by Andrew Morrison | Brothers-in-law Matthew Adolfo and Greg Edwards have joined forces and taken over the short-lived Lily Mae’s space at 12 Powell Street on the eastern edge of Maple Tree Square in Gastown.
Together, they’re building a new eatery that will focus squarely on steamed bao bun sandwiches. They’re going to be doing five or six different types, among them a fried chicken bao, a braised and crispy pork belly bao, a coconut crusted catfish bao with sriracha crema, and a vegan bao. We can also expect some killer sides, like crispy garlic kimchi fries.
The licensed 25 seater is going to be called Bao Down. Get it?
Adolfo and Edwards are lifers with tons of experience between them. Adolfo has the trade in his family (he co-owned/operated one of the Sukho Thai locations in Toronto), while Edwards spent 8 years working in the kitchen for Umberto Menghi and is currently the executive chef at Chewie’s in Coal Harbour.
I expect they’ll do extremely well with this straightforward, easy to execute concept, especially on the take-out front. They took possession on Monday and are aiming for a quick turnaround with opening day set for mid-March.
Aw man, that’s depressing. Lily Mae’s was one of our favourite places. The food was always amazing, service was great, and Jeff & Armand were two of the nicest people you’d meet. No offense to the new owners, but regardless of whether or not they’re successful financially, I don’t see it having the warmth & soul that Lily Mae’s did.