I have been away from the computer lately. I feel I have needed a break to sort things out. I have been stressed lately and I am not sure why.…What do you do to relieve stress? Any suggestions?

As promised, here is my review of a local Boulder restaurant called BimBamBoo:

“Bimbamboo is a new Asian restaurant concept delivering a unique and modern spin on Asian food in Boulder, Colorado.

We offer a bold and distinctive fusion of Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Korean, Malaysian and Japanese flavors.

Whether you want a quick workday lunch or to linger over cocktails and dinner with family and friends, bimbamboo is a welcome adventure in taste.”

Not surprisingly I was craving sweet potato fries (uh my weakness) so we started off with an order to share. I was impressed and thought they had good flavor. It was an ideal summer night on Pearl Street and the decor of BimBamBoo contributed to the summer ambiance. I was also stoked to find out they had a vegan menu….

I ordered the Tofu Salad Bowl that was on the vegan menu with soba noodles. I am still not sure if this is the same tofu salad bowl offered on the main menu…. but I must say it was damn good! I was very happy with the mixture – soba noodles + romaine lettuce + bimbamboo slaw+ herbs + sprouts. The dressing/vinagarette was a perfect addition. This was very filling, but felt very fresh. I would not hesitate to eat this again!

Ryan had Bengali Grilled Wild Salmon + Tikka Masala Curry Sauce + Cool Cucumber-Mint Raita. Ryan was not as thrilled with his choice compared to mine. I think he was expecting something different from the description. I had a taste and liked the way the salmon was cooked, but I was not too wild about the other flavors. It was so-so. Ryan admitted he liked my Tofu Salad Bowl more than his.

Overall I thought my dish was good, but the service was not as great. We went for a long period of time with no water, which really bugs me. I loooove my water with dinner, so besides the water dilemma, all was good. We were told they make all desserts in house and even have vegan options. We were so full we opted out on a sweet treat.

Has anyone had desserts from BimBamBoo?  What’d ya think?

It’s a great restaurant for good noodle bowls + fresh options + plenty of food. I think I may hit this place up for lunch sometime soon.

Two posts in one day! Enjoy

As a part of our “New Restaurant Friday” we chose Happy Noodle House, which is located around 9th and Walnut. I checked out their website to read a little bit more about what their dishes may entail…

“Happy is fresh, unique and affordable Asian inspired cuisine paired with attentive and friendly service and unforgettable handcrafted cocktails.”

So did Happy Noodle House live up to this description? T

Maybe we should ask Ryan. He looks pretty darn serious To start, we were able to get a table without any waiting, which surprised me – as it was 7:15ish and a Friday night. I liked the simplicity of the decor. For being fairly small, the restaurant definitely allowed for maximum seating capabilities by seating people at long tables with benches. So you shared the same table with others, but it still felt private. They also had a large outdoor patio which looked great. We opted to sit inside because we didn’t want to wait …

We typically don’t order drinks when we eat out, but tonight I was craving something refreshing and summery + I had heard fab reviews about their cocktails. Our waiter recommended the Green Tea Pimm’s = pimm’s #1 cup + zen green tea+ liqeur+fresh muddled citrus. It was absolutely perfect. I smooshed up the mint (like you would with a mojito) and it couldn’t have been better! I was thoroughly impressed with that drink…Great recommendation!

Ryan ordered a Mai Tai and wished he would have ordered a beer – personally I felt the Mai Tai was wicked strong and Ryan even mentioned that as well. I would like to try some of their other concotions in the future.

Spicy Peanut Wok Charred Greens + Udon Noodles

I did enjoy their menu and our waiter was very helpful identifying the vegan dishes when I asked him. For their bowls and plates they had one vegan dish made with tofu but I was not in a tofu mood. Their small plates interested me more instead and of course I had to try some noodles… I mean come on it is the Happy Noodle House

Spicy Peanut Wok Charred Greens + Udon Noodles

I ordered the Spicy Peanut Wok Charred Greens + Udon Noodles + Crispy Greens. I ended up mixing the charred greens with the noodles to make my own little noodle bowl. I loved this, the flavor of the greens was perfect. There were peanuts mixed in with the fresh tasting greens and they made the Udon Noodles extremely flavorful.

Crispy Greens

The Crispy Greens dish was by far my favorite of the three. It was brussel sprouts, spinach and arugula quickly fried with canola oil + sea salt and a seven spice seasoning. They were so crispy and light, I devoured them. They reminded me a lot of bake kale chips, as they had a nice crunch to them. Mmm I highly recommend these.

Happy Ramen

Ryan had the Happy Ramen bowl = cha siu pork +green onion + braised mushroom + roasted garlic + watercress. Ryan said the mushrooms in this bowl were amazing. I had one and yes they were amazing – they were sweet but flavorful.

Overall Ryan said the dish was pretty good + liked the broth + noodles were tasty + somewhat plain in flavor. He noted that he would definitely eat it again.  Ryan did not use any of the Siracha or Hoisin sauce provided at the table. So I do believe those would be tasty in the bowl as well.

Fried Rice

About halfway through our meal we were offered a sampling of their Fried Rice. I did not find this on the menu. We both enjoyed the rice and ate all of it- okay so really I ate almost all of it.  I loved the texture of the rice because it had wheat berries mixed in along with spinach, sugar snap peas, shrimp and pork. I picked around the meat and ate the shrimp. I typically don’t go for fried rice options… but this one I may have to try again.

Overall, the service was fabulous, food delcious and very afforbable. If you are in the Boulder area I recommend stopping in and trying Happy Noodle House. They are new to the Boulder scene as of Feb. 13th of this year… and they just started serving lunch as well. We both agreed that we would definitely be visiting this restaurant again and recommending it to our friends and others looking for a great, affordable meal.

What a great addition to the Big Red F Restaurant Group!

Ironically enough, later that evening we ran into our waiter on Pearl Street. He told us that after they are done serving food at Happy, they keep the bar open until 2am. If you enter through the back entrance you can enjoy their drinks late. What a great tip! I would have never known this without him. So maybe I can enjoy my Green Tea Pimm’s after hours 

Are there any readers out there who have been to Happy Noodle House before? What was your experience like?