Restaurant Review

Friday, November 3, 2000

Bamboo Garden serves up plenty of choices

Egg rolls and hearty helpings highlight the dining experience at Chinese cafe

At a glance 1220 Airline Phone: 993-7993 Entrees: $4.75-$5.75 Credit cards: Yes Checks: Yes Wheelchair access: Yes Spirits: Beer and Wine Smoking: Non-smoking in the restaurant, smoking in the backroom Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday; 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday Food: 1 ½ stars Service: 2 stars Atmosphere: 2 stars

Following the stream of foot traffic into Bamboo Garden during the lunch hour, my companion and I were pleased to discover that this restaurant hadn't gone the way of the buffet for lunch. A sizable luncheon offered every type of Chinese food imaginable, for a price that stayed below $6.
   When we sat down, one server immediately offered us drinks that were quickly brought to us by a different server, who immediately asked us if we were ready to order. Judging by the large lunch crowd, it's apparent this place is used to serving people who have a limited amount of time.
   We each ordered a different offering from the specials that fell into categories ranging from shrimp and chicken to beef and seafood.
   We started with soup, which was included in the luncheon price. My companion ordered the wonton soup that had a light and mild chicken stock flavor with a few pieces of wonton floating in it. The soup was just lukewarm and ready to be eaten immediately with the fried wonton strips, which were placed on our table before the soup had arrived.
   I ordered the hot-and-sour soup that was neither too hot, nor too sour - in fact, it was overwhelmingly underflavored. It was quite thick and had a generous portion of small pieces of tofu.
   Delicious egg rolls
   As is typical with most Chinese restaurants, the meals came with egg rolls. They were delicious. Rather than being overly fried and soggy, they were crisp and fresh and filled with vegetables that were chopped rather than pureed. The wrapping was flaky and hot and gave a solid crunch with each bite, yet the vegetables felt untouched by the sizzling frying oil.
   Something for everyone
   My companion ordered the Hunan Chicken with steamed rice, and I ordered the Happy Family, an assortment of chicken, beef and shrimp with vegetables, and fried rice.
   The steamed rice was flaky rather than sticky, and the fried rice was devoid of the usual soy saltiness, but it also lacked the cursory amount of vegetable and egg. The biggest difference between the two bowls of rice seemed to be the color.
   Each of the dishes contained a healthy amount of vegetables, including water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. But this isn't a place that skimps on the meat in favor of loading the dishes with vegetables.
   The dishes featured a brown sauce that was a little on the bland side.
   Even those who don't like the taste of Chinese food could find something on this restaurant's menu, which warns of spicy dishes and entices with its offerings. They have it all at Bamboo Garden, and will get it to you quick - a dependable option for the lunch-in-less-than-an-hour crowd.
  
  

---

| Talk about this story | Next Story | Home |

---

---

[ Printer-friendly version ]
[ Subscribe to newspaper ]

SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND

---

  © 2000, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.