In chasing ethnic food along Buford Highway (or anywhere for that matter), one thing that I have difficulty with is that restaurant owners are often afraid to break the boundaries of what they think people expect.
Com Ga Thailan
Don’t get me wrong, I love my tacos carnitas, phở tái, niu ro mien and char kway teow, but damn it, I’m paying you to cook, not think! I’ll do the thinking around here – you get back in the kitchen and cook like your frickin’ mother…
Cha ram nem nuong
Fortunately, I’m starting to see a few places break away from the mold and differentiate themselves, cooking the food they like to cook. Bamboo Grill & Hot Pot is a newcomer to Buford Highway, and is broadening the offerings seen on most Vietnamese menus in the area. The big standouts on the menu are lau (Vietnamese hot pot – hence the restaurant’s name), and a few claypot dishes (Cơm Tay Cầm Do Bien, Com Ga Thailan). Lau is a big, cook at your table affair – it ‘s a lot of food. The clay pot dishes are served in a pot that is reminiscent of Chinese clay pots, but the dishes themselves remind me more of Korean dolsot bibimbap – crispy rice and the vegetables still sizzling in the bowl when it comes to the table.
Bun Thai
A few other ingredients caught my eye on the menu as well – duck being the one I’m going back for (bun mang vit – duck bamboo vermicelli soup), snail paste – the one I’ll pass on for now.
In a slightly eerie strip mall near the CDC on Buford Highway, Bamboo Grill is located in the space formerly occupied by Pho Pasteur.
Bamboo Grill & Hot Pot
4646 Buford Hwy NE
Chamblee, GA 30341
I actually ate there the day they opened and unfortunately they did not have a lot of their menu items yet. I wanted the seafood hotpot, but ended up having the same ol’ pho ga which was mediocre. I am glad to hear that the other items are good. I will try it again! Thanks:)
Thanks for sharing! I ended up stopping by on Monday and got the Com Ga Thailan and was impressed. Definitely a great deal at 6.95
I have eaten there twice, and always outstanding. I ordered a hotpot the first time, and last weekend it was the seafood claypot. I have to agree, this dish is simply sublime, as the rice cooks longer and longer in the pot, the sugars caramelize, changing the nature and taste of the whole dish. Chamblee police were eating there as well. Definitely adding this to the regular circuit. Plus, it always puts you in a great mood to hit the BH Supermarket after your meal.