Bamboo Hut

Update: Bamboo Hut is closed.

In a word: Spice, spice, baby.

The specs: #0246
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at WiSJ, Yelp, Ruppert Food Blog; Isthmus interview with Tou Vue; official web site.

JM ate the mango pork with a lemonade.
Nichole and John S. ate the deluxe pho with raspberry iced tea.
John R. and Rose split the honey-ginger chicken with royal sticky rice, and a piece of coconut custard tart.
The bill was $45, or $9/person, plus tip (thanks, Dad!).
JM and Nichole gave Bamboo Hut an A-; John S. gave Bamboo Hut a B; John R. and Rose gave Bamboo Hut a B- (see our grading rubric).

Latest Bamboo Hut news and reviews

When Donut Delight tanked (shortly after cutting the donuts and becoming just Mediterranean Delight) Bamboo Hut set up shop fairly quickly. We hope this funky, bright little place can make it despite a challenging location. We also think it's cool they've been a veggie oil supplier to enterprising road-trippers.

John S. had read up on papaya salad, and talked Nichole into sharing some. It was unlike anything we'd tried before. It had a crispy, slaw-like texture. When you bite down, however, spiciness kicks in, followed by a strong wave of salt and then a lightly fishy aftertaste. Just sitting near it made John R. sneeze, however, so sensitive palates, be careful.

The house deluxe pho was made with steak, meatballs, fish, crab, and tripe. The broth was pinkish and salty, with a lightly garlicky flavor unlike other pho broths Nichole has had. The bowl was truly massive - with more than a quart of soup in the medium size, we wondered if we'd have had to eat right from the vat if we ordered the large.

John had this to say about his meal:

"The ridiculously large serving of Pho was pretty darn good.  Thanks to Nichole, I couldn't imagine eating the tripe, but the rest of the food was pretty darn good.  In retrospect, though, I'm not sure how authentic it actually is.  But the broth was delicious, and it was well worth the price.  The appetizer itself was way too hot for my tastes, but I enjoyed the taste of the little I had.  I wouldn't hesitate to go back, but it wouldn't be first on my list either, if only because it doesn't quite jive with my food sensibilities ." 

JM, meanwhile, has found a use for mango.  Jee-pers cree-pers.  This pork dish is worth a special trip.  The pork itself was lean with enough juice to bring something to the table, but the spices were YOW-ZA!  All of the warmth of the spices played elegantly against the sweetness of the mango and just finished clean.  The royal sticky rice was only OK but this little piggy will visit his taste buds again.  JM also dug on the silent karaoke screens that flashed at them from the other end of the room - finding it somewhat surreal to watch the lyrics written in a word-as-character language.

Rose and John R., ever patient with our "choice" of restaurant, were challenged to find something on the menu that would meet their low-spice needs, a task which the able and friendly waiter helped with gladly. He suggested the honey-ginger chicken, and that dish was received well. John R. especially enjoyed the coconut tart for afters.

Comments

[Kathy]

Hey, you two, I got lunch from the Hut yesterday. To cover my lunch and dinner (I work late these days), I got the papaya salad and the hot ginger sausage. Oh my word -- talk about painful pleasure. That salad is so. addictive. I mean, wow.

All in all, it was enough for three meals. Pretty damn awesome for $13!

[Kyle]

Closed. Soon to become Taqueria Guanajuato (a spin-off of the mercado next door).