Happy April! Here's a summary of food adventures in Harvard Square. We hit up a variety of cuisines at Dumpling House (Chinese/Taiwanese), Santouka Hokkaido ramen (Japanese) and Border Cafe (Tex-Mex/Cajun). Both Dumpling House and Border Cafe are popular staples in the square. Santouka only recently opened, replacing a Dunkin Donuts.
Where: 950 Mass Ave, Harvard Square
With: Maryanne
Why: multiple recommendations
We came here on a whim upon a friend's recommendation. It was past 8PM on a chilly 20 degree night, and we were both eager to fill our bellies with something warm. Dumpling House turned out to be located on a bit of the outskirts of Harvard Square, past a seemingly random row of furniture stores. This is the sister restaurant to the Dumpling House in Chinatown.Even past 8PM, the place was bustling and we ended up waiting about 10 minutes before we were seated - much to our momentary confusion and amusement - right around the very back corner, next to the kitchen and beside where the restaurant staff sat to take breaks and eat their dinner. There was even a wall separating us from what felt like the "main" part of the restaurant. But whatever; we came here to feast.
Our waiter was a jovial guy probably not much older than us. We soon discovered he could speak both Cantonese and Mandarin, and a 3-way multilingual conversation ensued (I speak Mandarin, my friend speaks Cantonese). He recommend that we get the Sauteed rice cakes ($7.50) or the Sauteed flat noodles with beef ($7.95). We also got Mini soup dumplings with pork a.k.a. xiao long bao ($7.25), one of Maryanne's favorites. I took a ridiculously long time to order and was impressed by the waiter's patience. When I ordered the flat noodles and told him I didn't eat beef, he immediately darted into the kitchen and asked if they could replace my dish with pork instead, which they could.
The food arrived in a fair amount of time. The portions were large, and my only gripe is that my dish was sauce-heavy, which really hit me in the stomach half-way through. The xiao long bao were moderately-sized and juicy. Maryanne's rice cakes were cooked well; my flat noodles were cut shorter than usual and probably could have stood to cook for a shorter bit of time. I appreciated that they could accommodate my beef-to-pork request. We finished dinner, or what we could of it, at almost 10PM, and we were never rushed. The funny thing is, there were actually still people sitting in the waiting room by the time we left!
Attention college students: You can definitely get a filling dinner here for $10 or less, tax and tip included. The food was authentic and yummy, the service was hands-off (which I like), and I most certainly over-ate. I will come back.
Santouka Hokkaido Ramen
Where: 1 Bow Street, Harvard Square
With: Judy
Why: curiosity and our avid search for the best ramen house in this area
We arrived at this newly opened Santouka at around 7, but were told there would be an hour-long wait. They texted us a link to a waiting room system, which told us how many people were ahead of us and how long it had been since we joined the waitlist. After roughly 45 minutes of poking around the nearby CVS and spending too much time giggling over the smutty novel shelf, we received a text notifying us that we were ready to be seated. At long last - it was ramen time.
Santouka isn't your Sapporo or Yume wo Karate. The decor is modern chic and the ramen is served in pretty bowls on sleek circular trays. It was only less than 10 minutes after ordering that our impressively cheery waitress returned with Judy's spicy Tonkotsu kara miso ramen ($11.75) and my Tonkotsu shio ramen (salt ramen) ($11.25). Judy had intended on getting the ramen combo, but given that the restaurant was still in its "soft opening" phase, they were only offering limited menus with a mere four options to choose from. I chose the shio ramen after being enticed by the pickled plum umeboshi on top, which reminded me of a cherry topper.
At Santouka, it seems the Tonkotsu bone broth is the star of the show. The pork doesn't melt in your mouth the way YWK pork does. The noodles are good, but not memorable. But the bone broth, which their website says is produced by simmering pork bones for 20 hours, is rich without being heavy, mild without being watery and flavorful without being too salty (ahem, YWK). I don't think I've ever come this close to finishing my ramen broth. I also did notice a window into a kitchen area, revealing rows of metal pipes dripping liquid into metal tanks - possibly showing the Tonkotsu broth in progress?
All in all, the ramen was delicious, albeit pricey for college students, especially after tax and tip. Expect to shell out around $15 for your regular-sized ramen dinner and even more more a Large ramen, additional toppings and combo options. We had a positive experience - but it's not likely I will come back soon, given that I can head elsewhere for delicious ramen more forgiving on my wallet.
Border Cafe
Where: 32 Church Street, Harvard Square
With: Maryanne
Why: Yelp
I asked Maryanne what I should say about Border Cafe. Her very matter-of-fact response: "Say it was delish." The truth is, Border Cafe is more than delish. It is colorful and spicy and smokey, both in food and ambiance.
Border Cafe is not obnoxious, as long as you can stomach the kitschy painted walls and rainbow lights, crowded tables occupied by friends chatting over margaritas in an amiable din. Somehow it still feels intimate, even when you are straining to hear your friend, who's sitting beside you, yell a story into your ear. The name Border Cafe hardly applies here; it is more of a restaurant and bar, and it's quite the dinnertime hubbub.
We arrived a little past 6PM and were told to wait for 20 minutes. We waited about 10 minutes before our buzzer blinked red and we were finally seated. Maryanne and I both ordered the swordfish tacos veracruz ($11.96), which consisted of three soft tacos with some salad and a mesquite grilled avocado on the side. I am someone with a markedly low spicyness tolerance, but if the food is sufficiently delicious, I will power through it (in between gulps of ice water and melodramatic cries of anguish: "Why must you be so delicious? Why must you hurt me this way? sob..."). The swordfish tacos veracruz reached beyond this threshold of delicious, with lots of different flavors in each bite - smokiness, pepperyness, sweetness from mango, tartness from limes... Ugh. So, so good.
Just one taco was intensely spicy for me, but hey, there was a salad, grilled avocado and unlimited chips n' salsa to distract my tastebuds. The avocado was delicious, although a bit of challenge to eat with just a fork; it was a great flavor and texture neutralizer to the tacos. The house-made chips arrived plain warm (they keep them warmed), and the salsa was mild. All tables offer tall bottles of sea salt, pepper and chili sauce if you want to add some pizzazz.
Despite the higher price - set aside $15 for dinner - I believe it's worth coming back. The portions are large and filling, the food is great and did I mention there's unlimited chips n' salsa? Border Cafe showcases a vibrant, social environment (which I'm sure all those margaritas help along with) and seems like a great place to dine with a big group of friends - as long as you're all prepared to yell a little bit.
No comments:
Post a Comment