Bam-Bou

Bambou has a lot of things going for it. The central location, the members' club-open-to-all atmosphere, the inhouse upstairs bar, the private rooms perfect for dinner with friends, the slick service. But does it actually have great food? Our meal started well: the giant crackers laugh in the anaemic little faces of those pale imitation Chinese takeaway freebies. Then we had a variety of small plates and noodle and rice dishes shared between our large group, but only one dish stood out for me. I looked over at the chunky pork slices with crackling skin, salivating in anticipation. But oh dear, when I finally got my share it was a slobbery, rubbery, cold, crisp-less, taste-free mess of a mouthful. Remembered for all the wrong reasons and obliterating in my mind the happy memories of any of the other dishes which were all lovely, if not amazing. We ended with a plate of fruit: pretty and probably a good idea at the end of a long meal, but you're not going to win any prizes for slicing up what anyone can get in any large Tescos are you? Ok, except maybe for the Dragon Fruit which has happy associations for me with a stint in Singapore (and boy am I grateful that Bambou's “exotic fruit” plate didn't extend to the other Asian specialty fruit: the cheese-smelling, feet-tasting Durian fruit). We had knocked back a fair few cocktails and a quantity of wine, but for the quality of food the £70 bill was a bit painful. Given that every other ingredient in this place is almost perfect though it is difficult to knock it and perhaps the atmosphere justifies the price. Make sure you wear shoes you can walk in: if the price doesn't knock you over, the walk to the toilets in this higgledy piggledy townhouse might.

Amazing resturant – all the staff were so friendly and the food was bursting with flavour. The (literally) only downfall is that the service was a little bit slow. BUT a must go to…top knotch.

I booked a table for 6 on Saturday night with a 2 hour slot from 7.30pm. Sadly the service was very disappointing and it has left everyone with a very bad memory of the Restaurant. The waiters acted as if we had to be out within an hour and we ended up leaving at 9pm, half an hour before our time was up. Particularly irritating (and rude) was the way the waiters didn't wait for everyone to finish a course until the plates were cleared. One diner still had his chopsticks half way to his mouth with the last mouthful when the plate was whipped away from under him! After that we expected the main courses to arrive immediately but we had to wait about 20 minutes so it's not as if the food was waiting. Glasses were topped up constantly and although we had 2 bottles of wine, as soon as 1 was finished, our glasses were removed the second we took the last sip and we actually had to ask to keep them so we could drink the rest of our wine. I regret that my English reticence to cause fuss meant I ended up paying the service charge: it was certainly not justified.

We hosted a function at Bambou last night for 11 people. From originally thinking they'd lost our booking for the private room (had actually put us as a group in the main restaurant), I was a little concerned. The event team were great, we did get a private room and the evening was a big hit with everyone.

I've been here several times before and my biggest concern with Bambou has always been the size of the dishes, my husband always leaves feeling like a snack on the way home. So, as we were having a set meal, I deliberately went for the more expensive option thinking we might all get enough to eat. With spades ! Heaps of leftovers, which left me feeling a little guilty – but if they can do that for the dining room menu's, why can't they make the dishes in the main restaurant just a little bigger ? The standout dishes were the fish cakes (no rubber there) and the chocolate spring rolls for dessert. Don't think any of those got left behind…

The service was excellent, the bar is a great place for pre or post dinner drinks. The only thing to beware of is the step getting to the toilets. If you don't take care coming out, you could easily tumble down a flight of stairs.

Bam Bou is one of those places I pass by on a regular basis and after a friend's recommendation, I thought I'd take a chance. The staff were incredibly courteous and quickly showed us to our table by the window. The wood panelled restaurant is decorated in what can only be described as ‘colonial’ style which gives the place an opulent atmosphere but the room is quite small and the tables are rather too close to one another for a place that sees itself as an upmarket venue.

The meal was perfectly adequate and we all enjoyed what we ate but some of the dishes are over-priced for the amount of food you get. The Bun Cha (pork skewers with rice noodles) was far more generous and only two thirds of the price of the sea bass. I appreciate the latter is more expensive but £15 is a little steep for a small bit of fish by itself. On the other hand the spiced duck, which was similar in price, was a reasonable size. So, choose your dish carefully.

The wine list is ok, nothing spectacular, with the cheapest bottle about £16. While I'm pleased I've finally eaten here and really liked the feel of the restaurant, I'm not in any rush to return. If you're looking for proper Vietnamese food and can cope with cafe-like surroundings, then head to Kingsland road. You'll get a much better meal at a fraction of the cost.

I've been to BamBou loads of time, both to eat in the main restaurant and for drinks in the cocktail bar upstairs. The food has always been yummy (if a touch overpriced) and the cocktails upstairs are great, so when organising a party I had no hesitation in deciding on a private room at BamBou.

Big mistake.

From start to finish my contact with the private room staff has been problematic. To cut a long story short they lost my credit card details, lost my booking form and were rude. I have since cancelled the room as I can only assume the service at the party would reflect the surly and incompetent service during the booking. When I phoned to cancel, I politely told the staff why I was cancelling and they were totally disintererested.

I would definitely not recommend BamBou for a private room booking.

It’s been around for a long time but it’s still very good. The service used to be awful, all attitude and not much else, but last time I went I was pleasantly surprised to find the waiting staff, smiling efficient and seemingly pleased to serve. The menu has changed little over the years but it does what it does very well, the banana fritters are the best. The wine list is okay, not many surprises.