First Bite: Lucky Bamboo

I can’t tell you how excited I was when I got word that Lucky Bamboo on Charlotte Pike was going to reopen as a Chinese restaurant run by the folks who own Chinatown in Green Hills. We all have different definitions of what a good Chinese restaurant is, but for me, I just wanted a nice sit-down restaurant with good tasting, reasonably authentic, Chinese-American food with vegetarian options. That is, with more than just a single vegetarian entrée and fried rice as my choices. Oh, and located outside of Green Hills and not more than 20 miles away. A pretty long list of criteria, I know.

Lucky Bamboo goes above and beyond. My husband and I finally got the chance to visit the restaurant on New Year’s Eve. I’d heard about some service issues on Christmas Day (apparently, they had some technical difficulties with their computers), so we decided to go early, just in case. We got there just before 6 p.m. and the restaurant was busy, but not packed. We were able to get seated in a cozy booth right away.

We were given the regular menu (which was several pages) plus a dim sum/appetizer menu as well as a hot pot menu. I wasn’t sure if there was a vegetarian hot pot option (I later learned there is, and the list of vegetables is extensive), so we decided to order from the standard menu. First things first, we ordered the scallion pancake appetizer that I’d heard was so good and a vegetarian egg roll. The pancake is flaky and savory, rather than crepe-like and is delicious. Don’t skip it.

Next, there were numerous vegetarian entrées available as well as a huge selection for my omnivore husband, so we asked the server for recommendations. I got the bok choy with black mushroom over white rice, and my husband got the Sichuan soupy-style chicken. While we waited on the food, we munched on complimentary wonton chips.

Our food came out rather quickly, and I suppose because we ordered everything at the same time, all the food (appetizers and entrées) came out at the same time. That was really the only service issue. Though I really didn’t mind, since everything came out so quickly. I prefer that to waiting long periods of time with no food at all.

The bok choy with mushrooms recommendation was excellent. It was a big plate of food that I thought I might not finish, but I did. Everything was prepared perfectly and came with a flavorful savory brown sauce. My husband’s Sichuan soupy style chicken was also a hit. It was a large enough portion to provide lunch the following day. Though even the standard mild version was fairly spicy, so if you order it, be sure to have a spare glass of water.

Overall, we had a fantastic meal, and the bill (including a bubble tea) was about $30. Not bad at all. Special bonus: The kid enjoyed the heck out of the koi pond in the middle of the restaurant. OK, I did, too.

It’s important to note, though, that we ordered items that were recommended to us. I’ve also heard good reviews of the Sichuan appetizers (the pork belly, for example) and the hot pots. But I’ve read some criticism of the dim sum, which (it’s been said) is not all house-made. My eggroll, however, was tasty and I didn’t have to buy, thaw, or cook it, so I was happy.

As for the buns, I’ve had frozen buns from the international market prepared at home that were just as good as freshly made buns I’ve had in New York City, so it may just be luck of the draw. The menu is huge, so my suggestion would be (for now) to order the specialties, particularly the Sichuan specialties or a hot pot and I don’t think you’ll go wrong.

How about you, Bites folk? Anybody else been to Lucky Bamboo? Any tips or experiences to share?