For almost four years now, Aventura Hotel has provided on-site accommodation at Universal Orlando. I think, at this point, I need to express my love of Aventura Hotel. When given the choice, I lean towards staying at this hotel when in the Orlando area. Urban Pantry, the food court here, offers good quality non-traditional theme park resort food. Also, the Starbucks, in the lobby, provides all your coffee needs. Still, Bar 17 Bistro rooftop bar provides some great views, a terrific setting and more quality food options.
A menu item sold at Bar 17 Bistro that I am glad to see back are the boa buns. These cost $18 for three. Bar 17 sells three varieties. In a previous article, I reviewed the pork belly bao buns. Each order of three comes with a side of wakami salad. On a recent trip, I got several of these boa buns to enjoy. The most unassuming looking one was the “Garden Bao Bun.”
The menu description tells us to expect soy roasted mushrooms, carrots, cucumbers, pickled onions, ginger soy vin, and pea shoots. When I first saw the “Garden Bao Buns”, I doubted the taste characteristic potential of this one. For the record, I judged a bao by its cover incorrectly. I appreciated the seasoning of this one.
The soy roasted mushrooms brought the most enjoyable flavor in this bao. The ginger soy combination matches well with other ingredients and the bao bun itself. The pickled onions in this avoid potential issue of overwhelming the bao bun. In fact, I hardly noticed them. The other vegetables work well adding crunchy texture to the bao bun. Also, I suggest adding some of the wakami salad directly inside the bao bun. The wakami mixes well with the other ingredients within the bao bun. The boa bun offers a soft texture as you would hope to enjoy.
Of the bao buns I have eaten at Universal Orlando, this one tastes the best. However, the price point remains a bit high at basically $6 for a small bao bun. Yet, if enjoying Bar 17 Bistro, then these might add a unique non-traditional bar style food for your dining pleasure.
As always, eat like you mean it!
Pirates & Princesses (PNP) is an independent, opinionated fan-powered news blog that covers Disney and Universal Theme Parks, Themed Entertainment and related Pop Culture from a consumer's point of view. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of PNP, its editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. PNP is an unofficial news source and has no connection to The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal or any other company that we may cover.