Red Bamboo Manhattan

Red Bamboo recently opened a new location in Brooklyn that we’ve heard good things about, but it was rainy on Sunday night so we didn’t feel like making the trip. We went to the Manhattan Red Bamboo at 140 w 4th street instead.

Tomato Soup

The soup of the day was a Tomato Soup, and we figured it would be the perfect thing for a rainy night. We were soo right! The flavor of the soup was salty and rich and just a little bit spicy. In the soup was onion, squash, celery and soy chicken and they were all just the right texture. A simple but excellent dish, I will definitely order this again next time it’s available. –Jim
I loved it too. I really enjoyed the thickness of the soup. -Ev

Grilled Bourbon Chicken

This is one of the top three best dishes at Red Bamboo. The soy chicken has the perfect texture and its taste is brought out by the grilling. The sauce is sweet, spicy, and smoky. The rice has immense flavor even though it’s just plain steamed basmati rice. The greens are tasty and keep things fresh. I have to confess, being the carb addict that I am, I asked for mashed potatoes instead of the steamed veggies that usually come with this dish. I recommend you do the same. The mashed potatoes here, while a little sweet, are delicious. They have bits of corn in them and the consistency is perfect. As a side note, if you don’t want all the extras, they offer the Grilled Bourbon Chicken alone as an appetizer. Any way you get it, it will be delicious, I promise. -Ev

Black Bean Ginger Stir Fry with Chicken

I wanted to try something new but I didn’t want to get too experimental, so I ordered the Black Bean Ginger Stir Fry and asked the waiter to add some soy chicken to it. Just look at that picture. Looks good, doesn’t it? It looks like it’s just bursting with Chinese stir-fry flavor. Sadly, it wasn’t. The mix of vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, onion, pepper, zucchini and carrots) and soy chicken tasted like… well, vegetables and soy chicken. There didn’t seem to be any sauce or additional flavor. There were black beans in it, and just a touch of spiciness, but otherwise it was very flat and bland. After eating for a few minutes, I asked the waiter for a side of soy sauce. I was excited when, instead of just bringing out the regular bottled soy that I expected, he brought me a small dish of a sauce that seemed slightly thicker and sweeter than regular soy sauce. It was almost like he was bringing out the sauce that was supposed to go in the dish in the first place. Once I added the sauce, I enjoyed it more. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t great. –Jim
Yea. Pass on this one. It was bland. -Ev

Soy Milk Shake

Red Bamboo and (sister restaurant) Vegetarian’s Paradise 2 both have the best milkshakes. Vanilla is my personal fave but you can also get chocolate, strawberry, or better pecan. You know how, when you watch Pulp Fiction, you really want to taste that frikkin’ milkshake? Now’s your chance. YUM! –Ev
Word. I love milkshakes and this was a good one. Good flavor, good consistency. -Jim

The Bottom Line

I’ll say about Red Bamboo what I just said about Kate’s in our last review: it’s a good restaurant and it has the comfort food I crave, but it’s hit-or-miss. In this case, Evelyn hit and I missed (though we both hit with the soup and the milkshake). The safest thing to do when you go to Red Bamboo is order things that you’ve heard good things about. Trying something new and exciting can sometimes lead to disappointment. -Jim
Red Bamboo is famous for its fake meats. They do ‘em up in different ways and they do ‘em up right. Fortunately, the grilled bourbon chicken is one of the healthier dishes here, especially if you get the steamed veggies that normally come with the meal. -Ev