Bamboo Garden Restaurant
| Address: | 108 N. Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA |
| Phone: | +1 650-967-7334 |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | Closed 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM 11AM–2:30PM |
Location
Photos 80
Reviews 13
A
A Private User
Food tasted pre-cooked a long time ago and then re-heated or microwaved when ordered. I am not referring to dishes that do require slow cooking, such as stews and roasts. I am referring to dishes that really should be cooked-to-order. Ive traveled in China extensively and have a lot of demanding Shanghainese foodie friends; so I know what Im talking about. The xiaolongbao was better than frozen stuff from supermarkets, but not great. The Shanghainese style vegetable rice in a pot ("Shanghai cai fan" is a traditional non-vegetarian rice dish) was absolutely appalling--low-grade, factory-produced American bacon was used in lieu of aromatic air dried Chinese ham. Without the latters natural sweetness and complex aroma, theres no soul in this dish. Also, the serving size was tiny for the price. The waitress was aggressive. We were a party of three and we ordered five full-sized entrees + a rice dish. When we finished ordering, she kept on pressuring us to order the xiaolongbao. She refused to leave us alone until we succumbed to her "recommendation". This was annoying. The positive things about this restaurant are that it seems relatively clean for a Chinese eatery and that the tables are quite far apart from each other. Its located in old mall next to a ghetto-like liquor store. Though I dont care about the trendiness of a neighborhood, I do care about the taste of the food. Bamboo Garden just doesnt provide decent enough quality that deserves my second visit.
LO
Lorrie M
Having been here a few times now, I have to say I dig this place a lot. First off, its hard to find places that are actually run by Chinese people lately that call themselves a Chinese restaurant. This restaurant was on the Michelin 2013 recommended list, and although its sort of ... in the corner and quiet and in a crappy little plaza, they have PLENTY of parking and enough room at their large table for 10-12 people. The family that owns this place is incredibly nice, and I would highly recommend trying out your crappy Chinese because they love helping you out and making you feel like a superstar ordering in Chinese for 10-15 people. They have excellent XLB, and great Chinese dishes otherwise. Great choice for Chinese food in MV!
ED
Edward Wu
I went at 10:00 and they close at 10:30. They wanted us to take it to go, which was slightly inconvenient. I got the corn soup, glutinous rice with pork and bamboo, and xiao long bao (small pork buns). Corn soup with chicken is pretty standard, not too much to rave about. The glutinous rice with pork and bamboo has way too much bamboo and an overpowering smell from the bamboo, but the pork and rice were still good. The xiao long bao was pretty good, but some of the soup already had leaked out because we had to take it to go, so that was disappointing. TL;DR; A pretty average chinese place for takeout. Glutinous rice had an overpowering bamboo smell. Could be better if we dined in.
MA
Mark Fojas
Food is fantastic-- my favorite Chinese in the South Bay area. Dim sum is fresh and delicious. This is where all the old Chinese folk hang out so you know its good-- and reasonably priced. Forget ordering any lemon chicken or General Tsos. Thats not what this place is about. The clay pot stuff is where its at, and the pan fried pork buns, and the XLBs. Tea smoked duck is pretty good as well, and the soups really hit the spot. Kids love the generous won ton soup with lots of tasty vegetables. Staff is really friendly, but theres not that many of them so it can get a bit hectic. I guess thats what keeps the prices low.
EX
Exit Kiwi
I came for the soup dumplings, which were good. They werent amazing... a bit oily tasting inside. Not very surprising but I have definitely had somewhat less oily tasting dumplings. However, sometimes I really just need a soup dumpling nearby :) The wait was long, service was slow, but there were a lot of people there for dinner the night I went. So it seemed like an issue of being busy rather than inefficient. They were nice when they came to the table and happy to help if we asked. The rest of the meal was good. I will continue to go back for the soup dumplings but otherwise I head to other Chinese places nearby.
A
A Private User
Very fresh and delicious Chinese food. Its a hole in the wall located in a run down shopping center, but is great for take-out, or eat-in if youre not looking for romantic ambiance. They have wonderful soups, Chow Mein, Fried Rice, and many other specialty dishes. The only other decent Chinese food is on Castro Street where its hard to find parking when youre in a rush for a quick bite to eat. This location is perfect for anyone bombing down Rengstorff after work and needs a good meal to bring home for the family. I highly recommend it!!
MA
maryannEatsArt
Mostly asian clientele means authentic Szechuan Shanghai cuisine. Dim sum items, weekend specials, special requests, and large menu listing and a welcoming staff. Located in a fairly empty shopping corner. Sweet and sour pork consists of brilliant red tender pieces of fried pork ribs, mapo tofu has bits of sausage and not very spicy, chow mein noodles are plentiful but soft. Fried sesame balls are two bite wonders. Quick service, family orientated restaurant thats rather small but usually busy.
ME
Merry Yen
Best pan-fried buns (水煎包) in the area - the dough is thick, chewy, and sweet, the pork is perfectly seasoned and juicy - SO GOOD. The steamed pork dumplings (小籠包) are delectable. Sauteed pea sprouts (豆苗) is fresh and wokd to perfection. The stewed pork is about as close as how my mom makes it. The wait staff is friendly and efficient . I cant believe it took us this long to try out this place, but well probably be going back every week.
AN
Andrew Noske
My yoga instructor recommended, and if you do go the duck that comes in the bamboo container is cool novelty. The pot-stickers were good too, but made the mistake of ordering large duck soup - which was super huge (enough for four people), but not really something I enjoyed. Pretty plain / cafeteria looking inside and a bit crowded, but also popular with Chinese residents of silicon valley, so probably was just an unlucky order!
A
A Private User
I went to this restaurant with my fiance and her family for the first time about 6 months ago. The food was phenomenal. Today was the first time back since my then fiance now wife have been married. The experience was the same as the first. Outstanding. Real authentic food intimate setting and great people. The food was hot anxiety delicious. Well be back soon.
MA
Marn-Yee Lee
Simple eatery with authentic food. Lunch special is good deal. A lot of their stuff are pretty good. I sometimes order what I see on other peoples tables as I am less familiar with Shanghainese and northern Chinese food. The tea smoked duck is good, so is the fish fillet in wine sauce (which I order for the kids too as the alcohol probably burned off).
A
A Private User
Really good prices and delicious food. Service is as you expect for a Chinese place. It is a hole in the wall so dont expect a super nice restaurant. Personally, I like the fried pork buns here better than the xlb, but Shanghai Flavor Shop has the best fried pork buns. However, if you want other food, this place has the best overall food.
JA
James Higbie
Surprisingly good Chinese fare in a slightly unpreposessing strip mall location, with views of Caltrain and a carwash. Friendly service, relaxed atmosphere, and some well-made (mostly northern-chinese) specialties, including fatty pork bamboo sticky rice and smoked duck. Much better than your run-of-the-mill Chinese-American eatery!
