First Taste: Baked bao

Forget the old Niche. Siam Kempinski’s new executive chef John Newman has given new life to the hotel’s casual dining restaurant, infusing a combination of Western and Asian flavors into an amped-up menu. We can wax poetic about the vibrant tastes and balanced flavors of each new dish, but what we really want to talk about is the complimentary bread. Yes, you heard it right. At Niche, you don’t get breadsticks nor garlic-slathered baguette nor a soft roll. You get baked Chinese bao. And there’s a story behind it. Chef John originally planned to serve bao as a starter, but someone put them into the oven by mistake—and it turned out yummy, more than anyone expected. (We couldn’t stop eating.) The bun is served with two kinds of sauce: Asian and non-Asian but, trust us, it tastes best when eaten alone.