After work last Monday, we stopped by Azul Viva to meet up with Eduardo Vargas, the owner, and enjoy a food tasting for his upcoming restaurant, Bam-Bou (French for bamboo). Upon arriving we were quickly treated with a ginger martini and some delicious Argentinean wine from GTL (a company founded by the original founder of Enoteca). Once sufficiently imbibed, Eduardo invited us up to preview the uncompleted restaurant on the third floor.

First, it’s on the third floor. And if it were anywhere other than Hengshan Lu and Azul Viva, we’d be worried. But Eduardo has a knack for making restaurants work - his recent invention, Casa 13, is packed each night – so for the time being we overlooked the hike upstairs. (Not that guests will have to take the stairs, a new elevator whisks guests up and opens to the front.)

Five large bay windows overlook the street with enormous round tables beneath – perfect for groups of 6-8. In the middle of the restaurant, long bench tables a la’ Casa 13 have diners perpendicular to the bar – forming a tall “T”. The ambience was cloaked in dust, poor lighting and a fine bottle of Malbec. Suffice to say, it’ll be intimate and veiled in S.E. Asian themes. Seeing as he owns the restaurant below, “most of Bam-Bou’s budget is going into the décor, chef and food”, says Eduardo. And it should, the place was previously a gigolo bar. Really, a gigolo bar.

So what about the food? “It’s a collection of my favorite foods from the region”, says Eduardo. In between a Pinot Grigio, the menu appeared to be an eclectic mix of South East Asian cuisine – Thai, Cambodian, Laos and Vietnam – fused together for Western palettes. The chef is Vietnamese and has been heading up the Sofitel in Hanoi (a beautiful and very popular hotel in the city) for the last decade or so. According to Eduardo, “Mai” accepted his offer as her son just graduated from high school and is hoping to learn Chinese. Chopping down on prime rib infused with a ginger sauce, we knicked a menu from the table. See the menu below:

Bam-Bou Menu

• Salt & Pepper Cuttlefish with Sweet Soy Ginger Dressing
• Braised Beef Cheek with Hot & Sour Salad
• Grill Scallops with Peanut Nahm Jim
• Stir-Fried Chicken with Tumeric, Chili & Garlic Paste
• Green Mango & Cashew Salad
• Stir-Fried Chicken with Lemongrass & Chili
• Light Pork & Winter Melon Soup
• Stir-Fried Tofu with Tumeric, Chili & Garlic Paste
• Stir-Fried Cod Fish with Snowpeas Ginger & Five Spice
• Morning Glory Stir-Fried with Lemongrass & Chili
• Rib-eye Steak with Ginger Soy Glaze & Cucumber Relish
• Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango Topped with Palm Sugar Gelee

Bam-Bou is scheduled to open before the end of April. The food was on the right path, but for his sake and maybe yours, dear diner, we’re glad he was still tinkering around with the flavors. Knowing Eduardo, he’s probably just getting a head start as the head chef, Mai, arrives next week to prep for the opening.