Bamboo Basket is new addition to the increasingly vibrant and unapologetically modern South Bank precinct. Located at the eastern end of Grey St, there was always the danger that when this Chinese restaurant opened a few months ago it would be a little far from the action. But it hasn’t taken long for it to create its own.
It is a restaurant that oozes confidence even from the outside, making a feature of their steamy kitchen, filled with professional chefs and (you guessed it) lots of bamboo baskets. The interior is sleek, full of striking reds and blacks, but maybe a little showy.
The stand-out performer at Bamboo Basket is definitely the noodles. They are made fresh, very fresh – practically right in front of you – making for some delicious noodle soups and awesome dumplings. We tried two of their very reasonably priced lunch specials ($10.90). The wonton noodle soup was delicious and the BBQ pork disappeared very quickly. Definitely worth fighting over! They are certainly not complicated meals, just simple and good.
Chinese restaurants in Brisbane have really had to improve since the dingy suburban takeaways of the 90s. Sweet and sour pork and black bean beef just doesn’t cut it any more. Bamboo Basket is certainly a cut above those greasy memories of my childhood, and well worth a visit.
[Editor: Bamboo Basket is so popular that the Jetsetting Parents also visited recently. Here's their take on the restaurant.]
There was a continuous stream of onlookers on the foot-path, peering through a big glass window into the open kitchen of Bamboo Basket Chinese Restaurant. They were watching with interest (and probably salivating at the same time) at the dexterous skills demonstrated by the chefs inside who were busy rolling out dough, filling and pinching up dumplings, making noodles by repeated “pull, loop, pull” action, etc.
Inside the restaurant, all tables were either filled up or reserved by 12 noon, half-an-hour after opening , with the staff moving briskly around taking orders and delivering dishes. A small queue was always waiting at the entrance despite the fairly quick turnover of the tables. This set the tone for the lunch for Jetsetting Dad and myself.
The decor of the restaurant is simple yet stylish with a touch of red for a Chinese flair. From its extensive menu, we chose a few which we thought would be indicative of the skills of the dumplings and noodle chefs.
The four xiao lung bao (steamed pork dumplings, S7.90) arrived at our table in a bamboo basket. They were outstanding. The abundant soup/juice simply burst out in our mouth when we bit into it. It’s amazing how the delicate skin could hold up the weight of the soup and meat without breaking even when the dumpling was lifted out of the basket by chopsticks. I reckon the recipe for the dough and the rolling technique must have to be perfect.
Next we had pan-fried pork dumplings (6 for $11.90). From our experience, a good one has to have a juicy meat filling with a nice crispy bottom while the rest of the skin is thin and soft. So these were the qualities we were looking for in our order and happily, we were not disappointed, though I would still prefer a crisper base.
The hot and sour soup ($ 8.90) was a thickened soup with strips of pork, woody fungus, tofu, bamboo shoots and eggs. It was authentic but quite ordinary in taste – I even found it a bit too vinegary.
A big bowl of Langzhou pull-noodles in soup with beef ($17.90) was another outstanding dish. The fresh noodles were thick and al-dente (borrowing the Italian description). Again, it demands a good dough as well as some well-practiced pull and loop skills from the chef. The soup was tasty, too, without being greasy.
When we complimented on the food at the end of our meal, we were told that the chefs are mostly recruited from Shanghai. Bamboo Basket is the restaurant we have been waiting for and I hope that the chefs will stick to their successful recipes and continue to offer us authentic and good-quality dumplings and noodles.
- Bamboo Basket, 190 Grey St, South Brisbane
Discussion
No comments for “HOT: Bamboo Basket, 190 Grey St, South Brisbane”