Seek out Thai Bamboo Bistro

Izvor: KiWi

By Andrew Horan

The Orange County Register

Initially published Oct. 7, 2005

A couple months passed in between our visits to Thai Bamboo Bistro, and this time, on our third cease, we knew a tiny far more.

At times, a little much more info is dangerous and just enough to convince you not to return to a restaurant taichi information .

Not this time.

Our first go to was on a summer season Monday. We have been a small ahead of the lunch rush, our 2-year-old was a tiny subdued, and so we took a opportunity on a place we'd noticed in the new Quail Hill Village purchasing center in Irvine, not far from where the San Diego (I-405) and Santa Ana (I-five) Freeways converge in central Orange County, California.

The center sprang up in the shadow of the Shady Canyon estates seemingly overnight. It's out of the way -- you don't just come about by.

It's in a single of those new-generation neighborhood centers that has an all-also-familiar really feel about it: anchor supermarket on 1 end, Starbucks on the other, generic quick-food and fast-casual restaurants amongst. This a single was a small diverse -- some of the franchise names had been not fairly so ubiquitous, and it appeared that the Irvine Co. took a opportunity and leased to some non-franchise operators, too.

We ventured into the bistro, and inside 10 minutes, the intimate spot was packed. So packed, we rapidly changed our sit-down order to to-go, hustled our now not-so-subdued little guy out and headed property to the most sumptuous take-out we'd had in months.

Jungle curry with chicken ($12) was mellow and smooth (we ordered the milder green curry yellow and red are offered). Spicy lemon grass chicken ($12) was zesty and fresh. Traditional pad thai ($11) -- my wife's regular -- aromatic and generously portioned with shrimp, egg, tofu and noodles.

So, we went back, this time for dinner, without the boy.

Once again, the restaurant was full, though minus the maddening lunch crush. Once more, our dinner was delicious: far more green curry and pad thai -- we're creatures of habit.

We were struck by the cool, modern space, with its handful of bamboo decorative touches. By the briskly efficient service (though the meals can arrive at a a lot more languid pace, testimony to the fresh cooked-to-order kitchen). And by the incredibly fresh ingredients, rendered in light sauces.

The chef markets nearly day-to-day, co-manager Jade Tam told me. At times the grocery, often a specialty shop, occasionally a farmers industry.

Then, effectively, life kept us away for a handful of months, till I spoke with manager Amy Lam.

As we chatted about the restaurant's expansion plans and presentation themes, Amy asked, ``Do you know Julie and Pat?

Nicely, yes, I said, we're going to their wedding in a day.

``We have not observed them in a whilst, Amy said, laughing what is tai chi chuan . Julie warned they'd be absent for a even though, something about pre-wedding fasting.

I know Julie's taste in food and restaurants just nicely enough that this little nugget of info -- that she and Pat are regulars enough to be on a 1st-name basis -- told me to get back in there, pronto.

We have been once again wowed by fresh flavors. We began with the Thai bamboo sampler appetizer ($14), a mix of four from the menu (spring rolls, summer season rolls, chicken and beef satay, and gold bags -- crispy wontons tied up like little Gold Rush-era treasures).

Our shrimp in spicy mango sauce ($16) was sweet, but subtle. We upgraded from the common pad thai, ordering the ``new edition version (egg noodles as an alternative of rice noodles view site . $11).

It won't be such a long wait for our subsequent meal right here.