(Image by Hauteliving) The restaurant was located around Inman Square in a small and intimate space with warm lighting.
East by Northeast
1128 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02139-1408
(617) 876-0286
Food: 4.0/5.0
Service: 4.1/5.0-Servers were friendly and attentive.
Armed with a Gilt Boston coupon, we paid $60 for a 7-course tasting menu (variety-wise it was 12) for 2 people, which was obviously a great value. I've heard accolades about ExNe for a while now and have been meaning to try it out, so the gilt coupon was a mailbox godsend.
1128 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02139-1408
Food: 4.0/5.0
Armed with a Gilt Boston coupon, we paid $60 for a 7-course tasting menu (variety-wise it was 12) for 2 people, which was obviously a great value. I've heard accolades about ExNe for a while now and have been meaning to try it out, so the gilt coupon was a mailbox godsend.
I arrived on time on a busy Saturday evening and within seconds of getting seated, I started to hear gratuitous exclamations from diners around me and repeat orders so I was also getting pretty excited too :) ExNe's food was thoughtful and included lovely small details while incorporating Chinese flavors. Presentation of small plates were also well done instead of your usual, heaping family-style plates. This has got to be the first tasting menu that left me leaving nicely-full and not feeling like a grease monkey after. Kudos to a perfect balance of veggies and meat in each dish. Thanks to the tasting menu, I now know what to order the next time I go!
Amuse bouche in a teacup. Pea soup, nori, sesame, and crispy rice. One of my favorite courses. Delicate and creamy, toppings added nice crunch, nuttiness.
Edamame, pea tendrils, poached rhubarb, garlic-lime dressing. Poached rhubarb provided a cheery pop of color+crunch
Beet salad, grapefruit, horseradish, citrus vinaigrette. Refreshing and light.
House-made soda-Cilantro and Ginger. There was no obvious cilantro flavor which could be a good or bad thing. I prefer the ginger soda a tad more although both were delicious.
Crispy Pork Belly, mantou bread, pickled vegetables. Pickled vegetables were perfect for cutting through the savory richness of pork belly. Good, although I thought that the star anise flavor was a tad overpowering.
Warm salad of chicken confit, turnips, romaine, poached egg. Loved the salted chicken confit and sprinkles of lardons. Poached egg imparted a silky finish. A favorite.
Hake wonton, seafood broth, chive crepe. This was ok. Skin was too thick; I found it distracting because instead of being able to taste the flakiness of hake in the center, I found myself wrestling the skin. Broth was flavorful.
Baby bok choy, fennel, house cured ham, pickled vegetable relish. Aromatic stir-fry that reminded me of home. Simple #winning combination of soy sauce, pepper + thin slices of ham=comfort food.
Daikon cake, garlic scapes, housecured bacon, celery, xo sauce. Daikon/Radish cake. this version was too fried (I mean stiff) for my taste but I can see why other people might appreciate it too. I'm used to the delicate tofu-like texture of traditional radish cakes.
Hand-rolled short rice noodels with chinese sausage, bok choy, onion broth, asparagus, marinated shiitakes. Soup was starchy reminded me of congee when I viewed it. Tastewise, it was pretty silky and reminded me of the milky Shanghainese wintermelon and ham broth.
Close up. Chinese-style gnocchi; made with rice flour
Brown butter sesame cookie, Orange-coconut soup in a teacup. Nose was predominantly orange. Delicate. coconut flavor came as an aftertaste. Sesame cookies were a nice touch.
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