The founders of London's Bao restaurant group are launching a new Taiwanese fast-food concept in Singapore, working in partnership with The Lo & Behold Group. BFF, short for Bao Fast Foods, will open as a pop-up at New Bahru on Nov 11 and run until Dec 28, according to CNA Lifestyle. The team intends to follow the pop-up with a permanent location in the first half of 2027.
The two-month outlet will occupy the ground-floor unit at New Bahru that One Prawn & Co previously used. CNA Lifestyle describes the format as a cross between a fast-food restaurant and an offbeat convenience store, with Taiwanese dishes given playful treatments alongside branded merchandise and community talks.
Why it matters
Bao has seven restaurants in London and is widely credited with helping gua bao win fans beyond Taiwan. BFF marks the group's formal entry into Singapore, made together with a local operator. The concept also tests whether Taiwanese food can be packaged in the fast-food mould. Shing Tat Chung, who founded Bao with his wife Erchen Chang and his sister Wai Ting, told CNA Lifestyle that global fast-food chains offer no Taiwanese representation, and that the aim is to spread Taiwanese culture.
Singapore's convenience-store scene, in his view, falls short of the pull such shops have in Taiwan or Japan. Chang said the gap gives them a chance to introduce that culture locally, and she expects diners to respond well because they enjoy discovering new things.
Fried chicken refined through 140 rounds of testing
The headline item is the Chicken Chopper at S$6.50. The chicken is cut with the bone retained so it can be picked up and eaten by hand. According to CNA Lifestyle, the recipe went through roughly 140 iterations of research and development. The meat is dipped in a soymilk batter and then coated in a tapioca starch blend, which the report says yields juicy chicken inside a light, crunchy shell.
Three versions are offered. Original Crispy is finished with Taiwanese white pepper. Flame Glazed is brushed on one side with either a soy-garlic glaze or mala hot honey and then torched until charred. Master Scalded is plunged into a boiling master sauce made with soy sauce, star anise and cinnamon.
Chang told CNA Lifestyle that the team examined how Asian diners approach fried chicken differently from Western ones. She compared the Master Scalded method to tempura, explaining that the soy mixture permeates the batter and dries it slightly, which she described as highly addictive.
The founders also sought out Taipei food and beverage operators to understand what sets Taiwanese fried chicken apart. One operator said he grinds his spices fresh, a step Chang said most vendors skip and one she credits with making a large difference. BFF has therefore installed an industrial grinder for white peppercorns, which Chang said cost four times as much as pre-ground pepper.
The chicken can be ordered as a combo from S$9.50, paired with cabbage slaw, buttered rice, Dan Dan Noodles or Beef Cup Noodles.
Beef noodles, gravy-filled baos and a free slushie
The beef noodles draw on the classic Taiwanese dish but are topped with beef al pastor, carved from a slow-roasting spit to order. Shing Tat told CNA Lifestyle that the dish drew strong and conflicting reactions during the Taipei pop-up, prompting adjustments. To improve the meat's texture, the team applied velveting, a traditional Chinese technique that tenderises beef and gives it a silky coating. He said some tasters ultimately ranked it among the three best beef noodles they had tried in Taiwan.
Baos do appear on the menu, though not the gua bao the group is known for. Combos can include a Bao Soupie, described as a softer take on shengjian bao, or a Gravy Bao, which is deep fried and filled with chicken gravy. Diners crack it open and pour the gravy over their fried chicken.
A self-serve Pickle Slushie is free of charge and was among the most popular items at the Taipei pop-up, according to the report. It is suggested as a topping for the cabbage slaw.
Drinks include Taiwanese craft tea on tap, developed with Taiwan-based SC Labs. The nitro Fluffy Natural Alishan Wintermelon is priced at S$5.95 and brewed with naturally farmed black tea. The fizzy Orange Guava Beauty at S$6.50 combines fresh orange and guava with Oriental Beauty tea from Hsinchu.
Taipei trial run shaped the Singapore menu
Before Singapore, the founders ran a month-long BFF pop-up in Taipei in June. CNA Lifestyle reports that they treated it as an experiment to study Taiwanese food and convenience-store culture, refining recipes and products through talks and design sessions with local residents. The lessons from that project are being carried into the New Bahru outlet.
The store's shelves will hold Taiwanese chips, instant noodles and other snacks, but the food menu is the main draw, along with ready-to-eat items such as egg mayo sandos and Asian salads.
Watch for confirmation of the permanent BFF site, which the founders have said they aim to open in the first half of 2027.
