Fred M.
Yelp
I love good Chinese food. But you usually can't find good Chinese food. Now Black Bamboo doesn't try to be Shu, also in West Hartford, and Shu can be very authentic but also sometimes a little greasy. However, nothing beats their seven flavor wantons, but I digress. Back to Black Bamboo.
My first time at the Black Bamboo was two weekends ago when I picked up food to bring home. I live about 30 minutes away. When you have such a long drive, you need to order smartly. For instance, anything deep fried, like Gen Tso or Orange Beef, you would be risking it being gummy and soft, not crisp when you got home. And reheating? Well, it won't be the same.
So I ordered some hot and sour soup (would be a Monday lunch), chicken and broccoli which my wife and mother in law like, and the spicier chicken in black bean sauce. Both were excellent. The chicken pieces are large, good qualify tender white meat. We had their pork fried rice which was also very good. The eggplant in garlic sauce was very spicy and very good.
Black Bamboo reminds me of good Chinese restaurants from the 1970s. They don't do the fusion thing - thank the lord. I don't want Thai at a Sushi place or Pho in a dinner. I heard today they're moving to presumably a bigger location (because it couldn't possibly be smaller) in the old State Farm building, wherever that is. Hopefully this means indoor seating where I can try the Gen Tso chicken and more of their other dishes.
Another classic Chinese place is in Great Britain, very formal inside and wonderful service. I like the comradery, the cloth tablecloths, the fish tanks, but I think the food at Black Bamboo, so far, is a step above in the spice/flavor/burst department. But other than that, both offer excellent top quality freshness and you can't go wrong.