DINING REVIEW -- Stephen Santacroce

As the population in Orange County grows more ethnically diverse, the

cuisine offered in many of the area’s restaurants happily becomes more

authentic. It used to be that whatever the origin -- be it Italian,

Chinese, Mexican or otherwise -- the offerings were basically

watered-down, Americanized versions of the original. Maybe it was an

aversion to heavy spices, or ingredients we were unfamiliar with . . .

whatever the reason, the end result was an end product that was uniformly

bland.

Nowhere was this more prevalent than with Asian cuisines. Now things

have changed. North Orange County has a significant Vietnamese

population, and there are an increasing number of Thai, Japanese and

Korean, as well as regional Chinese, who are more than willing to share

their once-exotic foods with us. There seems to be a pattern to this

migration, and what once started in the northern part of the county is

slowly making great inroads to the Newport-Mesa area.

Bamboo Bistro in Corona del Mar is a prime example of the benefits of

this cultural diversity. Owner Chau Dong purchased the failing Chinese

restaurant six months ago and is now serving an enticing cross-blend of

Thai and Vietnamese dishes.

Chau is Vietnamese, and her mother owns and runs the successful

Brodard restaurant in Little Saigon. Realizing that Newport Beach

residents might not be as familiar with Vietnamese cooking, Chau wisely

incorporated more familiar Thai dishes, creating a menu that offers a

sampling of two cuisines that share a lot of the same flavors and

techniques.

Bamboo Bistro, situated just past the corner of East Coast Highway and

MacArthur Boulevard, is a small restaurant with maybe 15 tables in all.

The atmosphere is unassuming; hardwood tables and chairs, tan tile floors

and some hanging bamboo ornaments create a relaxed, casual setting.

All Asian cuisines seem to offer wonderful appetizers in the form of

dim sum or other finger food, and Bamboo Bistro offers some great

examples, including fresh spring rolls, which command their own section

of the menu.

Fresh spring rolls differ from egg rolls in that they are wrapped in a

moist rice paper wrapping that is not cooked and are served chilled. I’ve

had these in both Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, so I can’t attest to

their origin.

My favorite are the grilled shrimp paste rolls ($5.75) that are filled

with a shrimp mixture, shaped into long fingers and rolled with lettuce,

mint and cold rice noodles. The rice paper wrapping has a slightly chewy

texture, and the dipping sauce that accompanies the dish adds an

intriguing sweet and sour flavor.

If the shrimp paste is too exotic, try the fresh shrimp variety

($4.75), which substitutes steamed, chilled shrimp for the cooked shrimp

paste and a peanut dipping sauce, which is definitely Thai-influenced.

Another unique starter is the Vietnamese crepe ($6.75). This is

basically a thin omelet, stuffed with chicken, onions, shrimp and

sprouts. It’s served alongside a dish with portions of large lettuce

leaves, mint and cucumber slices and a light sweet and sour sauce. The

idea is to slice off a strip of the omelet, and wrap it in a piece of

lettuce along with some of the mint and cucumber, sort of like a lettuce

burrito. The combination offers a tantalizing mix of both flavor and

texture, pairing the savory fried egg with the crisp cucumber, pungent

mint and cool lettuce.

Self-assembly seems to be a theme with the dishes at Bamboo Bistro, as

is the case with the House Special Noodles ($7.95). Charbroiled pork and

chicken is served in a long plate resembling a narrow rowboat, along with

portions of rice noodle, various greens and chunks of peppery Vietnamese

egg rolls. Our waiter showed us that the proper way to eat the wonderful

concoction is to mix it all together in the dish, along with the sauce

that accompanies it (the same sauce that’s served with the crepe), and

then portion it out to your eager friends.

It’s not difficult to share at Bamboo Bistro. Despite the low prices,

the portions are quite hefty. I can’t remember not leaving with

leftovers.

Noodles and soups are popular in most Asian cuisines. Bamboo Bistro

offers a generous selection from both countries, including an excellent

pad thai. Available with chicken, tofu or shrimp ($6.95, $7.95 with

shrimp), this spicy dish combines wide noodles with bits of scrambled

egg, meat or tofu, sprouts and a sprinkling of roasted peanuts. It’s a

staple of Thai cuisine, and the version served here is as good as most

that I’ve tasted, including on a recent visit to Bangkok.

As the weather turns cooler, soups such as the bun bo hue ($7.50) make

a hearty and healthy one-dish meal. Sliced beef is braised in a hearty

broth along with shrimp paste dumplings, rice noodles and the

now-familiar condiments of mint and sprouts.

I was particularly impressed with the quality of the beef in this and

other beef dishes. Good beef is not always a high point of Asian cooking,

and while Bamboo Bistro uses traditional cuts, such as flank and round,

the cooking technique always seems to render a tender, flavorful result.

Diners with a more traditional bent will enjoy the chicken fried rice

($7.50), a large portion of flavorful rice topped with a liberal portion

of crisp roasted chicken. I did notice, though, that the diced carrots

were suspiciously uniform in appearance, and tasted like they were the

prefrozen variety.

Beer seems to pair better with spicy Asian cuisine than most wines,

and Bamboo Bistro offers several domestic brands along with a Chinese

beer and a Vietnamese brand called “33.” I was surprised that Singha, the

popular Thai beer, isn’t offered.

There is also a small selection of white and red wines by the glass or

bottle. I’d like to see a sweeter white, such as a Gewurztraminer or

Riesling offered. These sweeter wines stand up better to most Asian

dishes than chardonnay or other, drier, whites.

The staff at Bamboo Bistro is always pleasant, encouraging diners to

try new dishes and cheerfully instructing the novices on the proper way

to eat some of the more exotic offerings. Chau makes a point of talking

to all her customers and seems to know many by first name already. Based

on overheard conversations, Bamboo Bistro seems destined to be a success.

I am pleased at the thought of this, not only for Chau and her friendly

staff, but also at the opportunity to sample well-prepared, authentic

ethnic cuisine closer to home.

* STEPHEN SANTACROCE’S restaurant reviews appear every other Thursday.

Send him your comments at [email protected].

FYI

* WHAT: Bamboo Bistro

* WHERE: 2600 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar

* WHEN: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday

* HOW MUCH: Inexpensive

* PHONE: (949) 720-1289