Bonda Returns, Better Than Ever

Fans will remember Chef Jamie Cooper’s old digs in Westport, Abbondanza, a gourmet deli and catering establishment by day, and Bonda, a casually sophisticated restaurant by night. Chef Cooper shuttered that space last spring and has been hard at work on a new Bonda ever since.

“The reception has been great. We’re seeing a lot of the old customers come back, which is fun. And now we’ve got this whole audience up here,” he says of Bonda’s new Greenfield Hill location. “I think they’re pretty psyched that they don’t have to cross the Post Road to get a good meal or a drink.”

Yes, he said drink. If you’re a seasoned Bondaphile, you remember it was wine-only in the old space. In Fairfield, Chef Cooper has added a bar. “It’s actually the first bar in Greenfield Hill in over a hundred years.” That could be one reason the place is always so packed.

The other, without a doubt, is the food. Chef Cooper’s space may have changed, but his skills in the kitchen remain. So do some favorite menu items, like the tender pan-seared artichoke hearts with sopresatta and garotxa (a firm Spanish goat's milk cheese). Steak frites sizzles, and then melts on the tongue against an earthy black truffle aioli. The grilled pork chop with grilled pineapple salsa, served over spicy southwestern farro succotash, brings the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. And every bite just pops.

“I go for bold, clean flavors. I want each bite to be interesting,” he says. “I know the big trend these days is the farm to table thing, and I definitely try to source locally as much as I can. But to me that’s not the most important thing, because sometimes that limits what you can offer. I’d rather prepare something well, something that gives you a little zing-zang in the mouth, something that not everyone else is doing.”

Bonda’s new space is as striking as the food, decorated with vivid colors and vintage French advertisement posters, creating a modern bistro vibe and setting the stage for an evening which will delight all your senses, with one possible exception.

“I know it can get a little loud in here,” Chef Cooper laughs. “I’m working on it, I swear.”

But don’t let a little convivial conversation keep you away. Head over instead, and see what everyone’s talking about.

Bonda is located at 75 Hillside Road, in Fairfield. Call 203-292-9555 to make your reservation.

Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.