Update Review, March 2019 Visit
On a recent visit to Mountain View, I was craving Vietnamese desserts. I remembered Bambu from a previous visit (which of course I reviewed) to Sunnyvale, and was pleased to see they would deliver to my office, since I wasn't going to Sunnyvale itself. To make it worthwhile, I ordered a few items, hoping some would keep a few days - a technique I started in Sydney, when I once accidentally ordered a crazy large drink, and realized I could save what I couldn't finish, and it was perfectly fine the next day, and then discovered all the "2 for 1 deals on bubble tea drinks in Sydney ... #stockUp).
I ordered via Doordash, and, well, it was a disaster. The driver called me after the set delivery time (I had ordered at 11am for a 12:15 -12:45pm delivery), and he asked me if I had gotten my order. I was confused, and said "no ...". He told me Bambu said someone else already picked it up. MANY back and forths with Doordash later, the items finally arrived at ... 2:35pm, causing me to need to run out of a meeting to fetch them. I'm not sure who was at fault for everything, but, wow. So much drama, and many, many back and forth exchanges with Doordash. That part, I absolutely do NOT recommend.
But the goodies from Bambu, I do.
So again, another success, although sadly again the foam wasn't for me, and I did like it better once I reduced the sweetness by watering it down. I wish Bambu offered sweetness adjustments.
Like last time, I again wanted the fresh taro added, so I added that in the notes, hoping someone would see it. And I requested no ice, since I was planning to consume later. Sadly, it came with ice and without taro. Oh well.
It was just as good as I remembered, a layered creation, just so full of goodies. In the bottom, mostly the pandan jellies, smooth soft noodles-like, and then a layer with pieces of jackfruit (love these!), slimy young coconut, and some whole lychees and longans, and then tons of the red tapioca above all that, with coconut milk rounding it all out. I'm not sure I found any palm seeds nor jello, but its hard to tell sometimes what you are slurping up.
I again really enjoyed this, although I did find it sweet, it was a fun adventure, and I just wished I had the taro I requested. I ended up adding scoops of the goodies into my other drinks quite successfully too.
I ordered via Doordash, and, well, it was a disaster. The driver called me after the set delivery time (I had ordered at 11am for a 12:15 -12:45pm delivery), and he asked me if I had gotten my order. I was confused, and said "no ...". He told me Bambu said someone else already picked it up. MANY back and forths with Doordash later, the items finally arrived at ... 2:35pm, causing me to need to run out of a meeting to fetch them. I'm not sure who was at fault for everything, but, wow. So much drama, and many, many back and forth exchanges with Doordash. That part, I absolutely do NOT recommend.
But the goodies from Bambu, I do.
Smoothies (Sinh To)
None of us tried a smoothie on our previous visit, so I decided to mix it up and try smoothies. I had no idea what style they would be (blended with ice? Non-dairy creamer? Coconut milk?), but the flavor lineup was pretty extensive and interesting. As a bonus, all come with 2 free mix-ins (additional for $0.50). Sadly, only the standard bubble tea mix-ins are available (e.g pearls, pudding, jellies), not things like pandan noodles. Regular smoothies are $6, with the premium offerings coming in at $6.50.
I ordered two smoothies, and enjoyed them both (not at once!). Bambu does a great job with the texture and blending of the smoothies, but both suffered from inconsistent prep (one had way too much topping, the other too much mix-in), and both were sweeter than I really wanted. Still, I was pleased with them, and would get smoothies again.
I ordered two smoothies, and enjoyed them both (not at once!). Bambu does a great job with the texture and blending of the smoothies, but both suffered from inconsistent prep (one had way too much topping, the other too much mix-in), and both were sweeter than I really wanted. Still, I was pleased with them, and would get smoothies again.
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| Durian with fruit jellies, sea salt foam. $6.50. |
Yup, durian.
I ordered a durian smoothie, because ... I dunno, can I say I was kinda craving it? I was kinda craving it. Can't really explain that, but I was. Yes, durian.
I opted to add fruit jellies to sweeten it up and perhaps break the funk, and sea salt foam to try it as I adore these foams, cremas, clouds, or whatever places choose to call the savory-sweet creams they put on top these days.
The foam I was really excited for, but I didn't really care for Bambu's version nearly as much as other places. Specifically, it wasn't much of a foam, it was much richer, denser, and not light in any way. Slimy even. I also didn't taste sea salt, but I guess it was a little savory. And, as you can see, there was kind of a ridiculous amount of it. Maybe they wanted to help cut the durian flavor?
The smoothie was perfectly blended, little tiny bits of ice-y, really almost like ice cream the bits were so little. It didn't separate at all. Very well made. I think maybe they blend frozen durian?
And yes, it tasted, well, like durian. Which I liked. Funk and all. Great texture, strong durian flavor, although sweeter than I was expecting, from whatever they blend in. Is it coconut milk?
The jellies were what I expected, a rainbow mix, slimy, fruity, slurpy, and I appreciated them in the mix.
Overall, this was good, although I really did just want whipped cream on top, the sea salt foam was just too heavy.
I ordered a durian smoothie, because ... I dunno, can I say I was kinda craving it? I was kinda craving it. Can't really explain that, but I was. Yes, durian.
I opted to add fruit jellies to sweeten it up and perhaps break the funk, and sea salt foam to try it as I adore these foams, cremas, clouds, or whatever places choose to call the savory-sweet creams they put on top these days.
The foam I was really excited for, but I didn't really care for Bambu's version nearly as much as other places. Specifically, it wasn't much of a foam, it was much richer, denser, and not light in any way. Slimy even. I also didn't taste sea salt, but I guess it was a little savory. And, as you can see, there was kind of a ridiculous amount of it. Maybe they wanted to help cut the durian flavor?
The smoothie was perfectly blended, little tiny bits of ice-y, really almost like ice cream the bits were so little. It didn't separate at all. Very well made. I think maybe they blend frozen durian?
And yes, it tasted, well, like durian. Which I liked. Funk and all. Great texture, strong durian flavor, although sweeter than I was expecting, from whatever they blend in. Is it coconut milk?
The jellies were what I expected, a rainbow mix, slimy, fruity, slurpy, and I appreciated them in the mix.
Overall, this was good, although I really did just want whipped cream on top, the sea salt foam was just too heavy.
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| Jackfruit with red tapioca, cheese foam. $6.50. |
Just in case the durian didn't work out, I also ordered the jackfruit smoothie, planning to stash it in the freezer if I loved the durian one, and drink it later. To that I added the red tapioca I remembered loving in the Fruit Lover Che, and the cheese foam, because, again, I'm addicted to savory foams!
Much like the sea salt foam, this "foam" was crazy heavy, crazy rich. This one came with a more reasonable portion at least. And like the sea salt foam, I didn't really taste the more savory cheese flavor I was hoping for. The two foam varieties were actually indistinguishable.
Just like the durian smoothie, the texture was perfect, so well blended. They really do a nice job on the blending of smoothies. The jackfruit flavor was good, but this one was much sweeter than I wanted. I ended up watering it down, and then adding some soy milk, and that created a really pleasant creation.
The red tapioca I again loved. Crunchy inside (water chestnut?) and slimy soft tapioca outside. So tasty. Although this was loaded up with a too generous serving, I found myself wanting some sips without them, and it was hard to get that.
I did try freezing the second half of this, and, the smoothie froze fine, but the red tapioca got fairly gross - the texture was very offputting after a defrost. I don't recommend that at all.
Much like the sea salt foam, this "foam" was crazy heavy, crazy rich. This one came with a more reasonable portion at least. And like the sea salt foam, I didn't really taste the more savory cheese flavor I was hoping for. The two foam varieties were actually indistinguishable.
Just like the durian smoothie, the texture was perfect, so well blended. They really do a nice job on the blending of smoothies. The jackfruit flavor was good, but this one was much sweeter than I wanted. I ended up watering it down, and then adding some soy milk, and that created a really pleasant creation.
The red tapioca I again loved. Crunchy inside (water chestnut?) and slimy soft tapioca outside. So tasty. Although this was loaded up with a too generous serving, I found myself wanting some sips without them, and it was hard to get that.
I did try freezing the second half of this, and, the smoothie froze fine, but the red tapioca got fairly gross - the texture was very offputting after a defrost. I don't recommend that at all.
So again, another success, although sadly again the foam wasn't for me, and I did like it better once I reduced the sweetness by watering it down. I wish Bambu offered sweetness adjustments.
Milk Teas (Tra Sua)
Bambu offers a large range of milk tea (or regular tea or fruit tea if you prefer), most available warm, cold, or some even blended. When ordering online, there is no option to add any mix-ins/toppings, which seemed wrong to me, so I tried to add grass jelly by putting it in the notes. There is also no customization about sweetness level nor amount of ice, both of which I also tried to add in the notes.
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| Taro Milk Tea. $4.25. |
Taro milk tea is only available cold, unlike most of the others flavors, so, cold it was. I hoped this meant that it was fresh taro milk? Unlike many milk teas, it does not use black tea in the base, rather, it uses pandan leaf water, but I didn't taste the subtle pandan flavor.
I put in the notes that I wanted grass jelly added, and less sweet, and no ice (since I was going to drink it later). It did show up with grass jelly and no ice, so, that was granted. It still seemed very sweet to me, but that seemed to be a theme, and I'm not sure they do allow adjustments anyway.
Unlike the other drinks, this one arrived sealed, which is what I was hoping for, so I could stash it for later.
It was ... fine? Not much notable to say, other than that it didn't seem like fresh taro, and I didn't taste the pandan. Fairly standard taro powder tea. The grass jellies were good, large size blobs, and plentiful.
I put in the notes that I wanted grass jelly added, and less sweet, and no ice (since I was going to drink it later). It did show up with grass jelly and no ice, so, that was granted. It still seemed very sweet to me, but that seemed to be a theme, and I'm not sure they do allow adjustments anyway.
Unlike the other drinks, this one arrived sealed, which is what I was hoping for, so I could stash it for later.
It was ... fine? Not much notable to say, other than that it didn't seem like fresh taro, and I didn't taste the pandan. Fairly standard taro powder tea. The grass jellies were good, large size blobs, and plentiful.
Che
Of course, Che is the main attraction, and I decided to be boring, and get exactly the same type I had before. I really was interested in trying something else, but ... I really liked it before, and wanted all those amazing fruity mix-ins again.
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| Fruit Addict Che. $6. |
"Lychee, longan, red tapioca, jackfruit, palm seed, jello, pandan jelly, coconut and coconut milk."
Like last time, I again wanted the fresh taro added, so I added that in the notes, hoping someone would see it. And I requested no ice, since I was planning to consume later. Sadly, it came with ice and without taro. Oh well.
It was just as good as I remembered, a layered creation, just so full of goodies. In the bottom, mostly the pandan jellies, smooth soft noodles-like, and then a layer with pieces of jackfruit (love these!), slimy young coconut, and some whole lychees and longans, and then tons of the red tapioca above all that, with coconut milk rounding it all out. I'm not sure I found any palm seeds nor jello, but its hard to tell sometimes what you are slurping up.
I again really enjoyed this, although I did find it sweet, it was a fun adventure, and I just wished I had the taro I requested. I ended up adding scoops of the goodies into my other drinks quite successfully too.
Original Review, May 2018
After a fairly disappointing meal at Dumpling Depot near downtown Sunnyvale, my group wanted something to kinda make up for the lackluster meal. We weren't necessarily hungry, or really wanting anything, except, well, a better experience.I pulled up Google Maps, searched for "dessert", found only two places nearby (Pinkberry or Bambu), did a quick Yelp reference check on Bambu, and saw 4 stars. People said it was a nice place to hang out, which also is what we were looking for, to continue talking, hopefully somewhere more comfortable than the cold sterile interior of the dumpling shop. Ok, we were in!
I didn't entirely know what Bambu was, except that it looked like an asian dessert cafe. That was all I needed really, since I love dessert, and trying unfamiliar desserts is always fun for me.
It turned out to be a surprise great pick. Nice environment, friendly efficient service, and unique tasty treats. I'll gladly return.
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| Front Counter. |
The menu has a slew of drinks (bubble teas, infused teas, milk teas, coffees, juices, smoothies), a single pandan waffle offering, and, a huge selection of signature chè.
I was tempted to get a taro smoothie with mix-ins, but, I wanted to be more unique. I don't get chè often at all, and the others had never had it before, so, we all went for chè.
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| Cute Seating. |
Our orders were quickly prepared and our number called out.
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| Fruit Addict Chè (+Taro). $5.95. |
For chè, the menu had at least 15 different pre-made combinations. I started at the top of the list, and liked the sounds of the first one, the "Bambu Special" with coconut pandan jelly, longan, basil seeds, and coconut water. And then I liked the next one. And the next one. And so on. I really would have been happy with nearly any of them. So many ingredients I love: taro. Pandan. Jackfruit. Jellies. Coconut milk or coconut water. OMG.
I went for the "Fruit Addict" in the end, as it had a ton of things I wanted, but I added in taro, because I love taro.
It was a wonderful adventure of a dessert-drink. Each layer was a unique color and texture, and it was incredibly fun to dig through, sip at, and just generally make a mess of as I discovered all the elements. It was all in a sweet coconut milk base, topped with slush that melted in as we enjoyed.
The lychee and longan were perhaps the most boring, just whole pieces of fruit, sweet, juicy, but not very unique. Same with the coconut, not fresh soft slimy young coconut as I hoped, but instead more mature large pieces of coconut.
The green pandan jellies were equally a bit boring, a bit chewy, fine, but not all that interesting.
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| Close Up. |
The red tapioca I also really liked, I think it was water chestnut bits coated in red colored tapioca, not just red tapioca balls. They had a slight crunch in the center and soft exterior. It reminded me of the Tup Tim Grob from Chat Thai in Sydney, but, actually good. My third favorite element.
I know you are expecting me to say the taro I added was my favorite, but, it wasn't. I wasn't sure what format the taro would be, little taro balls, taro flavored mochi, etc, but, it turned out to be a taro cream. A bit odd actually, and not my favorite. Interesting texture, interesting experience, but, not how I like my taro.
What was my favorite? The palm seeds, although I only found 2 slices. Soft, slimy, and sweet. And just not something I have much.
Overall, this was a unique dessert for me, full of texture, ingredients I like, and surprise. I enjoyed it, and would love to try more of this style of Vietnamese dessert.
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