I had the pleasure of dining at Bambudda in Gastown, a fine establishment owned by Ray Loy, who himself is Strathcona and Britannia alumni.) I remember Ray back when I grew up in the Maclean projects and he was working at Strathcona. There, he was one of many people who kept kids from the projects and the surrounding community off the streets and offered a safe and encouraging environment for kids like me. I am very thankful at the very least for people like Ray who made a difference in my life and have moved on in their own lives, being proof that hard work and determination will get you places. It was a very humbling experience to see him again in person - 20 years later. And as he said himself, "Wow, you're all grown up."
What I particularly admire about the Ray is the fact that he kept true to his roots. Growing up in Strathcona was not the nicest place in East Van during the 70s and 80s. And my understanding through press releases of his restaurant is that he still lives in the area. That's really cool if you ask me. A true Chinatown OG. To take things further, he brings back Chinese flair into Gastown, reforming the scope of the Downtown East Side and Chinatown. Lots of respect there. Nevermind the interior of his restaurant - from the bar, to the wall art, to the porcelain vases along the wall - It's all there and so very beautifully, yet subtly executed. His restaurant is an excellent example of yin and yang, where east meets west, in harmony.
Now on to the food. Celebrity Chef Curtis Luk was brought on board a month or two ago and I was excited to see what he was going to pull off. To my surprise, him and his team managed to re-create some old time childhood favourites of mine, but all with a modern twist. The quality of food, ingredients, execution, and flavours were all married together wonderfully. All too often, you think, "Ugh, Chinese food." Or, "Fusion? No way!" (I was originally apprehensive myself.) Because flavours in Chinese food can be so bold and in your face sometimes with the addition of using a poor choice of ingredients, they don't work together. But not here at Bambudda. Let me show you what I'm talking about.
Chicken skin with salt & pepper lemon. This isn't on the menu but was offered to me and my friend. Here, they've trimmed the fat, deep fried the chicken skin and the rest is self explanatory. A few drizzles of lemon and that first bite? Wow. Just the right amount of crispiness and that fluffy, deep fried puffy taste balanced by the tart lemon juice and salt and pepper. Oh man. I could eat this all day!
Next up are the red prawn dumplings, or as some of you may know it simply as "ha gao." I honestly didn't know what to expect of it, seeing that I grew up eating these prawn dumplings that were steamed and simply MSG laden. Well, Chef Curtis Luk's interpretation of this Cantonese staple did not disappoint. The prawns were fresh and nicely seasoned, you could actually taste the sweetness of the prawn. The accompanying flavours were subtle enough for you to really just taste a bit of everything. The bold use of cilantro and the watercress (or was it pea tendrils) added a nice touch and balanced everything out. And the wrapper was awesome. Firm, yet not overly tough and not too soft - just right.
Both me and my friend were both curious to see what this BBQ pork tart was all about. Sure enough, it was what we had imagined. Imagine this (especially you Chinese kids.) Half BBQ pork bun, half BBQ pork puff pastry. How the hell does that happen?! You would never find such a thing at Maxim Bakery or at Newtown Bakery. No way. And the layer of squash at the bottom of the bun? Oh man. Delicious. I didn't even know it was there until I deconstructed this dish. Oh, and the accompanying salad was refreshing, especially with the Asian pear!
By now, we were starting to get full. The main dishes arrived and here we have Chinese vegetables that were very tasty. Since we both got the prix fixe menue, it comes with a bowl of curry leaf infused rice to share, which I felt was plentiful.
The mains arrived. The first one being what I understand is a Hakka Chinese dish of pork belly and taro. Chef Curtis Luk changes this a bit where the outter edge of the pork belly is coated with the taro and deep fried. The flavour and texture of that outer layer reminded me of a dim sum dish, but I don't know what the name of it is in English. Regardless of the name, it was just awesome, okay?
Shortly after, the remaining dish arrived consisting of a salt and pepper humboldt squid with Sichuan pepper and what I think is a three-colour pepper salsa that really complimented the squid. Again, a modern take on a classic dish where every flavour in itself stands out and brings back those childhood memories of our family going out for dim sum on the weekends.
I sort of cheated and asked Ray to try some of Chef Curtis Luk's handmade ramen noodles, dressed in sesame oil and sesame seeds. I really liked the texture of the noodles as there was this nice bounce to it. I felt that the noodles were great alone as-is and does not need any introduction of the other dishes to go with it, unlike rice, which compliments them all very well.
Drinks - I started off, and finished off the evening with a gin and tonic. I can't remember for the life of me, which gin they use, but on their menu, there are two. It's the $8 gin (a London Dry) and is by far, one of the best gin and tonics I've had in the city. I would dare say comparable to what I had at Burdock & Co. Three ice cubes, gin, tonic, and stirred. The result? A clean, crisp, and refreshing gin and tonic. So simple, yet so easy to screw up. Wow. But before I forget, my friend had the Post Opium consisting of rum, passion fruit puree, kaffir lime bitters, and a zephyr white chocolate apricot brandy float. I understand this cocktail recipe changes and was different from what she had last year, but she really enjoyed it.
I should warn you that I am a very particular diner. Do not confuse this with being difficult, but I have a subset of qualities to look for when it comes to good food, service, and hospitality. Chef Curtis Luk and Ray's team know how to do it right at Bambudda. There was nothing I could to nit pick and the whole time, I had this smug smile on my face. Every dish brought back a lot of memories. It was almost as if I was taken back in time. No joke. I highly suggest you give this gem a try, even if you don't like Chinese food. That bar is awesome.
(Sadly, there was no room for dessert. We were just way too full. I wanted to try the coconut rice pudding!)