Julieta Hernandez
jhernandez@foghornnews.com
Bamboo Garden is one of Corpus Christi’s signature Asian food spots. Located conveniently on Airline Road, the restaurant specializes in Chinese and Vietnamese dishes and has a wide variety of classic and complex dishes to choose from — including vegetarian and vegan options.
Walking in with my colleague, we were greeted immediately. Bamboo Garden has been open In Promenade Plaza for several years, so the restaurant often is pretty lively and bustling with regulars. However, the restaurant is big enough that we were able to be seated and enjoy our meal in a secluded booth with no noise disruption.
While the service was pleasant, there was really only one reason I’d walked in there that day: their Eggplant Tofu Pad Thai.
Now, whether you’re vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous, there’s no denying the bouncy, flattened rice noodles stir-fried in their slightly-spicy sweet chili sauce. Add the fried tofu and cooked eggplant, bean sprouts and cilantro — BAM, you’ve got yourself a full happy plate of Pad Thai for the broke, happy college student.
As a big fan of Pad Thai, this was my first time having it served to me at Bamboo Garden. Eggplant hadn’t been an ingredient I would’ve usually thought to have in my Pad Thai noodles, but I was surprised by the way it was used in this dish and how it complemented the sauce.
To make this dish vegan, I asked the server to have it prepared without the egg. This makes no major difference in the taste or texture of the plate.
The total for the Eggplant Tofu Pad Thai was $9.95, which was perfect since I’d gotten such a big portion that I ended up taking to-go.
Overall my experience was positive, and my stomach was full. I will be returning for that Pad Thai.
RATING: 4.5 OUT OF 5
PRICE: $9.95
Go Vegetarian!!! Leave animals alone…