Jenn and Kristen decided to split a bunch of different items: meatballs ($9), beef short rib tacos ($14), drunken clams ($16), goat curry ($22), roasted brussels ($6) and a side of bao buns ($3). The meatballs came out first and there were 5 of them in a curry dijon sauce topped with mirco cilantro greens. They were quite tasty but they did fall apart a bit too easily. They could have been bound tighter because a some point it was almost like I was eating ground beef on my plate. Next came the short rib tacos which also had a curry flavor, queso fresco, pickled shallots and micro cilantro greens (they must be in season or something). I actually really enjoyed it this dish, a lot of interesting flavors going on at once. There was been a big wave of Korean inspired tacos, but this wasn't quite the same as the curry was more reminiscent of Indian or Thai flavors. The next dish I tried was the clams and usually I really love clams but theses were just a bit too fishy tasting and the lemongrass flavoring was a bit too overpowering. The clams were served with the bao buns but the buns were soaking by the time we got them and just tasted like soggy toast. My biggest issue with the food up til now was with the bao buns. The waitress talked them up and as an Asian when I hear bao buns, I expect fluffy white buns. These were just like toasted pieces of bread. Totally unimpressed with them. Luckily the goat curry was a strong dish and it was very similar to a massaman curry with lots of potatoes (purple and white) and the goat was pretty tender with a slight hint of spice added to it. It was served with 2 pieces of roti that were fine but there was just something kind of off about them. It almost tasted like they were bought at Trader Joe's and not homemade. The brussel sprouts were roasted with Chinese bacon and to be honest, WTF is Chinese bacon? I'm Chinese and don't think I've ever heard of Chinese bacon before. But the dish was fine, nothing spectacular.
We did opt for the lime lime pie for dessert which actually came "deconstructed". Meaning that it wasn't actually a pie, they just put some graham cracker crust on the bottom of a glass, then topped it with key lime pie flavor whipped cream. Don't get me wrong, it was definitely tasty but I would have preferred something in a more solid form. I'm not sure why every place now needs to get all fancy with their desserts.
I do want to mention that the cocktails at this place were great and strong. After 3 drinks, I was definitely feeling it on the way home on the subway. I personally recommend The Lion which was a yummy ginger tasting cocktail. The waitstaff is also super nice and friendly, so I really appreciated that. All in all, this place was cute and I liked where they were going with their dishes, it's just that not all of them were home runs. Total bill: $61/pp with tip and tax and a Scoutmob discount.
Photo Credit: Yelp
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