Bambu

Bambu is a Vietnamese drinks and desserts chain that recently opened a location in San Diego. The cafe specializes in made to order chè (a Vietnamese word for sweet beverages, dessert soups and puddings), but also offers a variety of other drinks including smoothies, juices, coffees and milk teas.

#3 Awesome Trio | #5 Smashed Avocado

We tried out two of their signature dessert drinks. The awesome trio is contains sweetened red, white and mung beans, taro, pandan jelly and coconut milk. I quite enjoyed the chewy texture of the pandan jelly but found the dessert to be too sweet with all the various sweetened beans. Next time I’ll choose a less sweet dessert drink.

We both enjoyed the smashed avocado though it was a little hard to eat because the ice on top was not melting or breaking down easily. The fresh avocado tasted quite nice in this dessert form, mixed with tapioca pearls and jelly.

Pandan Waffle

Not the prettiest presentation but this was actually our favorite thing from the visit. Even though we ordered in, the waffle was stuffed into a paper bag, perhaps because this is often served as a street food item.

The waffle is made with tapioca flour, resulting in a very chewy texture (think mochi). The outside was very crispy and the inside was stretchy and chewy. It was also a very large and thick waffle, definitely enough for sharing.

Overall, we had an okay first visit. I would definitely get the waffle again and I do want to make my way through the drink menu. It’s located in the same plaza as China Max, Tasty Pot and many other restaurants, so it is a nice stop for dessert or drinks after a meal.

Menu:

Bambu
4688 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111