Bambudda

DINE OUT REVIEW– ⁴⁄₅ were unsatisfied with our appetizers and entrees (Cold, bland, poor presentation). We did like the dessert! The manager offered other options but we decided on a discount. Cool vibe, great location but I’d pass on the dine out experience.
Heads up– the ladies washroom was filthy and server was unsure on the gluten free options.

TL;DR
Good drinks, decent food, but expensive for the portions — the Unilocal $$ should be $$$ at least.
We came here over the weekend to get a quick snack and drink while waiting for our dinner reservation. Their Dine Out 2016 is currently going on, but we were told that we could order any of the items off that menu al-​la-​carte if we wanted. So we tried the pork dumplings (with spiced sesame black vinegar) and the lobster and shrimp dumplings (with chipotle mango mayo and cilantro pesto). Both were really good but I leaned more towards the pork dumplings since they were juicier on the inside and came with more liquidy sauce (I’m a saucy kind of gal.)
The drink I had (can’t remember the name), was also delicious! It came with a bubbles on top, with a smoky aroma and quite stiff — just the way I like it.
This was the second time I’ve been to Bambudda. The first time was last year during their Game of Thrones themed drink night. Both times, we’ve only had drinks and small plates so I can only speak for those. Asian-​fusion flavours, similar to the Keefer bar but at a higher price point.

I recently visited for dine out Vancouver and I have to say that it wasn’t that great. the drinks were fantastic but the service was very slow and our server was kinda crabby and not very excited to be serving a large party. Because of our size we ended up getting entrees that were cold. The prawns and scallops were good but the ravioli was tasteless and rubbery. The sesame noodles were good but the tofu was ice cold. Overall I don’t think it was worth it but the mixed drinks were a delight.

I came here with a friend for the dine out menu. I would most likely just return for cocktails. We both liked our cocktails! If you like smoky scotch, get the Bamboozler; if you prefer something lighter and citrusy, try the Post Opium.
We started with the shrimp & lobster dumplings, but honestly, they tasted more like croquettes-​deep fried & breaded. Second, we had shrimp & scallops, black mushrooms and butternut squash ravioli. This was definitely more tasty, well presented and satisfying; however, the pasta was slightly bland. The dish could have a bit more flavor or spice. I got the dessert cocktail, but it was too sweet for me. The coffee liqueur was too much sugar for me. When I mentioned this to the server, she kindly offered me another choice from the cocktail list for a few added dollars. I was grateful.
As for the atmosphere, the front bar has a chic inviting look, but the very back table where we were seated was uninviting (because of the bamboo partition). Also, it’s a bit on the noisy side.
I’d say come here for a cocktail & socialization.

Incredibly overpriced with very poor quality food. A friend and I went for dine out and considering it was the $ 40 meal we had high expectations. Not worth it at all. We ordered the lobster and shrimp dumplings to start and mine were burnt. When the waitress asked why I didn’t finish the plate and I said it was because they were burnt. Did nothing to help the situation. Also, they were not dumplings by any definition. More like fish cakes that were deep fried. The entrée of shrimp and scallops was marginally better. The sauce was tasty but the scallops were chewy and overlooked. Dessert was the chocolate trio and was very tasty. The overall service was also dismal as the staff couldn’t have acted more disinterested in providing half decent service. Will not be returning.

My coworkers and I decided to eat here for a night. We had reservations, and we were seated quickly enough. That was good.
But as for the food… wow. They really do know how to use negative space. The food was EXTREMELY overpriced for literally a quarter of the plate. I really wish I had gotten a picture. All of us left the restaurant hungry… and ended up at Burger King.
Such a disappointment.

Can’t really say much about the food/​drinks because we didn’t get to have any.
Walked in around 12:10 am last Friday night after two other bars in Gastown, me and my friend wanted to hit up one more before m.i.a. Stood at door for a few minutes and no one came up (although it was steps away from the bar and the 2 dudes there sure as hell saw us) so we went ahead and sat down on the side of bar where they were probably 5 – 7 others sitting by the bar. Two male bartenders were busy cutting fruit & making drinks. No one served us or paid us any attention still. A few minutes later one of the bartenders finally turned to us, DROPPED the menu in front of us and said, «we’re pretty much done so if you want a quick beer or wine». Here, I capitalized dropped because he literally dropped the menu, like his tone wasn’t cold enough. Right away we were like f*kc dis we outta here.
Me and my friend both live and work in Gastown, and our experiences with most bars around here (‘cept for Chill Winston) are all so very pleasant. Now, the rudeness of the bartenders might had been made more evident as a result of the wonderful service we had received from the two bars that we had perviously visited — Mosquito and Gringo. They doin it right, so if you need to learn, you know where to go.
Bartenders out there probably think we’re the crazy b1tchy type that would not give ‘em a break, please know that this is not the case. If you make me feel so disrespected and insulted then in all fairness you deserve a bad Unilocal review. I know you wanna close but why not make it easier for everyone by putting on a face for one second and politely deliver the bad news? If you also happened to be in a terrible mood, then that’s a matter of professional courtesy. If you can’t handle any of these, boo, you shouldn’t be working bar in Gastown.

We had lovely drinks, food and service. We asked about the size of our small plates, because of some of the negative reviews on Unilocal.For those of us used to tapas in Seattle, they were well described by the staff and didn’t disappoint. They were yummy, nicely complex and not that expensive for a restaurant with lovely décor, a kick-​ass bar and a wait staff that truly treated us incredibly well. Two small plates, a shared big plate of tender pork cheeks, some rice and beautiful greens were more than enough for two people-​who don’t want to stuff themselves. Everyone checked on us and asked about our food-​even, I think the owner or head chef who came by a few times. I think it might have been because we came in with our festive faces on and looked approachable the entire night. The drinks were amazing. If one wanted a normal Whiskey Sour or Manhattan, one might have been a little weirdered out by the magic that was delivered. Lastly, I agree with the folks who said the portions were small compared to some other restaurants. Well maybe they should stick with the big portioned, plastic décor, brightly lit, smelly bathroomed, places that cater to them so well.

Awesome food, and cocktails are amazing!
My best new Chinese fusion restaurant that caters to vegetarians as well as meat lovers and alcoholics that love cocktails :)
Wooohoo!

Holy f@ck. Whatever concoctions of cocktails, homemade juices, and succulent food… Whatever it was that went in my mouth, I just had ORGASMS. FOODGASM. I cannot stop salivating… Every single tiny detail of both food and drink… Ridiculous. Flavour and texture… Mmm… I can’t even describe. No wonder it’s packed.
FAST food, too…

Yup, not going here again. I will say the cocktails I had were delicious («Unfortunate Bastard»). Well made, well presented, nice atmosphere at the bar upfront.
Now the food… overpriced and not very tasty. We did the chef’s special, pairings for two people. There was six of us, so we ordered three. The portions were small at first, then got more reasonable, coincidentally after we mentioned they were small…
At the end of the meal, there was some confusion over the payment of the bill (due to splitting it up) but the waitress handled it poorly and made it a big deal. It was an honest mistake, that was corrected. Quite a buzz kill…
All in all, there’s a lot of other places I’d go before this one. But I might sneak back in for another «Unfortunate Bastard»!

Had a great time there for my birthday
— atmosphere was amazing
— the bubbly drink did taste like a$$ so don’t get it
–we came late so we ordered lobster dumplings which are big and yummy and pork dumplings which are small but delicious
— portions are small but I expected that
— service was great

Cool atmosphere, very inviting the doors were wide open, it intrigued us, we were just walking around and ended up coming in for a drink. This is an Asian fusion bar /​resto lounge located in Gastown.
It was a Friday night looked busy, we decided just to sit at the bar.
The bar was full we ordered drinks and an appy. After receiving both we felt a little snubbed no one asked how are food was or if we wanted more drinks. Both drinks and appy was meh. So we were done with this place. I just put my credit card on the table, the bartender grabbed it and asked the other bartender if thats all we had and gave me the bill. Didn’t asked if we wanted anything else. Paid the bill and we were out.

My family and I checked this place out when we were visiting Vancouver and staying near the Gastown neighborhood. We really enjoyed it. Food was full of interesting, complementary flavors and textures. We enjoyed all the small plates we ordered. Even something as simple as «steamed vegetable of the day» was delicious! And the desserts were heavenly. Service was great as well. Definitely recommend.

I’m sorry but I did not enjoy this dining experience. Sure the food was unique, but there was hardly anything to it. And the price was so high! the menu doesn’t look expensive, but the portions were sadly small.
My drink tasted like a Christmas potpourri, I wasn’t expecting that. I’ve been to restaurants with small portions many times before, but this one was just not that great.
However décor was beautiful, and the service was good.
If I ever go back, they would need to learn that we don’t have a food shortage in Vancouver, and I’m sure they can afford more then 5 scallops on a plate for 23 dollars…

Review One-​liner: Very good food in smallish portions that’s a bit on the pricey side.
Longer review below:
I was blown away when the waitress told my family we did NOT order enough to eat. That is the first time I’ve ever heard that at a restaurant, especially with my family who are athletic and love to eat.
First of all, the cocktails are fantastic, meaning they’re creative and tasty! I personally loved the New Gwie Lo! So much fun with a pineapple! cocktail.
Second, service was lovely and attentive. That being said, it was 6:00pm on a Tuesday night, where we were the only group eating dinner. It was my mom’s birthday and the owner personally brought out a surprise dessert consisting of an exotic sweet rice pudding with filipino limes and other fruits. Delish!
Third, all the food was great. We order about half the menu was impressed with most of the dishes. What stood our for me was the Hanger Steak, the Eggplant dish, the potato vermicelli as a appetizer, and the tofu dish. I was disappointed with the pork belly, finding it dry and needing lots of sauce to give it much flavour.
All of this awesomeness comes at a price, which I assume is typical for gastown. The dishes are small, and hard to share with a group of five. We didn’t walk away hungry, but none of us were full. I personally had a fourth meal (aka late-​night snack) before heading to bed.
Would I go back?! Yes, and I would stick to the amazing cocktails, and order some of the small plates as a asian-​fusion tapas.

Loved this restaurant!
Such interesting dishes, flavors I have never tasted before. Very creative food.
The ginger and coriander desert is honestly the best desert I have ever had!
Nice wine/​cocktail list.
If you’re feeling like trying something new and super tasty go here!

I’ve only been to the bar and can’t speak to the food.
That said, the bar was fantastic. Drinks are $ 10 – 12, but a lot of it is hand crafted original cocktails. The bartenders know what they are doing and are fun to talk to. I’ve had a couple of smokier drinks that are fantastic (I don’t remember names, sorry).
My friends and I happened upon this place just wandering around, then I went to BC for my bachelor party and a good part of the reason was so we could go here. The atmosphere is very chilled and relaxed, which is great for old guys like me :)

My office went to Bambudda for a Christmas party and it was awesome. One of the only Chinese restaurants I have been able to get gluten free. We all ate so much and the drinks were really creative and tasty. Try out the chicken skins!
A must try in Vancouver.

Ray Loy put his heart and soul into this place and it shows.
His family is from Strathcona– he worked many restaurant jobs until he scraped enough to run his own restaurant.
The menu is really nicely put together. I typically don’t do «fusion» but it’s done fairly well here.
I support.