Popular Sawmill Market Vietnamese spot Kulantro branches out

The impact of new ownership on a restaurant varies widely. In some cases, it amounts to a tweak here and there, like a spruce up of the dining room or a few new menu items. A case in point is the Owl Café on Eubank Boulevard. Local restaurateurs Corey Moulton and Matthew Bernabe took over the beloved diner last year and made only minimal alterations.

In other cases, the changes can be monumental, as in Bamboo Grill, the Vietnamese restaurant in the Northeast Heights. When it opened in 2019, the restaurant rolled out an extensive menu with entire sections devoted to claypot dishes, noodle bowls and fried rice. When new ownership came in a few years later, they pared the whopping number of selections down to just 13 items.

The turn to a more focused menu is unsurprising when you find out that the new owners come from Kulantro, the Vietnamese street food stand at Sawmill Market. Since opening in April 2022, Kulantro and its six-item menu has been a hit, often sporting the longest lines at the popular food hall. The purchase of the Bamboo Grill, now rebranded as Bamboo by Kulantro, offered them a chance to bring their food to a storefront setting within easy reach of Northeast Heights diners.

Bamboo by Kulantro is located in a strip mall called Sun Square on the south side of Menaul Boulevard, half a block east of Louisiana Boulevard. Music Go Round, the used instrument store, anchors the mall. It was pretty drowsy there when we arrived on a recent Saturday evening. We followed a party of four inside to an empty dining room and waited by the door to be checked in. Shortly, a friendly woman emerged from the kitchen to seat us.

The clean, well-lit dining room features a tile floor and drop ceiling. Wooden four-top tables with metal-backed chairs fill most of the space. A banquette lines one wall. We took a seat by the window, where we were periodically tormented by a fly. No other diners entered until we were almost done with our meal, although the place did a steady takeout business.

The menu is concise but varied, with starters like Skewers, Crispy Egg Rolls, Spring Rolls and Banh Mi Sandwich coming in under $10. The remaining items range from $12.80 for Pho to $23.40 for a Protein Platter comprised of various grilled meats. Protein options include grilled chicken, pork, beef and shrimp, along with fried tofu. The grilled shrimp and grilled beef carry a $1 surcharge.

There are three different versions of pho, but the star of the menu is another soup: Bun Bo Hue ($14.80), spicy lemongrass soup in a 24-hour beef broth. The soup originated in Hue, an ancient city of Vietnam, and was distinguished by its use of pork hocks and vermicelli rice noodles. Bamboo’s version arrived steaming in a deep, wide bowl. The medium-brown broth was tinged with orange and smelled like raw steak. Half moons of cha lua, the pale-colored, mild-flavored Vietnamese pork sausage, floated on the surface above paper-thin slices of rare beef and brisket. It’s truly a slurp-worthy bowl of soup. The rich, buttery broth carried a faint charge of electricity, and the lemongrass added notes of ginger and citrus. The thick noodles just below the surface were al dente and fun to chase down with chopsticks. The accompanying plate of sprouts, jalapeños, lime and veggies provided a chance to add heat, crunch and acid to the bowl.

A standout among the non-soup options is the Bamboo Bowl ($15.80) served with a choice of protein with a crispy egg roll and two grilled shrimp over vermicelli noodles. We chose chicken as our protein. Served on a skewer, the marinated, grilled chicken thighs wore a sweet, umami-laden lacquer. The peppery, crispy egg roll, cut into three pieces, was very reminiscent of the ones I had at Kulantro. The plate was tied together with crunchy fried shallots and house-made nuoc cham, the classic sweet and spicy Vietnamese sauce. A good, filling plate with enough food for two meals.

I usually have banh mi with pork, but I tried Bamboo’s version ($7.80) with chicken for something different. It was served on a piece of tin foil, its top brightly colored with cilantro leaves and stems and carrots cut into matchsticks. The same well-marinated, grilled chicken thighs from the Bamboo Bowl turned up in the sandwich, this time lining the bottom of the fresh bread that had a crusty shell. Underneath, sliced cucumber and jalapeños added crunch and heat. Eating this tasty sandwich, it occurred to me that I’ve never had a subpar banh mi in this town.

Living in an oppressively muggy, hot climate has given the Vietnamese great insight into refreshing drinks. Bamboo offers a small sampler of these that are quite suitable for Albuquerque’s blazing summers. Fresh-Squeezed Limeade ($5.20) was served in a clear glass with ice and a couple of slices of lime. It had just the right amount of sweetness to tamp down the lime’s intense sourness.

The restaurant was out of Thai Tea so we opted for the Green Milk Tea ($5.20) instead. It was served in a tall, curving glass, the better to show off its beautiful coloring, with a top layer of milk and a bottom third of dark green tea sandwiched around a pale green middle. More importantly, it tasted good, with enough sweetness to balance the bitter tea.

Our server was friendly and accessible. The food arrived in the order that it was ready. For instance, my wife’s Bamboo Bowl came out a few minutes before my soup. Many of the dishes are gluten-free, including, surprisingly, the crispy egg rolls. There are vegetarian options and a Vegan Pho ($12.80).

Bamboo by Kulantro offers a chance to experience the food of the popular Sawmill Market stand in a more mellow setting. With its pared-down menu, it represents a radical departure from its previous incarnation. I never tried Bamboo Grill, so I can’t say if the new place is better or worse, but I can say it maintains the high standards of our city’s Vietnamese restaurant scene.

Popular Sawmill Market Vietnamese spot Kulantro branches out