Chinatown’s Blossom Plaza will open a new food court 2018, and the first resident is BOLO, a popular new Smorgasburg stand that’s taking over Instagram with its Asian fried chicken sandwiches. Bolo bao are traditional sweet buns from Hong Kong, and Bolo does a twist by adding in either fried chicken or ice cream fillings.
Founders Tsz Chan and Joey Ngoy wanted a taste of Hong Kong in Los Angeles, and started developing bolo bao recipes a year ago. The pair introduced their sandwiches at LA pop-ups, food festivals, catered events, and continue to serve every weekend at Smorgasburg. Chan’s background comes from food branding and graphic design while Ngoy owns several businesses, including Healthy Chicken, a Hong Kong restaurant chain with two locations.
The partners explored through mostly Eastside neighborhoods before settling on Blossom Plaza. The 6,000 square foot space was too big for Chan and Ngoy, so they suggested that the developer create a small food hall called Pot Luck. Bolo will be the first of six food vendors to open in 2018. Chan and Ngoy personally curated the other vendors. Chan adds, “We met them through our food eating adventures. We liked how they were approaching their food.”
For the mornings, they’ll offer brioche buns with a slab of butter with a Hong Kong cookie topping. Bolo sandwiches (or Baowiches) come filled with anything from fried Jidori fried chicken to saucy pulled chicken, and an Asian slaw topping. Bolo’s dessert ice cream sandwiches have to be eaten quicky because of the hot bread. Their two biggest Instagram attractions are a Filipino-inspired ube Baowich, and another that gets filled with pineapple jam, vanilla ice cream, condensed milk, and cookie wafers. Bolo should open by spring 2018.
BOLO
900 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA