SERVING UP SUCCESS
CHAU DANG , WHOSE FAMILY OWNS THE SUCCESSFUL VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT GROUP , BRODARD , IN ORANGE COUNTY , ATTRACTS NEWPORT BEACH DINERS WITH CREATIVE FUSION CUISINE AT BAMBOO BISTRO .
BY QUYEN DÔ
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Chau Dang , owner and chef of the popular Bamboo Bistro restaurant in Corona del Mar
It ’ s a typical Thursday afternoon at Bamboo Bistro , a charming Vietnamese restaurant nestled on the corner of a residential street in Corona del Mar . A short queue forms as guests wait to be seated in the packed eatery with hanging bamboo lamps , gold Asian-themed art , slate floors and large windows that flood the room with sunlight .
Chau Dang , the chef-owner , has been in the kitchen creating some new dishes for fall and she ’ s excited about a new seafood rice dish . “ Our diners are sophisticated . They want flavor , but healthy dishes to complement their beach lifestyle ,” says Dang , a Newport Beach resident since 2010 .
As a licensed dietician and mom of two sons , Jack , 13 , and Preston , 11 , health and nutrition have been the guiding principles of her food . In addition to her own creations , Dang offers some dishes from her family ’ s two other restaurants : Brodard Chateau , managed by her sister , Lisa , in Garden Grove , and Brodard restaurant and bakery , overseen by her mother , Diane , in Fountain Valley . The result is a menu with more than 100 beguiling items , from Vietnamese and Thai classics to fusion dishes from different Asian cultures , all with a “ Newport Beach twist ” that sings of healthy cuisine .
The house special chicken noodle soup , or “ pho ga ,” is the ultimate fall comfort food : steamed chicken breast and rice noodles are added to a base of pure bone broth infused with ginger and onion . Meanwhile , the buttery morsels of Chilean sea bass in spicy red curry sauce with grilled eggplant and mushroom melts in your mouth . The shining star is the eatery ’ s famous Brodard grilled pork “ nem nuong ” spring rolls , filled with fresh herbs and wrapped in rice paper with a special house dipping sauce . The Brodard restaurants and Bamboo Bistro together sell more than 10,000 of these wildly popular rolls every day . At Bamboo Bistro , Dang puts a healthy spin on these rolls with fillings such as seared ahi tuna , tender roasted duck , soft shell crab and vegetarian rolls .
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