Momogoose and the Truth Behind Yelp Reviews
Posted by Miriam on May 24, 2011 in Boston, Featured, Restaurants
Tags: bahn mi, boston, Cambridge, Kendall Square, Momogoose, sandwiches
This post is by Eat With Me contributor Miriam. See more at her blog, Try A Lil’ Bite.
Springtime in Cambridge is a wonderful thing. The leaves are almost shiny and green, the water seems to turn a velvety dark blue…and the Harvard kids become less obnoxious and actually move out of the way.
And walking along listening to music seems to make the whole world shimmer. Not merely from heat waves, either.
Plus, there are now several food trucks in Kendall Square worthy of a sample – and what better time to dine outside than in the spring?
From that mecca of mere-mortals-turned-critics known as Yelp (a site I frequently use for my own reviews and to see what the masses think) Momogoose sounded like the best choice for a sunny day. Here are the positive, glowing reviews (and I directly quote from the site):
“Fresh, flavorful food and fast service are a great thing and this place has it all.”
“I literally eat here every other day for lunch, and it never gets old. ”
“The best food in Kendall.”
“3 words: Customer for life.”
“This is the absolute perfect lunch stop.”
Well, I don’t know if these reviewers have zero clue what Asian cuisine is supposed to taste like, but we were sorely disappointed. After not updating two of their menus to reflect changes – they sold out of both dishes I wanted to try: no problem, I understand this happens – I quickly grabbed the tofu “Baguette”. [Read: Bahn mi.] Hell, that was probably the most disappointing sandwich I’ve ever had. It wasn’t made fresh to order and the meager amount of lettuce cilantro and other veggies made this practically a bread sandwich. The fried tofu chunks had obviously been sitting for a while and achieved a rubbery texture. (Trust me: I know what bahn mis are supposed to be like and this wasn’t even a pale imitation.) It was also covered in a flavorless brown sauce – I’m not sure what that is supposed to be, but I’ve noticed that it ends up being the “lazy” option when trying to get “Asian” flavor into foods. Seriously. My favorite Thai restaurant started using the same brown, bland sauce on dishes that shouldn’t have been anything alike and I stopped eating there. It’s not worth it.
My other half had a pork dish that was a sensible-sized lunch portion. The pork, however, was seasoned lazily with a red sauce (again, I don’t know what this is) that comes on spare ribs and some pork dishes at some Chinese restaurants. It was very “meh” and bland. When the complimentary spicy sauce was added, it perked up the dish a little, but overall, it was pretty underwhelming.
Note to self: Yelp reviews do not always speak the truth. In fact, they’re not even close. I can’t believe how little clue people have about food sometimes. But, I suppose, everyone’s a critic and can be. Even me.
But anyway. It was a lovely afternoon and lead to both a pleasant walk through Cambridge and…a greater appreciation of The Bravery’s second album.
Okay, okay, going for the cheap shot with a single from their album, “The Sun and the Moon,” but the lyrics, harmonies and Britpop-esque soaring chorus (complete with jangly sleigh bells/tambourine/whatever it is) is pretty darn effective. Additionally, the rest of the album provides a perfect balance between guitar-heavy ballads, introspective acoustic pieces and dance-rock inspired tracks that nod to their first, synth-heavy album. What could initially be seen as a fumbling, thick attempt to marry rock with poppier hits like “Honest Mistake” is actually far smarter – something that becomes clear with repeated listens. At any rate, I’m the first to admit I was wrong about “The Sun and the Moon” and have a feeling it will keep surprising me for a while.
