Returning this thread to “initial impressions”, I’ve had lunch at Base Crave the restaurant that has taken over the old Full Moon space at 344 Huron Ave in Cambridge. There’s a curious back story, but here I just want to talk about the food.
Initial impression, and all that, but I thought it quite good. We had the following:
- Gundruk soup with mustard leaves and tomatoes, and finely chopped tofu that gave it the texture of a loose chili. I it was satisfyingly sour and spicy and I’d go back just for that. ($8 for decently-sized bowl.)
- Lamb momos. These were very juicy, and, as the menu helpfully suggests, are best “hot and whole.” They come with a chili sauce of moderate heat, but were tasty in their own. The menu also has buffalo and wild boar momos that I’d like to try. ($11 for 8 momos.)
- Shrimp bhuteko. This was shrimp panfried with onions and chilies, and was my least-favorite dish. The shrimp weren’t the most pristine, and the overall dish was oily. The puffed rice (an accompaniment in other Nepali dishes as well) provided a nice contrast. ($15.)
- Salad with tofu, ordered by my daughter and not shared with me. She wolfed it down, if that’s an indicator of how tasty it was. It’s an oddly priced dish, though. The base salad is ten bucks but the add-ons are slightly pricey: $7 for either tofu or chicken, $12 for shrimp.
They’ve kept much of the Full Moon look (the room has always been light, airy and pleasant), except for a wall hanging here or there, and a mirror on one wall.
They also use nice dishes and nice bottles for water.
There’s a lot I’d like to return there to try. The menu for now is here.
