TAB LE
44 CHICAGO | SEPTEMBER 2019 Photograph by JEFF MARINI
Bun Voyage
Sala Pao Shop is the new favorite snack
spot of Blue Line riders — and everyone else.
By CLAIRE VOONI
F YOU’RE A BLUE LINE COMMUTER, MAYBE YOU’VE
spotted a passenger board at the Western stop
carrying a small box exuding the heady aroma of
basil or vanilla. Maybe you’ve watched as that
person withdraws from said box a steaming-hot, palm-size
white bun and then makes it disappear in four bites. Maybe
you’ve wondered, Where did that come from?
The answer: Sala Pao Shop, a kiosk that opened inside
that L station in Bucktown last fall. Named for the steamed
buns sold as street food in Thailand, the takeout spot is thebra inch ild of Ja n P ura na nda, whose fat her ow ns St ick y R ice,
a popular northern Thai restaurant in North Center.
Purananda and her mom prepare the buns onsite, gener-
ously stuffing each with one of six fillings. The barbecued
pork bun ($3), packed with lean morsels of sweet char siu, is
the top seller, but the more classically Thai-flavored offer-
ings — say, slow-cooked beef in panang curry with coconut
milk and makrut lime leaves ($3) — are warmly satisfying. In
too much of a hurry for breakfast or a snack? At least snag a
milky Thai iced tea ($3) for the road.