The Place
The future has arrived. That is the feeling we got inside Baotop, a ‘smart’ dim sum shop which opened on August 8 off Tianhe Bei Lu. The automated eatery is a partnership between Alibaba and Baodao.
“What is there to feel?” responded the operator of a nearby dim sum stand when asked about the new smart shop, her latest competition in the area. “I’ve been here for over 10 years, that shop won’t have any influence on my business.” Her stand supplies the daily commuter with dim sum, doujiang and soft drinks. “Besides, their food is more expensive than mine,” she told us, while handing a customer two steamy baozi shortly after 6am.
There was only one way to find out.
When we stepped inside Baotop for the first time, it was a bit overwhelming. Despite the shop’s small size (no more than 23 square meters, excluding the kitchen), there was a lot going on. To make your visit easier, we’ll give you the rundown on how it works.
First, make your way to the nearest QR code and scan it. This will set off a chain reaction of permission requests and provide a link to download their partner app, Koubei, which allows you to select items off the menu.
Scan to download the Koubei app, which allows you to order your food. Image by Ryan Gandolfo/That's
Once you’ve decided what you’d like to order, you can pay the bill using Alipay. Don’t use Alipay? An attendant at the shop informed us that customers can also order and pay at the take-out window (not so ‘smart’ after all). After placing your order, you will receive an electronic receipt that tells you which cubby your food will be deposited in. After a few short minutes, your food is hot and ready to eat.
The cubbies where you pick up your order. Image by Ryan Gandolfo/That's
As with so many other shops in Guangzhou, seating is always at a premium. With a mere five seats in total, we quickly learnt this place was not made to loiter in. Luckily, the shop attendant took fondly to us and asked a man who had finished his meal to move.
The Food
What good is a ‘smart’ baozi shop if they don’t have competent chefs? We put them to the test, ordering an assortment of steamed delights ranging from tasty shrimp dumplings to brown sugar mantou.
“It’s like a hamburger,” the attendant told us as we ordered the meat baozi (RMB1.5 per piece). Freshly made and steamed, the minced pork is housed nicely inside a cloud-like bun.
Image by Ryan Gandolfo/That's
Baotop really piqued our interest with their ‘emperor’ shrimp shumai dumplings: delicious shrimp tucked inside a thin layer of dumpling skin, which was wrapped around the crustacean like a vacuum-sealed blanket (RMB10 per five pieces). The delightful morsels brought back simpler times, rekindling fond memories of eating pigs-in-a-blanket at childhood parties.
From there, the quality dropped off a bit. Baotop’s meatballs (RMB3.5 per piece) will leave you questioning where the meat came from. The squishiness was unpleasant and lingered far too long. The brown sugar mantou (RMB2 per piece) fared no better, with a serious lack of flavor.
Image by Ryan Gandolfo/That's
After the meatballs and depressing mantou, we took our doujiang to go. Although nothing about this cup of doujiang stood out, it did complement Baotop’s selection of small treats and left us feeling full.
Image by Ryan Gandolfo/That's
The Vibe
For Guangzhou's first 'smart' restaurant, Baotop was a fun experience. It's certainly not a place to linger around, but provides decent food fresher than the street-side, dim sum-wheelin’ ayi's down the block.
Price: RMB5-25
Who’s going: curious folks, young couples, the tech savvy
Good for: morning dim sum, fresh and convenient snacks
Nearest metro: China Normal University (Exit B), 15 minutes
Open daily 6.30am-8.30pm; see listing for Baotop.
[Cover image by Ryan Gandolfo/That's]
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