Tasty Thai on 9
Housed in the same strip mall on Rt. 9 South as Christie's Seafood Grill, Bamboo Leaf is a cozy little place that is worth investigating. The owner has gutted the former Indian restaurant and created a cozy ambiance. The floors are a stone colored tile, while nice accents add to the vietnamese flavor. Tables are a nice size and there is plenty of seating.

We asked the owner for recommendations and she steered us in the right direction. We ordered a Vietnamese Summer Roll first. It was a refreshing blend of large shrimp, lettuce, mint, bean sprouts and pork. It was so fresh that the mint was crisp. The portions were generous and we saved some for the dinner since we did not want to spoil our meals.

The Vietnamese Tamarind Soup was a spicy house specialty. Stuffed with seafood, this soup had a delicous broth that was both sweet and sour. We ate some of our appetizer with this dish since it helped cool off our mouths. Even though the dish was very spicy, it was incredibly delicious.

The two main entrees: Seafood Lover and the Lemongrass Beef did not disappoint. A choice was given in terms of how hot we wanted our dishes (the scale being from a 3 -mild to a 7- feel the pain). The beef was ordered as a 4 and the Seafood a 6. Both were seasoned accordingly and thoroughly enjoyed. The Seafood Lover is aptly named - stuffed with gigantic mussels, scallops, shrimp and crab - it is truly for the seafood lover. The Beef had a lemongrass flavor and was accented with onions and peppers - a very good dish for the less adventurous.

Other items on the menu that grabbed our attention (but not sampled) were Curries, Salads, Noodle and Rice dishes. All looked fantastic and it was determined by the diners that this restaurant was worth many a repeat visit.    [16 Dec 2005 23:16:24]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Vietnamese Summer Rolls, Vietnamese Tamarind Soup, Lemongrass Beef, Seafood Lover

     ­Anonymous   

Bamboo bummer
I first experienced the Bamboo Leaf in early 2006. I was impressed by everything with the restaurant: the ambience, the service, and, of course, the food. My favorite dish was the lemongrass soup. It was possibly the best dish I had ever eaten! I tried all of the curries offered, and they were all outstanding.
However, the last few times that I dined there (since autumn of 2006), I have noticed a decline in the quality of the food. The lemongrass soup is so salty that it is nearly impossible to eat. The calamari in a certain dish were so rubbery that we didn't attempt to eat them.
I keep returning to the Bamboo Leaf hoping that things are back to normal, but sadly they are still on the decline.    [02 Feb 2007 11:29:00]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Banana Spring Rolls (dessert)

     ­Anonymous   

Why did they change the menu!?
My boyfriend and I would dine at the Bamboo Leaf restaurant at least twice a month. We would order the Vietnamese noodle soups, vermicelli noodle dishes, and for dessert we would end with an avocado or honeydew shake. Last night we discovered that they had changed their menu from Thai/Vietnamese (which we LOVED!) to Thai/French (BIG mistake!). We asked our waitress why they had changed the menu, and she said that they were "experimenting". I hope this is only temporary because we went to the restaurant specifically for the Vietnamese fare. We were so disappointed with the change that we will not return until we find out that they have returned Vietnamese to their menu!    [25 Feb 2007 20:50:47]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 

     ­Anonymous   jpgreenbaum at gmail dot com

Authentic Thai at it's best!
I went to this busy thai/french restaurant that is under new management
since February 2007. I had Thai dumplings served over a bed of greens and found it to be quite exquisite. Then I had the papaya salad which had some sliced strawberries and grilled jumbo shrimp. That one was quite refreshing and low on calories.
Overall, the quality of food has improved tremendously. I have great expectations with the new chefs, a Thai sibling team that have cooked all over the world!    [19 Mar 2007 13:51:57]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: papaya salad and chili red snapper

     ­Anonymous   

Improved greatly!
I wrote a review a few months ago lambasting the restaurant, but since my first visit after the change from thai/vietnamese to thai/french cuisine I have eaten there several more times with my boyfriend and I have enjoyed every visit. We try to have something different each time and everything has been delicious. The wait staff is very friendly as well!    [08 Oct 2007 21:03:55]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Pad Thai, Pad See Yue, Spring Rolls, Green Curry

     ­jpgreenbaum   

Changed cuisines
Several of us dined at the Bamboo Leaf West yesterday. When we saw the menu, we were surprised to see only one Vietnamese item. The restaurant, which has swapped cuisines several times, is now almost exclusively Thai, despite the sign at the Mall.
However, we were very happy with the food. The waiter initially brought out a dish of fried dumplings that were both tasty and crisp.
The entrees were both delicious and ample. The "King" - kebab meats with dipping sauces and rice - was especially good.    [30 May 2008 08:08:30]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 

     ­Lee