Bambara

Our Ratings
Food: 4 ½
Atmosphere: 4
Creativity: 4

It’s been a little while since we went to Bambara—three months, to be exact—but we have not forgotten it, no sir. Bambara is this hip restaurant in the lobby of the Hotel Monaco in downtown Salt Lake City, and let us assure you, it should not be missed.

Everything about the place impressed us, from the funky décor, to the professional wait staff and the intricate menu full of flavors from all over the world. We definitely found each aspect of this restaurant to our liking.

Let’s get specific about the food, shall we? Here’s what we ordered and what our taste buds thought:

Appetizers
Blue Cheese House Cut Potato Chips

Roasted Corn Bisque with Jonah Crab and Cilantro Oil We loved both of these. The potato chips were delightfully flavorful—much more so than we’d expected. And they were so fresh—they were sliced, fried and served hot. And the cheese on top was gooey and delicious.

We can’t exaggerate about the corn bisque soup, it’s just that good. In all sincerity, it is the tastiest soup either of us has ever had. It has a rich, full flavor, and an amazing aftertaste. Take a spoonful and then just savor it for a moment, and you’ll see what we mean. Not only that, but the sweet, moist crab meat and cilantro oil complimented the taste of the roasted corn perfectly. We could eat that soup every day and not get tired of it.

Entrees
Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Puree, Chinese Long Beans, Carrot Chips, Chervil, and a Meyer Lemon Sauce

Citrus Brined Salmon Creek Pork Chop with Wilted Greens, Grits, Grilled Stonefruit, Candied Walnuts, and a Cherry Balsamic Syrup Jaime ordered the seared scallops and fell in love. Literally. We both did, really, because of course, Christa tried some. The scallops were perfectly prepared: seared and crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The cauliflower puree was pure genius—it was the consistency of creamy mashed potatoes, but we thought it tasted even better than potatoes! And that says a lot!

Christa’s pork chop was divine: moist and flavorful and huge! The cherry balsamic syrup complimented it perfectly, and the candied walnuts added just the right amount of crunch. And grits? You’ve never had grits like this, friends! They were packed with a lot of yummy, (yes, “yummy” can be a noun), and seasoned to perfection.

Desserts
A Chocolate Tart (We can’t find the dessert menu online, and we can’t remember what kind of tart it was . . . but we believe it was the only tart on the menu.)

A Raspberry Tira Misu kind of thing (Sorry! Hopefully the pictures will help fill in the blanks.)

About now you may be thinking, “Wow. These girls can put down some food!” Well, that’s true. We won’t lie. But if y’all had been with us that night, you wouldn’t have been able to deny yourselves the dessert menu either. We had enjoyed so many unique and lovely flavors in the first two courses of our meal that we dared not resist a dessert or two. Our taste buds and tummies would’ve scolded us otherwise.

So we ordered the chocolate tart and raspberry layered dessert. Their presentation was pretty, and both desserts were original. The tart was very decadent, and although we kept saying, “I don’t think I can eat much more of this,” we did. We enjoyed our desserts. And then they were all gone.

Oh. One more little touch we appreciated about this restaurant: when our bread arrived, it came with hummus. Yet another detail that set Bambara apart. We noticed. And we likey. Likey’d? We don’t know how to make “likey” past tense. So forgive our meandering into the present for a smidge. :)

So now we should probably mention, this restaurant doesn’t come without a bit of a high price attached. Appetizers run between $7.50 and $13.50, and entrees between $19.50 and $34.50. But skip going to your regular, old dining spots two or three times, and that would easily foot the bill for an evening at Bambara. It’s well worth it. We will certainly visit again soon.