This concept inside the Legacy Food Hall in Plano, Texas, interprets the Chinese bao steamed bun as an Asian slider. Stuffed inside the pillowy, warm bao are a variety of worldly cuisine combinations, like the restaurant’s Seven Samurai, made with fresh chicken sausage, mustard aioli, crispy chicken skin, and a charred shishito pepper.

Korean flavors fit well for the concept, says chef and owner Roger Wang. He offers The K-Pop bao, which is a savory braised beef kalbi (barbecued beef short ribs) combined with smoked gochujang sauce, caramelized kimchi, pickled daikon, and chopped scallion, as well as K-Pop Brisket Fries. “We use basic Korean marinades and sauces that have been revamped for the modern palate. Our brisket steam bun mimics Korean barbecue with flavors of bulgogi and galbi,” Wang says.

With so many Korean barbecue restaurants entering the market, coupled with the growing popularity of those flavors, it was an easy choice to include Korean-inspired options on his menu, Wang says. He sees Korean food expanding in the way Chinese dim sum has over the last few decades. “The flavors of Korea are simple, yet compelling,” Wang says. “We want to bring not only the cuisine, but also push the boundaries of the food and experiment.”