Bamboo

The heat of the moment

by Jessika Bella Mura

on the cheap

Restaurante da Tia, March 2 La Terraza, February 24 Seoul Bakery, February 17

There are no chili-pepper ratings on the menu at Bamboo, a sunny, friendly six-month-old Thai restaurant in Brighton. But maybe there should be: unlike at most Thai restaurants, the word "spicy" here actually does mean "stand back," whether in awe or in surprise. Yum nua (spicy grilled-beef salad, $5.95) contrasts cold, rare beef with a concoction of fish sauce, lime juice, and a potent, house-blended chili paste that comes on like an ambush. Pla goong ($7.95) offers more of the same, with shrimp instead of beef and a lemongrass twist to the dressing.

Which is not to say that subtler flavors are out of reach. A lemongrass broth is the perfect aromatic cloak for the tender New Zealand mussels ($4.95). Another starter, krathong thong ($4.95), is all about texture, placing minced chicken, peas, corn, and peanuts against a crispy tart shell.

Main courses are complex and substantial. The soy-sauce duck soup with a choice of noodle ($7.95) is accurately advertised as a meal in a bowl. And a mild mango curry ($8.95) melds ripe chunks of fruit with butter-soft chicken and crisp-tender green vegetables. An understated pad Thai lets each component take a bow, while still maintaining the integrity of what the menu calls a "most favorite" dish.

Bamboo, located at 1616 Comm Ave, in Brighton, is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m. Call (617) 734-8192.

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