(deviled tea egg and miso-braised pulled pork bhan mi) at Bon Me food truck in Harvard Square

At a glance:

Food truck location varies, they have several in-store locations around Boston as well.

Price: $

Stars (out of 5): 4.5

After I got out of class, I waited for 20 minutes for the Bon Me food truck to open their window. I don’t know why I did that, it wasn’t that I heard of Bon Me before (though afterwards, I yelped them and the ratings were quite good so they are very popular) or that I was craving Vietnamese sandwiches/bowls, I was just curious. So I sat there and waited and thought: “this better be good.” And it was. Thank goodness.

The menu is not extensive at all. You can choose any type of dish and add a regular or special filling (basically your choice of protein). But for the low price, they highlight the art of Vietnamese fusion in their food and do what they do quite well. The name: Bon Me, is a play off the Vietnamese word; bhan mi, meaning bread. On the streets of Vietnam, bhan mi like baguettes are stuffed with vegetables, meats, eggs, and even ice cream, to make a Vietnamese sandwich. That concept was brought over to the U.S and incorporated into the bold, unique fusion world. Bon Me serves up non-traditional sandwiches, bowls, noodles, and salads with Vietnamese-inspired cuisine and also cool drinks like Thai basil limeade and spicy ginger lemonade.

After much debate between the delicious looking bowl and the sandwich, I got a miso-braised pulled pork sandwich and a  deviled tea egg. The total? $8.50. That is dirt cheap for Boston food. Ok I must say the egg was expensive. $2.50 for one, single egg? Well, at least it was a good egg.

The boiled egg had a fleeting hint of tea, as you can tell by the marbled surface of the egg. (To make tea eggs, the general concept is to hard boil eggs in a tea-based broth.) The yolk was creamy and not dry at all, well done! This variation of deviled egg could not be simpler. The yolk wasn’t even dug up and mixed with mayo or mustard. The mayo was literally dolloped on top of the yolk and paprika was lightly sprinkled over the egg. And lastly, scallion bits topped off the mayo. Genius. The mayo had a kick to it so I think it might’ve been chipotle mayo. I also added a bit of Sriracha to complement the scallion bits.

Let’s now deconstruct the bhan mi sandwich. The baguette was toasted and super crunchy and tasty. The miso-braised pork was seasoned well with black pepper and garlic, but a bit dry. This could be due to the fact that the pulled pork was mostly lean, I wish there were a few bits of fatty meat in there. But no matter, because the meat to veggies ratio was perfect, and the veggies made the whole sandwich pop. The veggies: red onion, daikon, cucumber, carrots, and cilantro, were thinly shredded and pickled with a lightly briny and tangy sauce. Then, a housemade spicy mayo was the right on ingredient to bring the meat and pickled veggies together. Thinking about those pickled vegetables and the cilantro is making me want another sandwich right now. It was fantastic and I couldn’t stop eating it!

it was a very big and filling sandwich

Pro tip: if you like Sriracha, definitely try it on your sandwich because it will make the meat more moist and delicious.

Eat on!

(traditional Chinese fare) at Dumpling Palace near Berklee

At a glance:

179 Mass. Ave, Boston, MA

Price: $$

Stars (out of 5): 4

I got pretty hungry touring around Berklee School of Music, so I ventured into Dumpling Palace by myself at the risk of getting judged for eating Chinese food by myself. Oh well, my stomach’s satisfaction comes first, always. It’s not that I don’t enjoy eating by myself, it’s that Chinese cuisine is mostly a family style one that intends for dishes to be shared among people. Immediately when I walked into the restaurant, I loved the atmosphere. Dumpling Palace is bright, open, and modern, not typical for a traditional Chinese restaurant. The menu is very authentic and appealing to someone who grew up eating traditional Chinese food, but contains Americanized dishes as well to appeal to a broader clientele. Though dumplings are their specialty, and they have many different varieties of dumplings: steamed, fried, buns, shumai, all of which come in an assortment of fillings, their noodles and rice dishes sound quite delicious as well.

    

The service was superb. The waiters were attentive and got my orders on my table within 10 minutes. I got a small dish of beef with tendons and tripe to start, then seafood chow-fun and also a basket of crab soup dumplings. The beef with tendons and tripe was very well-seasoned, and I could tell the meat was quality and fresh. It was lightly spicy but not nearly as spicy as this dish should be, so that was a bummer. The roasted peanuts, chili flakes, and anise on top of the beef were a nice touch. Loved the bits of cilantro too! Tendons and tripe are both very chewy types of offal, but because tripe is found in the stomach, it’s much more light and has more surface area. Eating tripe is like eating a cold piece of edible sponge with a chewy surface texture. Yeah it doesn’t sound very appealing does it? But how would you know if you never try. It’s actually really refreshing.

a closer look at the tendons and tripe

The seafood chow-fun was under-seasoned and leaned towards the oily side. The flat rice noodles were smooth on the tongue and maintained their chewiness, the seafood was cooked well and there was a lot of it! I didn’t quite enjoy the large pieces of leek lurking around the noodles. The leek tasted too raw and wasn’t incorporated into the dish as an aromatic flavor enhancer, but instead jarred my taste buds.  Sprouts were nicely sautéed.

And my favorite dish of the night was the crab soup dumplings. These soup dumplings were not greasy, which is kind of a miracle in that alone, and very flavorful. The crabmeat mixed with the minced pork made the whole flavor profile a lot more interesting. The broth inside after you poke open the thin dumpling skin was delightfully salty and hearty.

the beautifulness inside is not to be underestimated

   

Did I mention the whole time I was eating, the Harry Potter soundtrack was playing?

Overall, a very traditional meal with very enjoyable food. They are open every single day from 11 am to 3am in the morning, bless them. For the Berklee kids who crave dumplings after some late night composition and practicing, you are in luck.

Eat on!

(curry bowl) at Boston Indian Kitchen in Back Bay

At a glance:

51 Mass. Ave, Boston, MA

Price: $

Stars (out of 5): 3.5

 

inside

Fast, convenient Indian food with very reasonable prices for Back Bay, let’s give this a try! The inside is open and clean, the workers are super friendly. They encourage you to try samples if you have any questions about the menu.

counter

I ordered the chicken tikka masala curry bowl, a side of samosas, and a peach vanilla lassi to go. Everything on the menu is under $10, unless you order the family sized entrees. They have a special called Naanz, which are naan flatbread sandwiches filled with a curry meat and greens.

   

 

The peach vanilla lassi hit the spot for me! I love the richness and creaminess of lassi, a popular yogurt based drink in India. What was special about this lassi was the fresh peach puree and spices added, the main one being finely ground vanilla bean powder! The vanilla fragrance permeated the drink, and I’d like to think the probiotics and active cultures in the yogurt made the drink healthy! As appropriate for my blog title, I enjoyed this drink by the esplanade on a cold, rainy, gloomy day.

     peach vanilla lassi

 

The samosas, which are golden fried pastry triangles filled with curry seasoning, potatoes, peas, and lentils, were unfortunately not what I had hoped for. They were small, not crispy, and under-seasoned. I love just the opposite: huge, crispy triangles overfilled with curry powder and potato chunks. But the coriander puree sauce that accompanied the samosas was fantastic! I loved the tang of the coriander mixed with spices.

my take out meal

Lastly, the chicken tikka masala curry bowl. Not a lot of chunks of meat, but what was there was nice, well cooked white meat. The tomato based sauce had good flavors but was a little too creamy. The rice pilaf was cooked well but overpowered by the large amount of sauce from the curry. The accompanying tomato, cucumber, and parsley salad was refreshing, but very little in amount so I couldn’t really savor it.

tomato based sauce was a bit too much. I added the pumpkin seeds to level it off hehe

Overall, a filling meal and a good fix for fast Indian food.

Eat on!

(Takoyaki and Yakisoba) at Ittyo in Porter Square’s Japanese Row

At a glance:

1815 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA

Price: $$

Stars (out of 5): 3.8

Japanese row

In Porter Square, there is a building with a row of Japanese eateries and bakeries. They each serve distinct Japanese cuisine and we had quite a difficult time deciding which to go to. We finally settled on the little noodle shop at the end of the row called Ittyo. They serve udon and soba as their specialities. Udon is thick white wheat noodle that is extremely chewy, usually served in a simple, clear broth with shrimp tempura. Soba is dark buckwheat noodle that can be served cold as well. I ordered the yakisoba, literally fried soba noodles. But in yakisoba, the noodles are not the normal buckwheat, but wheat noodles instead.

storefront

The yakisoba comes on a hot sizzling plate with sautéed chicken, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, and onions. There is also shredded pickled ginger to top it off. I thought the dish was very savory, maybe a little too salty. The chicken wasn’t cooked well, but the special house yakisoba sauce was delicious! The pickled ginger is really a nice touch to add kick to the dish, and perhaps good to clear the salty flavor off my tastebuds. Apparently in Japan, yakisoba can be served in a hot dog bun  and the dish would be called yakisoba-pan, pan is bread.

My friend got the udon noodles with shrimp tempura. She said the broth was tasty and the noodles were good but again, the dish was too salty.

udon noodles

I also got a side of takoyaki, fried octopus balls. It was tasty! To make this popular dish, takoyaki batter is filled in a precast pan with spherical molds. Inside the tempura-like ball is diced octopus and a very distinct cream. The dish is topped off with drizzles of Japanese mayo, some form of Worcestershire sauce, and what I think is bonito flakes or squid flakes, not sure.

inside a takoyaki ball

After this filling dinner, I went grocery shopping nearby and found mini pineapples! So cute.

Also, the girls on my floor set a summer goal of trying everything on this list.

31 Mouth-Watering Eats in Boston for under $10

Stay tuned as I try to cross off this list. Eat on!

(Tofu, Bibimbap, and Seafood Pancake) at Kaju Tofu in Harvard Square

At a glance:

58 John. F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge, MA

Price: $$ (and a half)

Stars (out of 5): 4

Korean food is so flavorful and savory it’s hard not to like it. I love everything from Kbbq to Korean street food. Kaju Tofu House is a Korean eatery tucked into a 2-story building in Harvard Square (they also serve sushi and Japanese shabu shabu). To compete with 2 Asian restaurants in the same building, it must be serving up some quality specials. In this case, its their tofu.

My friend and I shared a seafood pajeon, or seafood scallion pancake to start. But they brought everything on at once so I guess it really wasn’t an appetizer. Pajeon is a pancake with an egg and flour base (there must be some glutinous rice flour because the pancake isn’t dough-like) and a lot of green onions. The seafood added include squid, octopus, clam, and oysters. It’s normally served with a sweet sauce to complement the flavors of the pancake. This particular pajeon at Kaju was the most egg-based one I’ve ever had! The egg made it quite decadent and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

seafood pancake

Then I ordered a combo dish of bibimbap (rice, meat, and vegetables mixed in a bowl) and the house special tofu soup. I got the oyster and kimchee tofu soup, spicy. There was so. much. food.

First of all, Korean restaurants serve their dishes with a variety of important side dishes, or banchan. Don’t underestimate these small dishes. They are amazingly delicious, and carefully chosen to go well with your meal and rice. In the picture below, from left to right, our banchan include: chili sauce for the bibimbap, a raw egg (will get to that later), lightly pickled radishes, dried anchovies or eel flakes not sure (? they were so much better than any dried anchovies I’ve had), potato salad, daikon salad, egg pinwheels, cucumbers in garlic/chili sauce, and of course, kimchee.

the complementary side dishes

Whenever I eat a full Korean meal, the banchan are probably one of my favorite things of the meal. Hehe. Now the bibimbap. Very very very satisfying. There were so many ingredients and vegetables that mixed into a flavor wonderland. We have here shittake mushrooms, broccoli, fried egg, seaweed, sesame seeds, bulgogi (marinated beef) slices, zucchini, sprouts, carrots, lettuce, cooked mustard greens, and scallions. Sure, there wasn’t much beef, but I wasn’t even disappointed, because after I added the rice (which was perfectly cooked jasmine rice by the way) and mixed everything together, the dish was held together in perfect harmony. I had a few bites and moved on to my tofu soup because I knew I wanted to savor this.

wow

The tofu came in a steamy hot pot. I was supposed to crack the raw egg into the soup right away when it was served so the egg could be cooked in front of my eyes in the boiling soup. Alas, I forgot. Probably because I was so distracted by how delicious everything had been so far. 😦 Oh well. I thought I could handle spicy, but this dish was spicy to a whole new level. Surprisingly, I could still taste everything.

boiling tofu soup

The tofu was soft and melted on my tongue. The oysters were delicious and cooked very well, and there were plenty of them. The soup was hot and tantalizing on my taste buds. Though I was kind of struggling with the spice, it was very addicting and I ate it with rice to dilute the spice a bit. Suggestion: if you are not sure, go for mild or medium. Oh, on a side note, service was kind of spotty. I was in dire need of some ice water and it took a while for my waitress to fill up my glass.

Kaju was yummy! Try what I tried and I hope you won’t be disappointed.

Eat on!

(Crazy Rolls) at Chilli Duck on Boylston

At a glance:

829 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

Price: $$

Stars (out of 5): 4

Thai food is my comfort food. I love all the flavors and vegetables and the spice. Thai restaurants also have the most creative appetizers and desserts. So of course, in Boston, I had to find my go-to Thai restaurant. Chilli Duck could just be the one; the food is spot on.

Walking along Boylston Street, you’ll see restaurants and bars lining up the street on either side. But take care not to miss this beautifully decorated, subterranean restaurant. I got carry out because I wanted to eat at the beautiful courtyard (below) of the Boston Public Library, which is just 5 minutes away.

 

a perfect place to lunch!

I ordered the crazy rolls and pad thai with chicken and shrimp. My rule of thumb is that the first time I go to a Thai restaurant, I try the pad thai. The second time, I get the drunken noodles. Yes it’s a bit idiosyncratic but that’s just how I roll. The crazy rolls were crazy good! It’s a tempura roll with shrimp, lettuce, basil, carrots, cucumber, vermicelli rice noodles, and a light drizzle of peanut sauce. It tasted like summer with a crunch. The mix of flavors perfectly captured what I love so much about Thai cuisine. The pad thai was very much a comfort food. The noodles were perfectly cooked but the dish was skimping on the ingredients. If it had a bit more sprouts, peanuts, and shrimp, it would be even better.

I also enjoyed a Mango Passion Fruit Coolata from Dunkin’ Donuts out on Copley Square, which overlooks the library. (I know, DD is getting quite creative with their drinks. So is Starbucks! I’ll talk about that more in my next post.) I would describe the drink as a blend of a Rita’s Italian Ice, a 7-11 slushie, and a box of sugar. Whatever, it was very thirst quenching and tropical.

Eat on!

(Soup Dumplings) at Taiwan Cafe in Chinatown

At a glance:

34 Oxford Street, Boston, MA.

Price: $$

Stars (out of 5): 3.8

If you are looking for authentic Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine, this is the place to be. They are also open until 1 am daily so definitely a nice place for late night indulging of your taste buds. This is my third time coming to this pretty small cafe that sits about 20 parties at a time. The line on weekends can be very long so coming on a week night this time was a good decision.

For 2 people, I recommend getting a light fare/appetizer, a meat dish, and a vegetarian dish. For the light fare, my go-to is the soup dumplings. I’ve heard their scallion pancakes are quite good too.

Their soup dumplings are really tender and have the just right skin to filling ratio. The minced pork inside is rich (a little on the greasy side but hey, I only eat these occasionally) and the soup is flavorful. I eat soup dumplings by getting a little bit of soy sauce on my spoon, then picking up the top of the dumpling gingerly with my chopsticks while scooping the bottom onto my spoon with soy sauce. Then I nip a little hole in the skin so the soup can flow out at the perfect rate. Ideally, you would want to drink a little of the soup/soy sauce mixture while eating the dumpling. Yeah. Kind of an acquired skill. I’m still failing all the time. The skin is very fragile at the bottom and can stick a little to the paper in the basket. That’s when the skin can break and all the soup will flow out. At this point, you can’t do anything but to observe this sad moment and eat the remnants of the dumpling, which is still heavenly even without the soup. Haha.

We also ordered the Sweet and Sour Chicken Chunks. The chicken is lightly battered and crispy (I recall it being a little more crispy the last time I came) and sauteed with green peppers and onions. The sauce is a very distinct sweet that’s not overpowering. This is probably my favorite dish in the entire Chinese cuisine. Though this sounds like the stereotypical dish you get at Americanized Chinese restaurants, trust me, it’s very different. But my mom still makes fun of me all the time for being super lame.

We also got mustard greens sauteed with garlic. It was quite refreshing against all the meaty dishes. The garlic mixed with the juices of the greens had the perfect kick to it.

the sauteed mustard greens.

Overall, we were very satisfied, and definitely full after the meal. The dishes came out fast and it was a good fix for 2 hungry girls who had the craving for soup dumplings.

Eat on!