Eureka! Oh, the joy of discovery. When the owners of this establishment opened their first BamBu! restaurant in Abu Dhabi and realised they had hit on a recipe for success they did the obvious thing. They opened another one; this time in Bahrain, and it had equally rave reviews. So, the obvious question was, where next?

Well, what more fitting a location for a place that serves the very best of Oriental cuisine (Chinese in particular) than Samui? BamBu! is on the Chaweng Beach Road on the first floor, opposite The Islander pub. If you look up you can see the distinctive trademark green walls pleasantly lit up at night, and the entrance is just 10 metres down the side street next to it.

And its as you ascend the flight of steps, with its tasteful décor, that you start to wonder if this is going to be an expensive evening. When you reach the first floor and enter the reception lounge bar with its sumptuous black carpets and comfortable sofas youll be absolutely positive that this dining experience will be a costly one. And when you go through into the elegant 100-seater restaurant itself with its green walls, subtle lighting, glass-enclosed open kitchen and beautiful contemporary Chinese design youll be checking your wallet to see if you have enough to cover the occasion. But, fear not! All your worries are completely unwarranted. The prices at BamBu! are more than reasonable, and youll find that an evening of culinary pleasure here will cost little more than it would at a very average roadside restaurant.

To give you an indication of the extraordinarily good deals, theres a special All you can eat, with UNLIMITED beverages offer (which includes selected spirits, too) thats just 1,300 baht per head! Of course, you dont have to go to that extreme, in which case its even less expensive.

Choose to sit at one of the tables overlooking the street below thats partially screened by a line of miniature bamboo growing in pots, or take a circular table inside. Wherever you select, youll be more than comfortable and ready to get on with the main business of being there the eating.

But, first, a note of advice. Do go to BamBu! hungry, as the portions served are plentiful. Appetisers include a whole range of interesting and tasty dishes. The Honey Soy Chicken Wings, and the Green Lip Mussels steamed with ginger and black bean sauce are just two excellent examples. For main course dishes, try the Lemon Chicken breast of chicken served in a tangy lemon sauce; the Crispy Chili Beef shredded tenderloin flash-fried until crispy, served in a chili sauce; or the Ginger and Garlic Snapper sliced fillet of local snapper with a ginger, garlic and coriander sauce. All are cooked to perfection, as are the restaurants specialities, including a particularly delicious Peking Duck.

“ and theres a special All you can eat, with UNLIMITED beverages offer thats just 1,300 baht per head!”

And there is a refreshing selection of desserts here, too. Perhaps the most popular is the Deep-fried Ice-cream, which gives you an excuse to eat quickly (before it melts) without appearing boorish!

Orientals generally eat in groups, selecting many dishes which are shared. And this method of dining makes a lot of sense at BamBu!, so that each of you get to experience the myriad of flavours that abound.

The atmosphere here manages to be friendly and relaxed, yet refined and exclusive at the same time. No wonder that the BamBu! format is a recipe for success for its owners. No doubt well be seeing this excellent restaurant chain expanding even further in the future.

In the meantime, you, too, can have the chance of shrieking Eureka! when you get up to BamBu! and experience the joy of discovery yourself!