The Bamboo Cafe
Columbus, Ohio

This is a small, relatively new restaurant. It is located in a strip mall off of Bethel road near Olentangy River Road. It is practically behind a McDonald's so it can be hard to see from the street. The inside is clean, open, airy and tastefully decorated. It is not cluttered with Asian Kitsch like so many Asian Restaurants. I had the opportunity to eat in a number of authentic Vietnamese restaurants in Vietnam, back in the 60's, and none of them were cluttered with porcelain dragons and paintings of goldfish on rice paper. The service at The Bamboo Cafe was immediate and good.

My dining partner and I have gone there twice and both experiences were pleasant. The first time I started with the Pad Thai and had Thai crispy mini rolls. Everything was good. The Pad Thai was spicy and savory. There was a sour note that I found very complimentary to the fresh slightly sweet vegetables. It had a nice balance of vegetables and chicken. The vegetables were fresh. My only disappointment was there were very few crushed peanuts. The mini rolls were quite good. They are very crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside. They came with a sweet sauce that was not necessarily a plus. It was the only thing that looked and tasted like it came out of a jar. I never remember seeing this sweet orange citrus sauce in Vietnam. There is a fish sauce I had in Vietnam that would have been a great balance to the rolls. The second time I ate there I strayed off the common entrees. My dining partner and I had the ginger squid as an appetizer. This was not your garden variety Calamari. This dish was prepared with the cut tentacles of a fair size squid. The tentacles were between the sizes of my little finger up to the thickness of my thumb. They were in a very interesting ginger sauce that was not sweet but also was not too overpowering. We both liked them.

My dining partner had Pad Thai with tofu. Since our visit I have found that they make their Tofu themselves and on site. He reported that it was very good. I had Pho Tai, a rich beef broth with thin slices of beef and vegetables with rice noodles. The bowl was huge. It comes with fresh basil, bean sprouts and hot pepper. It was some of the best Pho I have had in Columbus. It was rich and beefy and spiced subtly with anise, cardamom, coriander and fennel. I will have it again when I go.

The service was good, we were served quickly and our waitress was personable. Parking can be found directly out the door. It was well lit which I appreciate as my eyes age.

Overall, it was a relaxing and enjoyable experience for both of us. I am definitely going back. It has our strong recommendation. "