I admit that chè, a genre of Vietnamese desserts that brings together an unlikely collection of ingredients including legumes, jellies, tapioca, and coconut milk, isn’t for everyone, but if you believe in the power of seaweed in your sweets, you’re really gonna dig Bambu.

After getting a tip from my food-savvy NorCal cousins (Thanks, M&M!) about this San Jose-based chain, I had to check it out for myself. Chè for the people? Sign me up!

My fellow chè-lover Thien and I tried two of Bambu’s offerings. For me, the Thập Cẩm, which included a little bit of everything: red beans, white beans, mung beans, taro, pandan jellies, tapioca pearls, and sweetened coconut milk. The entire concoction was topped with shaved ice that kept the chè cool and refreshing from start to finish.

Thien landed on the Sương Sáo Hạt Lựu, which came with grass and pandan jellies, red tapioca, and mung beans. We were both smitten with our choices on this hot summer afternoon.

With nearly 50 stateside locations in far-flung cities like Norcross, Georgia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bambu is poised to take the sweets world by storm. Give chè a chance. It just might make you swoon.

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Bambu
432 East Valley Boulevard, Suite D
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Phone: 626-284-8480