Toronto’s diversity of Chinese restaurants is increasing. Once primarily populated with Cantonese and Shanghainese style cuisine, there are now so many establishments focused on distinct regions of China. A newcomer is Bao & Broth, which spotlights dishes from the Henan region.

Being one of the northern cities of China, Henan cuisine consists of warm broths and comfort food. At Bao & Broth they focus on both, with of course their bao (Chinese for bun) being a staple item. The four fresh fried bao with shrimp and pork ($10.99) was stuffed with chives, scrambled egg, pork, and a full shrimp, all encapsulated into a thin lightly pan-fried wrapper.

The dough to filling ratio was great with the palm-sized baos only having a thin layer of bun that’s elastic enough to withstand being poked and prodded. Yet, it desperately needed more salt and more cooking time in the pan to really give it a crisp exterior.

Similarly, the rocket leaves mung bean soup noodle ($8.99) was very bland. Such a shame as I rather enjoyed the mixture of vegetables contained in the thick broth. The lack of seasoning could easily be rectified if Bao & Broth just left some salt and soy sauce at the table.

I’d also urge the chef to cook the noodles less as I found the ones in the mung bean soup too soft. Meanwhile, the pasta was perfectly cooked in the Henan braised noodles with pork and veggies ($13.99), wonderfully chewy and having an aromatic wok hay. Unlike the other two dishes, the scallion soy sauce added much needed flavour and even the pork belly slices were previously braised before being stir fried then steamed.

Bao & Broth dining room is small so you may want to go during off hours to avoid waiting. Even during our Tuesday lunch visit, the restaurant was 80% filled before noon. Tables of two, of different ages, sat around chatting while enjoying their soup, noodles, and buns. A comforting sight indeed.