The Bodhi Tree

After a period of hiatus, Heidi's Food Affairs is back!  Unfortunately other commitments have made it hard to keep this blog up to date, but hopefully you will be seeing new posts more regularly from now on.  To celebrate the blog's return, here's something special.

The Bodhi Tree is the only Burmese restaurant in New Zealand, and has been well loved by the people of Christchurch and visitors to the city.  Like many central city businesses, the Colombo Street restaurant had to close following the February 2011 quake. But like many Christchurch businesses, The Bodhi Tree had dusted itself off, and reopened this year.  The new premise is located in the suburb of Ilam, on the corner of Ilam and Clyde Road, across from the small Fendalton Village Mall.

Three friends and I decided to have dinner at The Bodhi Tree for CT's visit from Auckland.  We were well aware of the necessity of advanced booking given the restaurant's popularity.  To our relief, WM managed to booked a table for Saturday night, even though she only called a few days ahead.  We were given a limited dining time from 6 to 8pm, which we accepted.

The inside of The Bodhi Tree was neat, modern, with a touch of Asian.  The size of restaurant seemed to be similar to its previous premise.

The front of the menu introduced us to the style of the cuisine of Burma, consisting of many dishes designed to be shared.  The menu is divided into different sections - small dishes/appetisers, soups, salads, vegetable dishes, meat dishes, seafood dishes, and desserts.  A note in the menu tells us that the dishes are entree size.

My only other visit to The Bodhi Tree was several years ago, at the original Colombo St restaurant.  I went with a group of girls, some of whom were vegetarians, so we ordered mostly vegetarian dishes.  I remembered the dishes were on the small side, and the food was a bit bland.

On this visit, the four of us were all lovers of seafood, so we ordered several seafood dishes plus a few others.  As you will see, I was very impressed with the food this time.

Nga Sein Chin -  marinated fresh fish

Our first dish was Nga Sein Chin ($16) - fresh fish marinated in lemon, shallots, chilli, olive oil, and sprinkled with coriander.  It was beautifully presented, and I loved the vibrant colours of the herbs and chilli against the white fish.  The fish was very fresh, and delicious with the citrus dressing, full of flavours.  We all loved the refreshing taste.  A great start to our meal!

Le Pet Thoke - tea salad

Next came the Le Pet Thoke ($14.50) - Bodhi Tree's famous tea salad, pickled tea leaves mixed with lentils, nuts, sesame seeds, and chilli.  A must have, according to CT.  This might not look as pretty as the previous dish, but the flavours were equally impressive.  It was a mixture of fragrant toasted nuts and seeds, unlike any of your usual salads!

Pazun Jo - sauteed prawns

The Pazun Jo ($21) - prawns sauteed in garlic, was one of my favourite dishes of the night.  The prawns were huge and meaty, and cooked just right.  Wonderful with the sauce, with lots of herbs and spices.

Biay-Ji Nga Jo - sauteed squid

Our next seafood dish was the Biay-Ji Nga Jo ($16).  Another top dish, with tender squid which were not too chewy, and lots of lovely basil, onion, and chilli.  This was a bit more spicy than the other dishes, but not too much to handle.

Jetda Jo - deep fried chicken

We thought we should try something other than seafood, and went for chicken.  Our first chicken dish was Jetda Jo ($16) - deep fried chicken pieces marinated in garlic and soy, served with dipping sauce. The chicken pieces were crispy on the outside without being greasy.  Inside, the meat was tender and full of flavours.  The dipping sauce with soy sauce, vinegar, herbs, and a hint of chilli, was great with the chicken.

Jetda Ono Hin - mild chicken curry

Our other chicken dish was also a curry.  Jetda Ono Hin ($16) - mild chicken curry/stew slow cooked in shallots, garlic, coconut milk, and spices.  We weren't sure how a Burmese curry dish would be like, and this was pretty good.  It was closer to a Thai curry than an Indian curry, particularly with the coconut milk. Fragrant, sweet, and not too spicy.  Great with rice.

Ciandi Thoke - grilled eggplants

To be good, we also ordered a vegetable dish.  Ciandi Thoke ($12.50) were grilled eggplants dressed with sesame seeds, chilli, olive oil, shallots, and coriander.  The eggplants were a bit bland, despite lots of herbs and spices.  It wasn't bad, but just not as impressive as all the other dishes.

Kiyu Byoke - steamed mussels

Our final dish was Kiyu Byoke ($16) - fresh mussels steamed with garlic, corriander, and a hint of chilli. The presentation reminded me of The Belgian Beer Cafe, which sadly had to close in Christchurch following the February 2011 quake.  These gorgeous mussels were steamed with care, and presented in a special broth.  We all enjoyed the mussels with the Asian flavours.  Another great dish.

Flaming creme bruelee

Even though we were dangerously close to our allocated dining time, we couldn't leave without having dessert.  Bodhi Tree has a small dessert menu, with a mixture of eastern and western dishes.  CT had been dreaming about Bodhi Tree's flaming creme bruelee, and would not leave empty handed (or should it be empty stomached?).  The creme bruelee was done the traditional western way, and available on its own ($11), or flamed with cointreau ($13).  On CT's recommendation, we all ordered the flaming creme brulee.  It was magical watching our flaming pots of dessert coming towards us, and then landed in front of our eyes. The blue flames were beautiful, and believe me, the photo did not do it justice!

Flaming creme brulee - after

After the flames burned out, it was time for the tasting.  They were quite generous with the cointreau, and there was still a layer of it on top of the creme brulee after the burning.  I have to say it was a bit too strong and overpowering for me.  The creme brulee itself came with a nice crunchy caramel topping, ready to be cracked.  The custard underneath was nice, although a bit on the cold side.


We had a great dinner at The Bodhi Tree.  The food was great, and I was particularly pleased with the seafood dishes.  Even though we were given allocated dining time, we were not asked to leave when the time was up.  We stayed a little longer as few tables were still free, but we didn't stay too long just in case.  Our waiters were also quite friendly.  Definitely worth a return trip!

The Bodhi Tree is open for dinner Tuesday to Sunday 6pm to 10pm.  Booking is seriously recommended!


The Bodhi Tree
399 Ilam Road
Christchurch
(03) 377 6808
http://thebodhitree.co.nz/