Long Island Restaurants

Bamboo

Who's dining at Bamboo, the pretty Asian-chic restaurant that has opened in East Hampton? Parents and kids dressed in shorts and sneakers, tanned young men and women in "Sex and the City" high-fashion and middle-aged couples wearing slacks and cardigans. In short, a cross-section of the East End.

One draw is a menu that includes sushi as well as "small" and "large" plates of well executed (and well priced) Asian-fusion fare. Another is the pedigree of the kitchen: sushi chef Morgansan Yao worked at multi-star Nobu in Manhattan and kitchen chef Patrick Fromm comes from popular Laundry in East Hampton. And then there's the young, attractive and earnest crew, schooled in pacing a meal.

Try a sake martini and nibble on crunchy wasabi-coated peas. You might start by sharing the "combination b" assortment of maki rolls: California, spicy tuna, spicy yellowtail, and tuna-avocado, all fresh and delicious. Better yet, though, is the "angel" roll, an ingenious combination of blackened tuna, eel, avocado, "special" sauce, a variety of raw fish and fish roe, which detonates salty little bursts in the mouth.

A "small plate" of five-spice barbecued pork ribs with mango curry coleslaw delights. So does the piquant tuna tartare. An invigorating salad of Asian pears, endive, watercress and black sesame seeds with watercress dressing presents a peppery contrast of bitter and sweet.

The "Bamboo noodle bowl" translates into a rich Cantonese-style broth filled with fat udon noodles, vegetables and meat, a different variety each night. Terrific, too, is a "large plate" of pan-roasted diver scallops with tabbouleh salsa. Grilled filet of beef in Sichuan sauce is tender and savory, accompanied by wok-seared mushrooms and buttery sauteed spinach.

Miso-rubbed grilled salmon, served atop a shaved fennel and greens salad, is truly memorable. So is the seared tuna, the interior a deep red, outside lightly charred, accompanied by a melon compote, a guacamole-like mash of avocado, and a ginger-garlic sauce.

Desserts are often the downfall of East-meets- West restaurants, but not Bamboo. A warm flourless chocolate cake is nicely offset by a scoop of coconut gelato. Coconut rice pudding with caramelized bananas is soothing and tropical. And ginger crème brûlée, the top warm and crackly, is subtly gingery.

Go early, since the noise level swells as the crowd does. Whether you sit in the dining room overlooking a cluster of bamboo stalks outside, at the sushi bar or on the patio, you'll leave planning to return.

Joan Reminick

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