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Green Bamboo Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Vietnamese Vietnamese [Edit]
4219 Sheppard Ave EScarborough, ON M1S 5H5
Neighbourhood: Scarborough
(416) 292-7961
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
17 reviews for Green Bamboo Restaurant
17 reviews in English
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Review from Steve S.
Etobicoke, ON
12/2/2011
My Lunch special was:
Lemongrass chicken and pork along with a spring role and bokchoy with rice noodle soup.
The soup is very uniquely flavorful, compared to other Pho joints that I tried, it seem to be very light and had a hit of lemon grass flavor. They gave a good helping of Chicken and Pork along with the meal..
The restaurant was small but clean and comfortable. I will definitely try the food again. -
Review from jil s.
North York, ON
7/25/2011
If you want milkshakes, fruit shakes, smoothies, this is a good place for drinks
- example: sour sop or avocado milkshake, etc.
The restaurant is so-so.
It's not as pretty as other restaurants.
The food is so-so.
The satays weren't bad.
I'm sure that this restaurant does make some good dishes
- it depends on what you order.
Try their banh cuon = Freshly Steamed Rolled Cannoli with Minced Pork & Vietnamese Sausage (weekend only)
Example: I did not like their steamed rice noodle wrap with grilled meat (light courses section)
In the menu- it's called "Grilled Meat Wraps - Beef/ in Steamed Rice Crepes"
The rice noodle wrap was too thick for me.
So I left this dish mostly uneaten, brought it home,
steamed it and added some soya sauce.
- It's a nice looking dish so feel free to try it yourself
The deep-fried calamari or squid was alright.
The pad Thai was so-so.
Sidenote:
There is some confusion about if the restaurant is owned by Chinese or Vietnamese.
The answer could be both: Chinese and Vietnamese.
Many of the people who left Vietnam are Chinese or have Chinese ancestry or are of mixed ethnicity (Chinese plus another ethnicity).
The Vietnamese government wanted the Chinese to leave Vietnam. There was violence against Chinese so the Chinese were forced to leave Vietnam (refugees).
That's why many Vietnamese restaurants are owned by people who can speak Chinese, why you see stores with Chinese and Vietnamese writing, why some people speak both Chinese and Vietnamese, why there is some similarity and familiarity between Chinese and Vietnamese food, etc.
Not all people from Vietnam are Chinese or have Chinese ancestry.
If you want to know if someone from Vietnam or any Asian country has Chinese ancestry, you would have to ask them.
Some people don't look Chinese because they are mixed ethnicity or mixed race.
Some people of Chinese ancestry have Vietnamese, Thai, Laotian, Japanese, English, Malaysian, etc names. -
Review from August L.
11/3/2010
yum yum!
FOOD
We had the calamari, spring rolls and pho (special) and it was so tasty. The deep fried calamari was so fresh and had the right zing of spice. The spring rolls were ok. Nothing to rave about.
The XL Pho was humongous! We ordered one and shared it with 4 ppl! They put a generous amount of meat in it and lots of noodles.
I'm not a fan of the broth though. It was practically tasteless and I wish they gave more basil.
They didn't have a separate dish where you could put your sauce for your pho in so I had to use a spoon which was a bit difficult b/c the spoon was so small.
COST
standard
CLEANLINESS
it was clean! and had a nice feel inside. It actually got a bit warm though during our dinner that all of us were getting too hot that we had to take off layers of clothing. And no it wasn't b/c we were eating. -
Review from WaYnE c.
Maple, ON
11/11/2010 2 photos
Phor tonight, I went to Green Bamboo Phor Pho so I can Pheel Phull and Phall asleep Pheeling satisfied...
#100 XL Special Pho($9.95) took me just under 20-minutes to consume but in a sense I didn't really consider this XL, which I will explain below. I asked the older gentleman how large is an XL and he went to the back. He brought out eXtra Large on his right and Large on his left. That's what I call good service. :D
Let me do this in a familiar format(Pro versus Con) for everyone.
Pro:
-Fresh Noodles
-Quality Beef
Con:
-Missing Red Chili(weak) !
-Missing Basil(are you serious) !!
-Not enough Tendon(I need my Meats) !!!
-Staff smiling(Probably thought me FUNNY eating XL)
I asked him if they had Lunch Specials and he told me it ended at 5 pm. He said there's not much Profit Margin since those are such a good deal and might consider discontinuing it.Listed in: Va Va Viet
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Review from Trang T D.
North York, ON
1/5/2011
There is so many pho restaurant in Scarborough area, but nothing is good. Pho originally is from Vietnam. However, these Pho restaurants in these area own by Chinese...The way they make it is so different.
The only place that I like to go is Green Bamboo. The owners are Vietnamese. They are very friendly. I used to go there at least 2 times a week.
The restaurant is little small but it's nice and cozy. I like the bun thit nuong and banh dap there....so yummy....The way they marinated the meat....
I moved far from there now but still drop by whenever I have a chance.....
If you are in the area, definitely get to check it out.... -
Review from krista l.
Scarborough, ON
1/12/2011
I caught a cold yesterday and asked my boyfriend if we could grab some Pho. I generally like to go to Pho 88 in Bamburgh- but my boyfriend's family loves this place. Ive been here twice before and always left with a "meh"...
Tonight was no different.
Service:
The original table that they sat us at was very squished in between two other deuces. Since the rest of the tables in the restaurant weren't taken up, I suggested we moved, but they said we could only sit at the deuce directly in front of the door. Why didn't they just let us sit at the four-top? meh.. whatever.
So we were ready to order, and it literally took the girl 5 minutes to write down EACH of our orders. How hard is it to understand, "Small, #101, Rare Beef"? Maybe she didn't know English. meh.. whatever.
It was funny that the next three tables that walked in were served by a different server- to which she seemed to know EXACTLY what she was talking about when people placed their orders. Maybe they realized how stupid our server was.
Food:
Compared to other Pho places, the small is more of an xxs. I finished the entire bowl (which I usually have trouble with), un-satisfied. Doesn't Pho automatically come with the side of been sprouts and lime? I had to ask for mine. It was weird that she asked if i wanted them to be cooked or raw. Plus, after specifically asking for a lime, I was given a lemon. meh.. whatever. My boyfriend on the other hand ordered a Chicken Pad-Thai and it was pretty good.
Overall, you guessed it!
"meh...whatever" -
Review from Maritza L.
Scarborough, ON
10/29/2011
I like how they use authentic noodles. Soup base is great for pho. Very clean. Love their pad Thai. But they've been very inconsistent. The last time I went, it was pretty dry and I needed to add condiments
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Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
How can I not come for my Pho to my favourite vietnamese restaurant for Pho-bruary!!
Green Bamboo always delivery!!
Small ($5.95) is equal to a medium/large, Large ($6.95) is equal to an XL ($8.95) which I can never finish, and XL is something I won't even dare to order!
The noodles are always the fresh thin noodle never dried!
The rare beef is the way it is served rare on top..and always tender and plentiful! (even for take out, they will wrap the rare beef separately so they will stay the way it is when you eat at home!)
The broth always hot and tasty! So hot when I get take out I have to bring in plastic containers to hold the broth.. the soup will melt the styrofoam containers!Listed in: Vietnamese Food in the GTA!, Lunch Specials in Scarborough, Cheap/Fast Date!, Pho-Bruary My Version!, My Favourite Restaurants
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/11/2009
My usual vietnamese noodle joint!
I like the Tom Yum Kung beef noodle and you can ask them to make it… Read more »
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Review from Karen S.
1/11/2010 3 photos
Like another reviewer, this is my usual pho joint... for Sunday afternoons. This is the only pho place that I've found with all my favourite beef parts in one bowl without having to ask for it custom made. The portions in a large are hefty for me and the soup is very nice. The noodles could be overcooked once in a while, but I find that doesn't detract too much from the overall experience of a well made beef noodle soup.
Another must try if you are eating in a group is the Grilled Meat Wraps listed under Light Lunches (Meals?). There's a choice of 4 meats to go with shrimp crackers, basil and lettuce all wrapped up in a rice flour wrap. I find the wrap itself a bit thick, but otherwise, the whole combination is very tasty. Heck, have it all yourself if you're super hungry! The avocado shakes here could use a bit more avocado, but the thickness and light sweetness is the right consistency.
This place is clean, a bit small and the service is very quick. -
Review from Roma M.
5/18/2010
After reading Jen K's review, I just had to try Green Bamboo out for myself, and I wasn't disappointed!!
I can't believe how many times I've passed by the area, not giving this a second look, what with the array of cuisines offered in and around the block.
It was very busy on a Saturday evening, the crowd being mostly young and obviously very hungry. Their pho bowls and portions in general are enormous!
We ordered the Ginger Chicken and the Basil Curry Chicken, both came with Vermicelli as well as a Sour Sop milkshake. I'd kill for Sour Sop. The Ginger Chicken was song worthy. The flavour was fantastically concentrated and very, very fresh. I was not as excited about the Basil Curry, but it was still very good. It was made with Coconut Milk and I find it a little too heavy for my taste.
All in all I was satiated, intrigued and I will definitely be back for more. I'm sure their cute, tiny chef will get sick of making Ginger Chicken. -
Review from Aly W.
7/9/2011
Came here many years ago with family and decided to go back again when we visited. Sadly the owners changed and the food was not as good as I remembered. All my cousins ordered Pho and I ordered the curry because I remembered that it was phenomenal the last time I was here. but this time the curry just wasnt as good as I remembered. Overall it was ok. but I think I'll try another viet place when I go back to canada.
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Review from Robert C.
Toronto, ON
6/24/2010
This is place is like a hole in wall. Even though it's street view, the place itself looks dingy and well not that attractive. Having said that the place has great eats!
Now I am the type of person who loves to try everything, the funny thing is every time I go there I eat the same thing over and over again. I guess because of the freshness of it and I don't want change that. My friends who also have tried it have loved it.
I think my brother and his wife have absolutely fallen in love with the place.
The bad thing about the place really is that it is limited seating. So get there before 12:00pm and you'll have a spot to enjoy your vermicelli with grilled chicken and grilled beef...top that off with a spring roll. You have to love its value! -
Review from Keith C.
10/12/2010 1 Check-in Here
Food here is really really fresh. The only issue I have with this place is that they bring out the main course then bring out the appetizers and spring rolls. Who does that? Come on. I got their lunch special for $7.95 which gave me some vermicelli, lemon grass beef and vietnamese sausage. I wasn't too sure about it but it was actually very delicious after adding some Srirachia. This special came with spring rolls which came out after I got the dish. I also got a soft shell crab appetizer with my cousin which came out after the spring rolls did. The soft shell crab was pretty fresh but I didn't really like the batter and the sweet and sour dipping sauce that it came with. My cousin got another lunch special and the total tab came out to a little over $30.
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Review from Michelle T.
Scarborough, ON
5/29/2011
Not a fan - portion too small & overcharged for mediocre quality.
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Review from An N.
Scarborough, ON
6/10/2009
Good spot for lunch and very affordable. Pho broth is almost as good as my mom's broth.
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Review from K T.
Markham, ON
8/3/2010
My workmate and I needed to grab a quick lunch so we decided with a bowl of pho. The restaurant was small, Chinese owned as the waiters didn't speak a word of Vietnamese. The pho was a little more costly than most typical Vietnamese restaurants I've been to. It was still cheap in comparison to other foods. The pho wasn't bad, the broth can be better. It was one of the few restaurants that used fresh rice vermicelli noodles instead of the dry noodles. The waiter gave us bean sprouts but not the fresh Thai basil until we asked for it. Even so, they gave us one small branch with 5 leaves. They were a bit stingy in that regard. I personally wouldn't go back. Two stars was a generous rating.
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Review from Dat N.
Scarborough, ON
5/8/2011
Nice small restaurant, lots of different menu choices from the standard Vietnamese cuisines.
