I am always on the prowl for casual restaurants in the mid-price range. The type of dining experience you can seek as guilt-free refuge when you get home to find the only non-fuzzy items in the fridge are the condiments. Or the perfect place with a hip and happening vibe where you can meet a friend without spending a ton of dough.
Add Bako to the list. First-time restaurant owner Keeman Wong opened this Capitol Hill restaurant 4 weeks ago, but instead of following suit with the influx of restaurant owners setting up shop in the trendy Pike/Pine corridor, Wong is keeping it real on the north end of Broadway a few doors down from Jerry Traunfeld’s Poppy.
Ambiance is king at Bako
Focusing on Cantonese food, the Vancouver, BC native clearly knows the importance of ambiance as I am immediately enamored with the 40-seat restaurant even before a drop of food hits my palate. Inspired by the sensual and stylin’ movie In the Mood for Love set in Hong Kong in the 1960′s, Wong has brought that magic element into his restaurant.
Modern creamy white booths frame dark wood tables in front of gold tapestry wall paper. The bar has a backdrop of exposed brick, and a partially exposed kitchen gives patrons access to the wok action. Set alongside a stylish Capitol Hill crowd of all ages, I feel for a moment someone has teleported me to NYC’s East Village.
I can see myself getting cozy at the bar during happy hour and late night
The food played second chair to the eye candy and energetic vibe. Dishes such as the classic clams in fermented black bean sauce were drenched in so much sauce they overpowered the petite clams to the point where you could barely taste the shellfish, while the daikon cakes tasted as bland as…well daikon. The restaurant’s most popular dish of “eight treasure rice” satiated my craving for rice bowl comfort food as it was hearty and laced with sausage and vegetables, but also lacked the taste oomph that is commonly associated with Cantonese food.
Eight treasure rice with char siu pork, chinese sausage, mushrooms, veggies and a poached egg
After a cocktail, four decently-sized dishes (we had a decent amount of leftovers), charming service from the diverse and entertaining staff, we were somehow able to keep our bill under $50.
Although the food didn’t floor me, I had so much fun at Bako I know I will definitely return for a cocktail and appetizers. I also plan on going back in a few months for dinner when I suspect the food will have found its tasty groove.
Tip: Bako offers appetizers at a smokin’ price of $2-$7 everyday from 3pm-5pm.
