Red Bamboo Brooklyn

We checked out Red Bamboo’s new Brooklyn location at 271 Adelphi Street at the corner of Dekalb Ave. As you might know if you’re familiar with their Manhattan location, Red Bamboo is vegetarian (mostly vegan) and specializes in Carribean and Soul food. We forgot to grab a take-out menu or write anything down, so we’re doing our best to remember the exact names of the dishes, and they might be a little off. We’re slacking!

Sweet Potato and Broccoli Tempura

This dish was light, crunchy and refreshing. If I’m not mistaken, the batter was the same one they use to coat their famous Creole Soul Chicken. The sauce was a sweet soy-based sauce. I think my favorite was the broccoli, but I’m not sure. Red Bamboo is pretty good at deep-frying things without over-doing it. I’ve never really gotten a deep-fried dish from them that was greasy or gross, and this was no exception. -Jim

Korean Scallion Pancake

I was expecting the usual flat scallion pancakes with a thin slab of fake mystery meat in the center; this was a pleasant surprise. It was one round pancake that was fluffy and chock full of veggies- almost like an Indian Uttapam. The pancake itself tasted very much like an omelet and the dipping sauce was nice and savory. Yummy! -Ev

Jerk Chicken

I really enjoyed this dish, so let me get the bashing out of the way first: the mashed potatoes were lame. They were very dry and I didn’t like that they came with the gravy pre-applied. If I could order it again, I’d get the gravy on the side. Ok, now the good parts. The chicken was good. It was pretty much their standard soy chicken, with a little bit of flavor and seasoning on it, and served with a great onion dipping sauce. But the best part was the soup. Note that the soup does not come standard with this dish! The third element of this dish is normally steamed vegetables, which I find boring. So I asked the waiter what I could substitute and he suggested the Calaloo soup (a traditional Caribbean soup that they don’t have at the Manhattan Red Bamboo). It sounded interesting so I went for it. I’m so glad I did. The soup was very simple and the flavors were mild, but it tasted very hearty, earthy and almost creamy. I could imagine not everyone enjoying this soup as much as I did, but I really enjoyed it. -Jim

BBQ Seitan Kebab

I was excited to try this dish because I love seitan. I was happy to see that the portion size of the steamed veggies was smaller than the Manhattan Red Bamboo. Also different was the lack of corn in the mashed potatoes. The potatoes were a little lumpy but good. The seitan itself was big and dense; it was very thick and had a lot of chew. Texture-wise, it wasn’t the best seitan I’ve had, but it had good flavor. The sauce was good too and wasn’t too thick or sugary. -Ev

The Bottom Line

I felt that the food I ate here was better than the food I usually get at the Manhattan location. It seemed a little more rich and homemade. The appetizers were light and delicious and the entrée was great. Did I mention I love their Calaloo soup? -Jim
I agree that this Red Bamboo was a little better than it’s Manhattan sister. I also felt that there were more entrees to choose from. My meal wasn’t mind-blowing but was really tasty and a good size. The sad part was that they ran out of desserts. But their lemonade was divine. This is a really pretty restaurant too with nice outside seating. I look forward to going back. -Ev