The Bodhi Tree

Tables - November 09

Yvonne Martin books a table at The Bodhi Tree to see if all the talk is true.

Make mine Myanmar

In keeping with one of the themes of this month's magazine, we tried a Colombo Street establishment that has outlasted many rivals - a restaurant with such a reputation for excellence that it is difficult to get a table unless you book ahead, which is what we did.

The Bodhi Tree distinguishes itself from the clutter of restaurants at the northern end of Colombo (between Kilmore and Peterborough Streets) by serving the "cuisine of Burma". 

Its interior walls are a delicious mix of Jaffa red, chocolate and cream, which sounds garish, but works well in this modest space and seems to stimulate the appetite. So does the menu, which explains the Burmese way is to eat rice "in the most appetising way possible". That means with loads of tasty accompaniments with "saliva-making flavours which will induce the eating of more rice". 

The idea is to order a variety of dishes to share as one meal - the menu suggests about two dishes per person plus rice, at $2.50 a serve. It wisely states that dishes are entrée size, so diners' expectations match what arrives on their plate.  

Diners can choose from three food groups: vegetables/salads, meat and seafood. However, vegetable dishes don't necessarily mean vegetarian, as we found chicken and shrimp among the ingredients. Being vegetarian, I went for "vegetable ajoo", or deep-fried greens in a lightly spiced batter, and "ciandi thoke", grilled eggplant dressed with sesame seeds, chilli, shallots and coriander. 

My carnivorous partner also eyed up the plentiful vegetable options. He chose "tofu thoke", a yellow split-pea tofu tossed with greens and peanuts, to complement his meaty option of "seit da kin", marinated lamb on skewers with a chilli/mint dip. Vegetable dishes are about $11 each; meat morsels are a few dollars more. 

We had not long started our wine (a Breaksea Sound Central Otago Pinot Noir 2008 and a Grant Burge Barossa Hillcot Merlot 2006, both $8.50 a glass) when the food began arriving.

First was the ajoo - kumara, asparagus and broccoli fried so quickly that the freshness of the greens was sealed in the spicy batter. The four lamb skewers were meltingly tender and downed in minutes, with spoonfuls of plain steamed rice. 

The yellow tofu was warm and soft, like gnocchi, and smothered with grated vegetables, tamarind sauce and peanuts. My grilled eggplant was late, so I helped polish off the tofu. Later, when the dish still hadn't arrived, I inquired, and was told the chef had mistakenly used oyster sauce, so was re-making it with soy sauce, suitable for vegetarians. With this care and attention to detail, who could complain? 

When it finally arrived, we both enjoyed the spiciness of the dish, with its strong chilli and coriander kick.  

The advantage of entrée-sized dishes is that they leave room for dessert.  

From the modest list of four we went for the crème brûlée - non-traditional but the "flamed with Cointreau" ($12) appealed, and "shwe ji mot", a more sedate semolina and coconut milk cake ($9) accompanied by dollops of cream, and slices of strawberries and kiwifruit. 

Luscious and creamy, the crème brûlée arrived with a purple flame dancing amid an alcoholic haze. It was delicious and gone in minutes.  

With pressure on tables, we decided to skip the Burmese tea or fair-trade espresso coffee and hit the road. In the hour we spent at the restaurant, five parties that had arrived without booking were graciously turned away. On settling our bill staff, apologised again for the delayed eggplant dish.  

This all goes to prove that The Bodhi Tree has hit on a simple winning formula. Feed them well, with exciting dishes they can't get elsewhere, and the queues will come. The dishes aren't hungry cyclist portions, but the flavours are so good and "saliva-making", you just have to order more.

Where: 808 Colombo Street.

Hours: Six days from 6pm. Closed Mondays.

Wine: Adequate range of New Zealand wines; more whites than reds. About $8 a glass and $36 to $39 a bottle.

Prices: Vegetable dishes $11; meat and seafood dishes $12.50 to $19.50.

Service: Courteous and slick.

Ambience: Exotic and humming.

Amenities: Spartan. Hard to find the entrance, with the door painted the same Jaffa colour as the wall.