Restaurants

Caprice Holdings (the Ivy, Scotts, Le Caprice and so on) approach oriental food with typical style and attention to detail, and Bam-Bou is no exception. A delightful Georgian townhouse with more than a hint of Indochinese elegance comes complete with wooden tables, oversized mirrors, potted ferns and oriental pop art. The crowd at Bam-Bou is young, the atmosphere loud and chatty, and the food loosely based on refined Vietnamese, with forays into Thai-style curries and Chinese stir-fries. Most people start with prawn crackers or edamame. The kitchen is keen on deep-frying even those dishes not normally fried; we found the deep-fried tamarind-glazed frogs legs tasted of little more than their batter. A peanutty chicken salad with lime and chilli was lively and fresh-tasting, while herb-baked Chilean sea bass was sensitively cooked. Massaman curried tiger prawns starred fresh bamboo shoots and pea aubergines, but the sauce was overpoweringly thick and sweet. Finish with a civilised pot from the range of 14 infusions, from pai mu silver needle tea to nettle and mistletoe.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008