Bu Da Lounge - Revisit

When it gets cold like this, I start craving things like soup. So the other day I met my friend @wibia at Bu Da Lounge for lunch. This is my first visit since the move (well, the first visit where I ate something). Guess what? They now offer a non-smoking area at lunchtime! Ok, if a bunch of people are in there smoking cigars, you’re probably going to still smell it no matter where everyone is sitting, but lucky for us, no one was smoking. 

I really wanted the wonton soup, which I had had before, because it was so good. Luckily, our server recommended splitting the bowl and then sharing something else. He split it into two little bowls and it was just the right amount for me. You got a nice amount of the rich, hearty and hot broth with several wontons stuffed with shrimp, a fair amount of noodles, and some bok choy and a couple pieces of barbecued pork. They give you a little bowl of chili sauce to mix in as well so you can heat it up a bit if you like (I put just a little in). Actually, splitting a bowl was perfect for me—I never finish the whole thing otherwise. I did a good job on this smaller version. This soup is good—and is a perfect choice for a cold day.

We also shared a roll—they have a fair amount of choices of rolls that are under $8 at lunch. I think they sort of just take the same basic insides (cucumber and avocado) and top it with different things. We had the soft shell crab.  I appreciated the crunch on top, even if it wasn’t the best soft shell crab I have had. It was kind of in little chunks set on top. I liked the sauces drizzled on—unagi sauce and a flavored aioli. Not so much to be obnoxious, but enough you could taste it. There was also a bit of roe on top, which added to the crunch. The only thing was when you picked up the roll, the crab kind of toppled off. But it all tasted pretty good.

My preference is the soup, but I like the idea of splitting it and trying some of the other lunch items. I really like the idea of going for dinner, but not with all the smoke. It’s a good place to remember at lunchtime if you work in the center of downtown and want to get something different from a local restaurant for a reasonable price.

Buda Lounge 

148 East Market Street

Indy 46204

317/822-8522

www.budalounge.com 

Bu Da Lounge - Lunch - Revist

I was downtown the other day again, back on Mass Ave, but wanting to try something new. Or at least sort of new.  I have been to Bu Da Lounge before for dinner, and honestly didn’t even know they were open for lunch until I checked it out at a friend’s suggestion.  He has also repeatedly told me about how good their shrimp wonton soup is, and it was kind of a grey day, so it seemed a perfect opportunity to give it a try.

They open at noon, and I was a few minutes early, so I ended up spending time browsing (as well as more money than I intended) at Mass Ave Toys.  I know I have mentioned it before, but how cool is it that we still have such a nice independent toy shop?  But then I walked in to Bu Da right at noon, hoping to avoid any potential crowds (really any potential cigar smokers) and succeeded at least at first. I was the only one there for the first little while, and I quickly ordered my soup ($7.95).  It is a large bowl, and it was so hot (as in temperature) that I may have singed my tongue a little on that first bite.  Seriously, it was hot. Once I let it sit a bit (and blew on a few spoonfuls), I got to the flavor and I really enjoyed it.  The base is a flavorful broth, one of the more flavorful Asian broths I have had—it was dark in color and deep in intensity.  In it were not just the 4 or 5 large shrimp-filled wontons, but a bunch of egg noodles as well.  The combo made it more filling than a lot of wonton soups.  There were also several large pieces of pork and some bok choy.  They gave me a little bowl of chili oil to add in for more spicy heat, which I did.  But I appreciated regulating it myself.

My only complaint about the soup was (and I can already hear people gearing up to tell me how to properly eat soup) was that the wontons, the bok choy, and the pork pieces were a little big for me to eat in one bite and since I only had one of those little Chinese restaurant spoons and chopsticks, it was hard to get them into a more manageable size without either taking a bite of only half or attempting to cut things with a spoon that looked like this. So I basically pretty much made a mess.  (Hey you know me, I notice these things).  But the flavor of the soup was really good. I truly enjoyed it.  I would really like it if I were eating it without anyone looking and a knife.  The egg noodles I didn’t mind sort of slurping up, but especially with the heat of the dish, the wontons were more challenging, although quite delicious and packed with shrimp meat.

As I ate though, a few more people came in including one who lit up a cigar (it is a cigar bar after all).  So I quickly finished up and paid.  I did overhear the owner (I am assuming) tell others he was going to be relocating into a much larger space here sometime soon.  I am hoping for a smoking and non-smoking section in the new place—because the food is worth going for, but I hate cigar smoke (or really any smoke, unless it is being used to smoke the food).  But this is a restaurant worth checking out for the food if you can deal with the smoke. And a nice lunch alternative I didn’t know was out there.

Bu Da Lounge

429 Massachusetts Ave

Indy 46204

317/602-3643

http://www.budalounge.com/

Buda Lounge

**THIS RESTAURANT HAS MOVED**
This place is a cigar bar. That is the first thing you should know about it because when you step inside (as I did for about 15 seconds) that is what you smell. Now I am sure some of you may be into cigars, but I am not. Not only does the smell give me a near instant headache, but it would certainly ruin the flavors of any food for me after any length of time. So, luckily they have a teeny outside seating area at the Buda Lounge, or this review might never have come to pass. (My brief look inside showed a cute little bar with a warm interior though). And I think they will reserve a table for you outside if you call and ask for one.

So the BFF and I sat out on the sidewalk on what was possibly one of the nicest nights of the summer to date (no humidity). The menu includes lots of appetizer type items as well as sushi rolls. We sort of planned on doing a tapas style meal, ordering several of the appetizers to share for our dinner. The portions here are very generous, so it is very easy to share things.
We ordered everything at the same time, but the staff did a good job of staggering the items at a good pace which was nice, especially since the outdoor tables are small, and the plates are generally on the large side. The service in general, was exceptionally friendly and perfectly attentive—they were there when we needed them, but not annoying us.

The first thing that was delivered was the Buda salad with seared Ahi tuna. The salad was mixed greens with a creamy ginger dressing, with Ahi tuna that was seared with a sesame crust. It was still basically raw in the middle (which is what I was expecting). It was topped with tempura coated strings of what appeared to be carrot and onions. The salad was really tasty and quite a large portion. We were splitting it between the two of us, but it could easily go further. The tuna was good quality and I liked the crunchy flavor of the seared edges which had the flavor of the sesame seeds as well as a salty kick. The leaves were well dressed and I really liked the crunchy strings on top. They made me regret that we hadn’t ordered the shrimp and lobster tempura that is on the menu. The tempura was perfectly light and crunchy and added a nice texture to the salad.

Next we were brought the crab cakes. The crab cakes are certainly very unique. I have never had any like them. They are fried rice cakes, with some crab mixed in, that are then tempura fried and served with some lump crab on top as well as a bit of fish roe. There was a red sauce drizzled across the top which was a little bit spicy, but was overall more on the sweet side. Almost like an Asian inspired barbeque sauce. It was served atop a mango and pepper relish. This dish was almost too sticky and sweet for me, but it was a beautiful presentation. Actually, all of the dishes were visually very attractive.

At the same time, we were also served the lobster and shrimp spring rolls. There were actually four in an order (we each had taken one before I snapped the picture). The rolls were nice and crispy, but the filling was a mince of the seafood, and I guess I was sort of expecting large chunks. They were also served with the typical sweet and sour sauce that is often served with crispy spring rolls, and this may have just been a little too much sweet for me all at once (again, I wished I had gone for the shrimp and lobster tempura).

The final dish was probably our favorite. It was described as Chinese dumplings and they were filled with a pork mixture and served with a soy based dipping sauce. Maybe it was just the fact that I was a little “sweeted” out, but these tasted really good to me and had the savory balance I was craving. When we ordered them, I was expecting steamed dumplings, or sautéed ones anyway, but our very friendly server suggested we get them “extra crispy,” as she thought they were best that way. We went for it and they were very good, and crispy.

All in all, I don’t think Buda Lounge expects people to eat the way we did, ordering apps as tapas. They are quite large to do this, and the middle two had such similar flavors, that I had wished I had gotten something different. But the food is beautiful, and certainly unique in Indy to a certain extent, and hey if you are into cigars, this may be a great spot for you.

Buda Lounge
429 Massachusetts Ave
Indy 46204
317/602-3643
www.budalounge.com