We recently met up with friends who were in our area to take in some of the plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. John and Debbie hail from Portland, and Mike and Carol live in the Bay Area, and they’ve been meeting up in Ashland each spring for many years, having originally met on a cruise when their now-adult children were young. John and Debbie, part of our wine-tasting group of friends for nearly 40 years (!), introduced us to the Cohens when we moved to Southern Oregon 10 years ago. We’ve enjoyed theater, good food and wine together nearly every year since, and this spring we decided to pick a restaurant the others hadn’t tried before.

It had been at least a few years since Harry and I had dined at Bambu, a Pan-Asian restaurant we recalled had pretty good food. Our memories were only partially right; Bambu has wonderful food, not to mention a generous wine list; excellent, knowledgable staff; and a comfortable, relaxed ambiance in a fairly small but simply elegant dining room. All of this is even more surprising given its location in an unassuming strip mall on the southeast side of Medford.

An immediate clue that the dining would be pleasant was the fact that on a rainy Thursday night the restaurant was buzzing and busy. A quick scan of the menu showed us it would be difficult to make a choice from a diverse and delectable-sounding list of small plates, soups and greens, curries and “big plates,” along with a few sides. A note at the top of the menu proclaims Bambu’s philosophy to be “all about sharing,” so with a little guidance from our server, we ordered several small plates to share, prepared afterwards to perhaps delve into the big plates as our tummies prompted us.

We sampled Polynesian coconut prawns, Pacific Rim crab cakes, crispy calamari, Thai vegetable spring rolls (all on the regular menu) and the evening special of crab-stuffed prawns. Each plate was beautifully presented, and each dish came with its own unique and perfectly complimentary dipping sauce. We found fault with none of them, enjoying the range of spiciness, texture and taste across the board.

With all that goodness, some of us decided to check out those big plates, and each couple shared an entrée. Two pairs opted for the special of hazelnut-crusted mahi-mahi with the most divine sauce of passionfruit and coconut milk, while the others were delighted with the chicken curry. Too full for dessert? Nope. We tried an assortment, ranging from a simple crème brûlée and housemade sorbetto to mac nut ice cream and a tropical fruit cheesecake.

We were all delighted with our dinner at Bambu, and Harry and I are already plotting a return visit . . . soon!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor