As Uber enrages taxi drivers, they may soon add fast food delivery
services to the list. In late 2015, the tech company launched the Uber Eats
function, using their drivers to provide food delivery for numerous restaurants
across the city.
Already being an Uber rider, I decided to test out the new
app to take advantage of the $10 credit and free delivery being promoted during
the 2015 launch. As fate would have it, Mean Bao (a place I’ve been wanting to
try for a long time) was delivering during lunch.
Like Uber’s car service, the app was easy to navigate and already
linked to my existing account and credit card. In a minute my order was placed
with the system providing updates and revised delivery times (earlier than what
was originally quoted before ordering). Surprisingly, the driver even met in the
lobby of my company’s building; I didn’t need to wait at the nearest intersection
as earlier Uber Eats pop-up days had done.
The braised beef bao ($3.95) was still warm containing a hefty
slab of tender meat garnished with boiled bok choy, Taiwanese pickles, crushed
peanuts and cilantro. Even with the pickles and nuts, the bao was rather soft,
I would have liked more textural contrast (perhaps some carrot slivers or
crunchier pickles would help). Nevertheless, the beef was well flavoured and
the bao fluffy without becoming mushy.
To make it a full meal, the cold noodle salad ($4.95) was a
good addition and lends itself for delivery since it’s already cold. Along with
the vermicelli were plump fried tofu puffs, julienned carrots, red cabbage and
pickled daikon. The soy dressing was extremely garlicky with a hint of chili in
the background. Overall, it would have been good if the garlic was toned down
as the raw tang simply overpowered everything.
At this point, the majority of restaurants are in the
downtown area, which is a shame when I need to return home to the suburbs. There
has been the occasional juicing service or healthy eatery available during the
weekends. Sadly, neither of those appeal to me. For those who are working late
or too lazy to venture out of their building, a new savior is in town – let’s
hope this doesn’t lead to additional protests and gridlock.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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