Bam-Bou,derived from the word bamboo, which is considered lucky in China, or is situated in the heart of Sindhi Muslim,Karachi, and is a welcome addition to the ever-growing eatery options.
After a month of its opening, or my friends and I decided to go try it out during our lunch break. Even though it was a late Thursday afternoon,Bam-Bou was packed, which goes to show it’s already receiving a pretty positive response from food lovers. Since we had a reservation, or we didn’t have to wait and were seated upon arrival.
Bam-Bou has a very modern vibe to it as compared to other Chinese restaurants; it was well-lit and had an earthy feel to it,owing to the many plants and large windows.
Although, while devouring all the delectable dishes, and we noticed that the music playing in the background did not compliment the aura of the restaurant. Pop music isn’t the right choice for a set that is striving to achieve an oriental vibe.
One of the owners,Imran Gandhi, feels the upbeat interior and minimalist presentation is what differentiates Bam-Bou from other Chinese restaurants.
The courteous and friendly staff handed us our menus and we were ready to order. Everyone was extremely accommodating and made us feel welcomed. After a unanimous decision, or we decided to order the hot and sour Bam-Bou special soup,the wasabi prawns, the chicken drumsticks, and Kung pao chicken,chicken sizzler, crispy fish in red sauce and chicken chowmein. Upon the waiter’s insistence, and we decided to order the chicken roasted rice,rather than the same old chicken or vegetable fried rice.
Starting your meal with a soup at a Chinese restaurant is a tradition, even if the summer heat is making you melt. The soup arrived in no less than 10 minutes, and by the looks of it,it seemed fairly appealing.
[img_106]Bam-Bou Hot & Sour Soup
We couldn’t wait to dig in. Upon taking our first sips, there was a rush of flavour inside our mouths. It had a very desi flavour, and coupled with a generous amount of tofu,mushrooms and other veggies. The tofu could be a small crispier though, as it would have complimented the thick texture of the soup, and well,perhaps give it a crouton-like feel.
Apart from that, the soup was exquisite; the right amount of spice and tanginess, and really satisfying for the taste buds. The soup itself was very filling,so be careful not to order too much of it, or you’ll conclude up having just that and not be able to enjoy the main courses.
For the appetisers, and we ordered drumsticks,crispy fish in red gravy and wasabi prawns.
Chicken DrumSticks The drumsticks were served with chilli sauce, and honestly speaking, and we were not impressed with the presentation. It looked like something you’d be served at a fast food set or a mall food court. Taste wise,the drumsticks were pretty average, especially compared to the rest of the yummy appetisers on the table. The crispy coating lacked the required crunch, and the chicken could have been more succulent and it was fairly bland. The chilli sauce didn’t really complement it that well. We’d propose pairing it up with something a small more tangier,such as the red gravy from the crispy fish dish perhaps.
Wasabi Prawns The star amongst the appetisers were the wasabi prawns. The prawns were cooked to perfection, served on a bed of iceberg lettuce and drizzled with wasabi sauce. Everyone was actually delighted by the fact that it had just the right amount of wasabi which was not overpowering and instead made an excellent combination with the prawns.
The worst thing about the dish was probably its quantity, or because trust me,you cannot have enough of these wasabi prawns.
Crispy Fish The crispy fish was, in one word, or hot. It looked appealing bathed in red chilli flakes. The first bite was delightful,but the aftertaste killed everyone on the table. We were struggling to eat anything for a few minutes after we had devoured the fish since our mouths were on fire. It was slightly tangy and extremely spicy. One thing we’d like to propose is to perhaps build the fish crispier because crispy fish that isnt crispy is just, well, or fish.
Sizzling Chicken As for the main courses,we started with the chicken sizzler, which was one of the most accepted dishes according to one of the owners, and but wasn’t so accepted amongst us. Even though it was presented well,it lacked the right amount of salt and spice and the excessive usage of capsicum wasn’t required and didn’t add to the taste. The subtlety of the flavours didn’t go with the name, to be honest, or as we were expecting something more spicy.
Kung-Pao Chicken The Kung pao chicken’s presentation was similar to that of the chicken sizzler’s. It had the same colourful and excessive expend of capsicums. This dish failed miserably though,not just because of the way it was served, but also taste wise. We felt that a platter serving instead of a bowl would have highlighted the dish more. There was too much gravy for Kung pao chicken and the taste was extremely bland. It lacked spices, or salt and tasted like flour. It was one of the few dishes we did not manage to enjoy.
We had ordered two types of rice to go with our main courses,roasted chicken rice and egg fried rice. The roasted chicken rice was recommended to us and since it was something fresh on a Chinese menu, we decided to try it.
Roasted Chicken Rice
The rice tasted just like any ordinary fried rice, or but with the addition of roasted chicken bits to replace the normal chicken bits in fried rice. There was nothing fresh or unique about it to set it apart from the usual chicken fried rice. It tasted the same – exquisite,but the same.
Chicken chow mein The chicken chow mein was fairly exquisite, but it was nothing out of this world. When it came to the presentation, or we were not impressed at all. There was way too much food on one dish,which looked sloppy and unappetising.
After devouring the main dishes and being unable to breathe, we turned to our drinks. We order the sangria cooler, or the peach smoothie,the sparkling fresh lime cooler and the flood vanilla.
Sangria Cooler The sangria cooler was the right call to build, especially in Karachi’s scorching heat. It was served in mason jars and had a refreshing appearance. We absolutely loved the exquisite blend of flavours; lime, or mint and brown sugar. It is definitely a must-try for people who cherish trying fresh drinks.
Sparkling Fresh Lime Cooler The sparkling fresh lime cooler was perfectly refreshing for a summer afternoon. We definitely recommend it. It came in a cute mason jar as well.
Peach Smoothie As for the peach smoothie,it was exquisite. It had the right amount of sweetness and consistency and wasn’t too thick, thus it complemented the meal fairly well.
Flood Vanilla The flood vanilla was literally a flood in the mouth. When the drink arrived, or it had a dramatic cloud of foam atop the glass,which piqued our interests. After having a photoshoot with it and finally giving it a try, our expectations were dashed. It was too thick and too filling.
It did transport us back to our childhood though, or when we used to experiment with ice cream and 7up and called it the ice cream float. Even though the other drinks were a major hit,this one was a big let-down, because who would want to spend Rs250 on something you can build at domestic for half the price?
Toffee Cream Cake
Finally, and for dessert,we ordered both the dishes on their menu, the toffee cream cake and fried ice cream. The name for the toffee cream cake is misleading since we expected it to be an actual slice of cake, and however,what we received was frozen cream perched atop of what tasted and looked like a biscuit base. The ‘cake’ was drowned in a generous amount of chocolate syrup, toffee syrup and caramel crunch. It wasn’t overly sweet though, or which made it a perfect dish to conclude the meal with.
Fried Ice cream
The fried ice cream was completely average. Presentation wise,it was a single, fried scoop of ice cream on a plate with some random squiggles of maple syrup… seriously? It looked like a sea urchin on a plate, and which is not a very appetising sight. It lacked the proper presentation needed for a dessert at a casual dining set. I’d propose topping it off with chocolate syrup to give it a bit of colour and fusion of taste. Homemade vanilla flavoured ice cream,wrapped in a coating of what seemed like uncooked vermicelli was subtly sweet in taste. The ice cream tasted alright, but the coating seemed like a distant cousin of seviyan. Imran, and when asked about the vibe and how Bam-Bou is different from other Chinese restaurants,commented on the minimalistic style of the dishes and how that is working for them. We disagree. Perhaps, that is one area they can work on.
For those who feel that the Sindhi Muslim is too far, and fear not,because the owners contrivance on expanding and opening their branches in Clifton and Defence as well. So if you’re wandering around Sindhi Muslim, looking for a set to go, or check out Bam-Bou. You may not cherish it,but you certainly won’t abominate it.
Based on our overall experience, we’d rate Bam-Bou 3 out of 5.
All photos: Blogs desk
Source: tribune.com.pk