Green Bamboo

Recently I’ve become aware that I’m hopelessly addicted to Vietnamese cuisine, namely the beef noodle soup. I can enjoy this fine Vietnamese bowl of noodles for lunch, dinner and even breakfast…sounds a little bit crazy but it’s true! So I’m going to share a little secret with you guys in a very special restaurant that’s close to my heart…The Green Bamboo is one of my favorite vietnamese restaurants in the city!

Pictured above: Beef Noodle Soup and Shrimp Roll

My boyfriend and I visit the “Bamboo” quite often and our usual orders include Raw beef noodle soup (#101) and Special rare beef, beef balls, Tendon, Brisket & Tripe (#100).  I find the beef soup base very light and not very oily at all like most other Vietnamese restaurant broths which leaves me to believe that they use less MSG.  We both agree that the slices of beef are always fresh and very tender but the portion sizes especially the amount of beef isn’t always sufficient for two to share.    If you don’t like the set menu options for the noodles you can also try the “Create your own Meal” alternative and pick 2 or 3 sides toaccompany your bowl of noodles which include:  (HUGE SELECTION!)

a) Spring Roll

b) Grilled Lemongrass Pork

c) Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chop

d) Grilled Lemongrass Beef

e) Grilled Lemongrass Chicken

f) Grilled Vietnamese Pork Balls

g) Shredded Pork with Skin

h) Vietnamese Sausage

i) Steamed Egg Loaf

j) Sunny-Side-Up Egg

k) Bok Choy/Chinese Broccoli

l) Fried Tofu

m) Grilled Chicken Breast + $0.50

n) Grilled Lemon Grass Beef Short Ribs + $0.50

o) Grilled Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaves + $0.50

p) Grilled Black Tiger Shrimps + $0.50

q) Grilled Shrimp Pate on Sugar Cane + $0.50

r) Grilled Jumbo Shrimp with Shell + $3.00

s) Grilled Salmon

If you don’t feel like choosing noodles as your starch you have the choice of Vermicelli, rice, or coconut sticky rice.

On the other hand the Green Bamboo does a mean deep fried spring roll (#1) but on this trip we decided to try the shrimp roll (#2) which didn’t fare too well and didn’t make our list of  favorite rolls. The rice skin was way too thick and overpowers the ingredients inside the roll like the shrimp and pork.

Feeling more adventurous this time around we opted to try another dish outside of our usual favorites and ordered the Sweet & Sour Crab Soup with Vermicelli (#119) which was quite interesting.

Sweet and Sour Crab Noodle Soup

I liked the unique crab and shrimp flavor combination and I really enjoyed the soup broth which was very very rich in seafood flavor.  The broth was made from a concentrated shrimp paste which was tasty but may be unflattering to some of you out there because of the strong shrimp content and not to mention the slight shrimp aroma that it emits.

My adventurous pick did however pay off in full when I realized it was like a bottomless supply of crab meat hidden underneath all the noodles!  It was like I was a crab fisher-woman on the Deadliest Catch (Alaskan Crab Fisherman show on Discovery Channel)!  All in all it was a great choice because we both love shrimp so it worked out great!

The Green Bamboo has a modestly small and cozy dining area which makes for an intimate atmosphere but timing for lunch/dinner may be a challenge if you’re in a rush.  Another note is that eating areas were immaculately clean and very well kept.

If you’re in the neighborhood do give Green Bamboo a try.

Address: 4219 Sheppard Ave. East

Menu: Green Bamboo Menu PDF

Price: $5 ? $8

Phone: 416-292-7961

Website: www.greenbamboo.ca

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