Bambú

Maybe I want good old fashioned sweet and sour chicken with fried rice today? Or maybe I could go for a bun vermicelli salad and some spring rolls? Actually, I might want some pad thai and curry. Yes, we all have cravings for different types of cuisine—but where to go? If variety is your thing, try Bambú, a restaurant specializing in authentic Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai cuisine. You can find all of your staple dishes in this one-stop-shop conglomerate of cuisines.

Enter Yin Thong, a woman who grew up in a small village in Vietnam. After sixteen years living in the U.S. without truly finding the fresh and rich flavors of her heritage, Yin took the next step.  “It has been a dream of mine to bring the flavors home with me, and through Bambú I aspire to do just that,” Yin proclaims. With the fusion of a traditional dishes and progressive tastes, Yin wants Bambú to bring more than to the table. Though menu items may seem familiar, Yin says they have a different taste—better and fresher. “We shop at local markets, and use only the Twin Cities’ premiere food distributors,” Yin explains in the personal statement of every menu in the restaurant. She promises that you will walk away feeling good because they select the freshest and highest quality ingredients, and they take pride in their recipes. “We put our heart into every meal through our cooking and our services so that your experience at Bambú is one that you will not soon forget,” Yin says.

There will be many things about this restaurant that will catch your eyes: the décor, for one—simple upscale elegant, with enough ambiance to take a date and enough space to hang out with a group of friends. The wine and beer bar section is a nicely set off to the side for a cool, hip waiting area. You walk in, sit wherever you want to, and nice, friendly staff are there to try and help. Be prepared when the food comes, you will for sure be eating with your eyes for the few seconds before you begin really eating with your hands!

Let me warn you that if you can’t decide what to eat, this might become somewhat of a trying experience for you. I suggest you try sticking to one cuisine and then sharing with others—family style, like Asians often do. Portions are sizeable and more than enough, especially if you have an appetizer, too—and please do because they are SO yummy! Plus, the “Bambú sampler” is one of the best ones I have seen around. It’s perfect for sharing and for if you just can’t narrow down the choices for the pre-meal. It comes with four different sauces (the peanut sauce is exceptional!) as well as fresh, rice paper wrapped spring rolls; flaky fried egg rolls; delicate and sweet cream cheese wontons; fresh steamed potstickers; and hot and crispy chicken wings. Just try and not be impressed when this huge plate comes to your table.

For entrees, I will remind you again, this place is centered on choices: there are the three different cuisines to choose from, and then choice of protein (chicken, pork, beef, tofu, shrimp), and then level of spiciness, and then size of the portions, too. If you can handle all that, you will be amazed. Because I just had to try a little of everything, I opted to do utilize a handy part of the menu: the lovely “smaller portions” menu allowed me to have a little of something from every cuisine but not breaking my bank, either.  I chose many of their recommended dishes—the ones denoted with green stars. All of the tastes I craved from each cuisine was there—the salty, umami rich brown sauce in the “Bambú Signature Stir Fry” was delectable and almost every ingredient in it was fresh, most notably the straw and shiitake mushrooms. The “Coconut Curry” was packed with authentic veggies and flavor, with the chicken I ordered in it moist, and the level of spiciness done to perfection. The “Bun Vermicelli Salad” wasn’t the best one around, but a perfect solution to curb your cravings—the noodles are done perfectly as is the nuoc nam dressing.
With all the food, there was no room for dessert, but there is a refreshing list ranging from your standard sticky rice with coconut milk, to cheesecake—so it all depends if you want to go all out Asian-themed for your last course, or if you want that rich, indulgent fare. Bambú will be prepared to ensure your first visit won’t be your last one.

Bambú caters and always has tons of specials running. Everyday there is a lunch buffet and in honor of their 4th year anniversary of being open, for a limited time it only costs $5.99/person. Even still, there is a whole lunch special menu to consider, as well as two dinner specials every day. Fresh seafood is also on a special menu—request it, if you’re a seafood lover. Conveniently located right next to the Maplewood Mall (western side, in the strip mall), stop in sometime and tell them I sent you. Even for the toughest diner, with all the variety and quality of the food, I just don’t see how Bambú could disappoint.  Happy eats!

Hey you! Got any suggestions as to what I should try next? Do you disagree with the review I’ve given? Do you agree and want to rave along with me? E-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it – I’d love to hear what you guys think!

Bambú
1715 Beam Avenue
Maplewood, MN 55109
651-747-1000
Hours:
Sun-Thurs    11:00 A.M. – 9:00 P.M.
Fri-Sat:        11:00 A.M. – 10:00 P.M.
www.Bambúonline.com

By Elizabeth Thao