Bamboo Union's Simply Scrumptious Pan-Asian Dining

Prior to its launch, Bamboo Union had smartly generated ample buzz around what was coming and what to expect: through teasers on social media, pictures of the then-upcoming restaurant, food tasting, an appearance at the Haryali food market et al.

This ‘campaign’ got people talking about this soon-to-be-launched pan-Asian diner. But Bamboo Union doesn't reserve tables in advance, so one is advised to visit accordingly. Upon entering, one is welcomed to a tiny room with two tables and a bar that looks over a live kitchen: enough to elicit interest. Then there’s a more spacious, well-lit room upstairs.

The interior screams minimalism giving off a no-fuss, casual, yet chic vibe; a place to have a quick meal at. The slick furniture follows the modest theme of the restaurant with simple wooden tables and stools or benches. Afternoon is the suggested time to visit Bamboo Union as the upper storey is refreshingly lit with natural light through the windows.

The limited, yet interesting menu has something for everyone. Each item is followed by symbols that denote the level of spice and main ingredients with a key at the bottom. There are kiddy meals as well. A lot of the dishes are served in bowls, reminding you it’s a casual, no-fuss eatery.  

Chicken Dumplings are served in a bamboo steamer with soy sauce on the side. They were cooked, or rather steamed, to perfection and filled generously with minced chicken. This was a good start to a meal.

From the soup section, we ordered Tum Kha Gaye. Cooked in coconut milk with chicken, mushrooms, lemon grass, bamboo and herbs, it was high on spices, which unfortunately the menu did not indicate till we had our first spoonful. No complaints: it was lip-smacking, but we wish the menu hadn’t deceived us.

The Red Curry with chicken, as the name suggests, was fiery, yet mouth-watering. But what’s some Thai that isn’t hot? Generous amount of tender chicken chunks in a spicy red curry were served in a bowl with sticky white rice separately. The chicken was cooked well and the curry sizzling. We wished we could have some more of it.

The popular Pad Thai noodles with chicken were worth the wait. These scrumptious rice noodles with mildly spicy chicken were served with the essential condiments -- peanuts, red chilli and lemon. You’d definitely crave for another serving.

Among other recommendations is the Penang Curry with chicken, which is just appropriately hot and is served with white rice like most of the curries here.

While Bamboo Union deserves credit for getting the flavours right with some dishes, some others fell short of expectations. The Korean Beef Bibimbap is traditionally cooked inside a serving stone bowl, but here all the components were assembled in a usual bowl. The lack of punchy gochujang paste that adds a kick to the dish made it slightly dry. The rice at the bottom is also supposed to be crispy, as it is cooked in the bowl, but wasn’t. But it’s commendable that whatever was presented did not taste bad at all. The beef was tender, the egg perfectly fried and the vegetables fresh, and all components together created a riot of colour. Let’s just say it’s the taste that matters.

The Spicy Ongbhoo Chicken was quite disappointing. The menu deceived us again – it indicated the dish was spicy – as well as the waiter who said it was sweet and sour. What turned up was anything but spicy: tender chunks of chicken in a translucent gravy with hints of red chilli served in a bowl with sticky white rice. It was way too sweet and we could not taste the chilli. The gravy seemed loaded with honey and did not go well with boiled rice. Not recommended.

Generally, Bamboo Union is not a letdown. This simple little restaurant is the kind of place that pulls you towards it for repeated visits for the bags of flavour it has to offer (in most cases), and the ambiance is an added attraction. 

Originally published in Dawn on Oct 2, 2016