole. But if they contribute to that great flavor, bring it on.
The fish is “cooked inside that clay pot,” Allen says. So, careful not to touch that pot when it comes to the table: It’s as hot as those chilis.
The menu describes canh chua as a sweet-and-sour tamarind soup with jumbo shrimp, pineapple, tomato, and okra. All things I like. It’s very comforting. The citrusy taste was the tamarind and pineapple, Allen says.
A note for your visit: Canh chua, like other items, including the “BT Pillows,” can easily feed two.
“Ma’s Ribs” was my biggest surprise. I would definitely order these again. You can taste the meat in these very flavorful, tender ribs, but they’re not something you’d find at any Memphis barbecue restaurant. They are their own thing — and a very appealing one.
The drinks on offer are plentiful and interesting, too. The wine list features sparkling, white, rose/orange, and red wines.
Many of the cocktails are listed under idiosyncratic headings, like “Lively,” “Comforting,” “Playful,” “Confident,” and “Elegant.” There are also zero-proof (or mocktail) options.
The “Intangible Heritage-Hung Yen” cocktail is made with 1792 small batch whiskey, pho spices, and duck fat. Unlike most cocktails I’ve ever known, this one comes in a bowl with a lid. “Same dish we put our rice in,” Allen tells me. “You pick it up, sip it, just like they do it in the movies.”
For dessert, I tried the toasted rice and coconut crème brûlée: delicious. Bella Tong makes all the crème brûlées herself, and changes the flavors to suit the season. .
As of this fall, Bao Toan has a special lunch menu full of intriguing items, including a rice and tapioca waffle with pandan (a vibrant green Southeast Asian leaf), and a coconut-and-condensed milk syrup served on the side. You can add fried chicken thighs or fried chicken wings.
I might also suggest the dish of sirloin steak, house-made pâté, tomatoes, pickled vegetables, and a baguette, all served on a sizzling platter.
In other words, it’s going to take multiple visits with multiple friends to check out all that Bao Toan has to offer. This is cuisine to keep you intrigued, surprised, and delighted.
Bao Toan Kitchen and Bar, Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Suite 165
