Bamboozle Channelside — Restaurant in Tampa

I found a surprise in my Vegan Pho, and I'm never going back.

I went for dinner with my wife around 6:30 on Wed, Mar 2nd and ordered an Avocado Summer Roll, Vegan Pho with Tofu, and Yellow Curry with Tofu.

While we were waiting for our food, a nice man bought us a Vegan cookie. (Thank you G). But our experience went downhill from there.

The Avocado Roll tasted ok.

The Yellow Curry tasted like Badia curry powder with a lot of white pepper. The Tofu was completely unseasoned, seemingly boiled or just tossed into the warm sauce. And the big chunks of carrot were cold. Not luke warm, COLD. But the Vegan Pho was by far the worst.

It tasted more like regular veggie stock than a traditional Pho broth. Which made it hard to get through, and when I got to the bottom I found a surprise.

I scooped up something that was spongy and a brownish red in color. (I regret not taking a picture, as you'll see in a second).

It didn't look like anything else in the Pho. So I stabbed the piece of whatever it was with my fork and took the counter.

The lady said she didn't know what it was either, and took it to ask another coworker.

They shared some words quietly, as if they didn't want to be heard, then the first lady came back saying something along the lines of, "We fry our Tofu, its Tofu."

Now I've been Vegan for almost 10 years and eat fried tofu 3 times a week... so I know EXACTLY what fried Tofu looks like.

What I stabbed on my fork, in my opinion, was NOT fried tofu. If I were to guess it looked most similar to a piece of bbq pork.

I've found pieces of meat in my Vegan food before, and the restaurant has always apologized. And I understand sometimes it just happens, especially in restaurants that make an effort to add Vegan options. (alongside their regular menu) But after this experience I'm never going back to Bamboozle.

I have never paid for food this bad in my entire life. Even food that has given me a stomach ache or food poisoning tasted better.

And, in my opinion, they were dishonest about what I found in my Vegan Pho.

Thanks again to G for generously giving us a cookie, but unfortunately I won't be able to return the favor, cause I am never going back...

It's actually a popular lunch spot at the corner of 12th and Washington in the Channelside District. You'd never really know it's there unless you live in the neighborhood. It's walking distance from many nearby attractions. There is limited street parking but there is also paid parking nearby. It's an easy walk from Sparkman Wharf.

There's indoor and outdoor seating. You order at the counter and they bring the food to your table. The interior isn't as decorated as it used to be when looking back at pictures posted prior to 2020. I'm guessing they were making room for more takeout orders since there aren't as many tables. I realize that atmosphere makes an impact to most restaurant diners, but that was easily overlooked because of the great service that was received. I was blown away by the different variations of fresh rolls, pho, salads, sandwiches, and noodles. They also have a build your own Boozle bowl with plenty of different house made sauces. I ended up getting their signature shrimp lo mein based on the menu description and picture. The food delivered had a nicer presentation with the noodles on top of bamboo leaves. It was simple and refreshing. The noodles were light, and the zest nuoc cham brought out the flavors along with the shrimp. There was plenty of shrimp in and around the noodles. My friend's crispy duck fresh roll looked equally as good, which is why I definitely want to try that next time. You can customize your own roll which is something I want to do. I kind of wish they still had the seared tuna as a protein option. I've seen pictures of it but didn't see it on the current menu. They have plenty of other protein options which is great.

I also got a dessert. I was eating with my eyes again. I definitely did not have room for it but had to taste the matcha sugar cookie. They had other flavors but that one jumped out at me. It was soft, sweet, and huge. I shared it with my friend who seemed to like it too.

There will be more visits. I need to try the fresh rolls and the vegan iced Viet coffee that is made with homemade coconut condensed milk. Coconut and coffee is really good together! The BYO bowl also...

By definition, the name is very accurate.

Bamboozle: to fool or cheat someone.

As someone who travels 35 weeks a year globally for work, and has travelled to over 97 countries, I have experienced some of the best food in some of the most simple and casual environments, I feel like i can speak confidently on my opinion.

The tone of the restaurant when I first walked in was very unwelcoming. Laura (I believe was her name) was very moody and made you feel like you were more of an inconvenience than a customer. The place was empty and there were three table that had lunch dishes on them that were not removed, so maybe I had just missed the channelside rush. There isn’t a cuteness to the space… the ceilings are extremely high for a restaurant (somewhere in the 21’ height), and this gives the feeling of a cavernous vibe. I wouldn’t say it was dirty, but it lacks charm.

After ordering, I made my way to my table and waited for my food to arrive… however, they don’t tell you it’s not a full service restaurant, but it’s set up more like a cafeteria and they leave the food on the counter and don’t bring your attention to it when your order is complete and ready for pick up.

I’ve never been one to shy away from paying for a good meal, but as the name says it all… I was Bamboozled.

Now onto the food:

I had ordered two items: chicken pho and a simple traditional wrap. With traditional broth, there is a hint of beef and also and oxtail flavour that lingers perfectly with each spoon. This broth had a metallic taste as it might have come right from a can.s

The bean sprouts were brown and had a texture like they were previously frozen.

Next was the wrap. The “tiger shrimp” were cut in half lengthwise giving 3 pieces of shrimp. They were extremely thin and flavourless. The wrap was overfilled with green lettuce and overwhelmed the taste.

1/3 of the wrap eaten and less than 1/4 of the pho. If you have never been to Vietnam or travelled to a city where food is a serious part of their culture, then this might pass as a fantastic meal, but at 28.00 for two items, it’s all...