Lunching at Bento Boss

In the past month I have had the fortune of lunching at Bento Boss, above Clifton Down shopping centre, twice and both times the food has been excellent.  We have been lucky enough in Bristol to have Yume open in the last year, a great place to go for Japanese food and now I am happy to report we have Bento Boss as well. Although Bento Boss is more pan Asian in it's menu, with nods to Malaysia, Indonesia, China and so on.  The decor has really been given a lease of life since I was last in this restaurant space, very light and welcoming.

As the menu is pretty extensive it might take you quite a while to decide what to order however I strongly urge you to try one of their baos. Fluffy steamed dough served with a plate of the meat of your choice and toppings so you can build your own, the meat is so tender it is heavenly I personally loved the pork belly one.  The bento boxes range from about £9-£14 and are pretty generously portioned some with tempura as well as sushi as their accompaniments. Ramen and stir fries are also available. Their sushi was also pretty good with a good range of fish to sample the bento box I ordered was pretty large and I was very full by the end.  The slices of fish could have been a touch thicker but this is a minor gripe really.

mixed bao fillings

As you can see this food is pretty impressive, if your mouth is not watering at the thought of those baos you have greater will power than me.  What is most astonishing is the £3-3.50 per bao price tag these are good value. Also if you like mochi then you have the choice of a number of flavours I personally adore the coconut ones.  They also do a range of tradtional ice cream flavours such as red bean paste, green tea and black sesame.

Large sushi bento (£12)

So I urge you strongly to check out Bento Boss it is really very delicious and if you don't want it to suffer the fate of so many restaurants sited in this location before, then support it, you won't be disappointed by the food it is right up there with some of the best Asian food in Bristol.  Currently Bento Boss does not have a website or Twitter account but you can view their Facebook page for more info.

A Sunny Lunch from Baowow

Last Wednesday was an abnormally hot day, Summer in it's death throws, and Jayne and I had arranged to meet for lunch, we had chosen Baowow on Baldwin street and to take our choices to Castle Park to enjoy the last hot hot heat of the year.  It's a venue I've been wanting to try for a while as it offers something a little bit different for lunch than most central Bristol venues. Run by the same people who make the Thai food at the Old Fish Market, if I remember correctly, this is something a little different than what they serve there.

At Baowow they celebrate the bao, amongst other things, the Chinese bun, we know them best in the char siu bun form but at Baowow they like to experiment with this classic and have many options to choose from as well as noodle and rice pots. Taking the flavours of Thailand, China, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam and combining them to form a pretty tasty sounding menu. My main personal gripe is that about 75% of the dishes contain coriander, which to me tastes like evil, but I am not going to hold that against them as it's just what I feel.

The inside is small but has a few tables for eating in, it is nicely decorated with some great blackboard work on the walls, there was a bit of a queue and waiting in the sweltering heat was tough but we powered on through. I was going to go for a bao but it had been a very heavy lunch week so I decided to try one of their noodle pots instead.  I chose the Thai roast pork and noodles whilst Jayne went for the chicken katsu with noodles. We headed off to the park to consume our giant pots of noodles and meat.

first impressions

after a slight stir

After picking out all the coriander I could find I gave the pot a good stir to make sure things were properly mixed in as the noodles at the bottom were totally naked. The portions at Baowow are certainly generous you get  a nice lot of pork and khao moo dang sauce, which tastes quite a lot like char siu sauce to me, and the overall impression was a tasty one. I still could have done with even more sauce but this could have been down to the need for even more vigorous stirring by me. I would go back to Baowow but it wouldn't be my first choice, it was tasty but did not have the wow factor for me, but I would take a chance on one of the baos next time. 

Thai roast pork noodle pot up close

I always welcome a new cuisine choice near my office as although I don't go out to lunch often it is nice to try a new place to see what they have to offer. It still doesn't beat the previous lunch out at Sandwich Sandwich but the fresh flavours and healthy sized portions mean that you won't go hungry here either! To see what Baowow has to offer, visit their website.

A Saturday Evening Catch Up at Tampopo

Last Saturday two of my oldest friends decided we needed a catch up. And as Steph had to travel in from Bath and Helen was working in the centre I suggested Tampopo in Cabot Circus. Named after a Japanese girl's name for dandelion from the film of the same name they aim to help in the search for the perfect noodles. I'm not usually one for reviewing chain restaurants on the blog, but when I researched Tampopo I was surprised to discover that only five other branches exist, three of which are based in their origin city of Manchester. So after a quick drink at the cinema we met next door and were greeted by a much needed warm shot of hot air. The front of house was very welcoming and we were told that the wait would be about five minutes, as you cannot book tables unless you are a party of seven or over, so we were given some menus to paw over. 

Tampopo boasts a menu composed of faithfully reproduced classics and signature dishes without their own interpretive spin, whilst combining the best from across East Asia's street food scene. Certainly you will get the expected pad Thai, katsu curry and nasi goreng but there are also quite a few unknowns, unknown to me at least. Once seated we were brought some Thai crackers and dip to fuel our decision making.

Steering away from my usual choices I opted for khao soi (aka changmai noodles) a dish from Northern Thailand comprising of chicken, yellow noodles, garlic and ginger. Steph chose the yaki udon and Helen daging lembu goreng, a Malaysian dish of rump steak in oyster sauce with onion and ginger. We also chose some edamame and Helen had a starter of coconut prawns.

Khao Soi

Yaki Udon

My khao soi arrived and it was not at all what I was expecting but it was nonetheless delicious. After removing the coriander, to some people it genetically tastes like soap and I am one of these people,  I tucked in with gusto. The noodles were soft and the chicken plentiful, sitting in a spicy coconut curry sauce topped with crispy onions this was moreish to say the least. I would definitely order this again. Steph's yaki udon was also really good, the portion sizes at Tampopo are very generous and they don't stint on the meat and fish like some places. Helen's dish was nice but personally a little too much onion for me but it was very fragrant and worked well. 

daging lembu goreng

With a number of different dishes and nearly all main courses coming under £10 I feel that Tampopo definitely beats Wagamama on quality, flavour, personal touch and price. Tampopo feels fresher and more vibrant, I for one cannot wait to visit again, it really surprised me and I will be exploring more of their menu next time, there is a lot to choose from after all. To check out the menu visit Tampopo's website.