Authentic oriental

THE beloved Bambu restaurant has recently reopened its doors to customers keen to get reacquainted with their favourite oriental fare and service, writes Mai Al Khatib-Camille.

A couple of years ago, diners had to bid farewell to the popular casual dining restaurant when its venue was demolished, leaving behind sad patrons craving its original à la carte menu and its famous ‘all-you-can-eat’ package.

Vijay Boloor, Bambu restaurant’s managing director, said: “The old Bambu building was demolished to be rebuilt and when the landlord wanted to do something else with the land, we lost the location. We went looking for a suitable location but it took longer than we had expected.”

But like a bamboo shoot (which symbolises freedom of spirit, regeneration, renewal and flexibility) rising from the debris, the restaurant has returned to Adliya’s dining district in a classy two-storey villa, bigger, brighter and better than before.

Mr Boloor said: “If you have tried Bambu in the past then you know what you have been missing. If you have not, you definitely need to try it out. Like they say, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating!”

The kitchen team, made up of chefs from China, Thailand and Nepal, have put together a diverse menu inspired by the street food found in those countries as well as in Japan and Vietnam. There is no monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavour enhancer that’s often used widely and unwisely as an addition to Chinese food, in any of the meals and only the freshest ingredients are used.

You can tell by the taste. According to the management, Head Chef Li Jun is passionate about creating food that excels in traditional flavour...and the GulfWeekly family was more than willing to put its zesty meals to the test.

Instead of dining in the upstairs lounge or private room, which seats 12 comfortably and will offer karaoke fun nights in the future, the team gathered on the first floor for a relaxing lunch while basking in the restaurant’s fresh and contemporary decor.

To start off the hearty afternoon, friendly servers offered the team a variety of soups to choose from such as spicy Thai Tom Yum Kung, which was the favourite of the table, along with chicken wanton and chicken sweet corn soup.

The table was soon filled with an assortment of appetisers including spring rolls, prawn tempura, Thai fish cakes and a delicious salt and pepper meddle of friend crabs.

After enjoying the heavenly tiny tidbits, the mains appeared including Thai green chicken curry, sweet and sour chicken, mixed noodles, the Editor’s favourite of steam hammour, with a variety of rice and noodle dishes to accompany them.

It was a superb, tasty and filling affair. To top off the lunch, servers brought out a round of deep-fried ice cream and banana.

For those that cannot decide what to choose from the restaurant’s extensive menu, leave it to the chefs who will ensure diners sample a great range of favourites. There is also a specialities section including a popular peking duck dish and lobster in light chilli sauce.

The Eat and Drink package is BD19.500. This is one destination which will delight the old crowd and pull in plenty of new diners.