We visited East by Northeast 5 years ago when we first moved to Cambridge. At that time we were not super impressed. But over the past year, there has been much talk about this tiny quaint restaurant in Inman Square, so we decided to give it another shot.
The hostess was very friendly and the atmosphere is quiet and inviting. We were seated promptly near the front windows and perused the menu.
The wine and beer selection was nice, as were the interesting cocktails.
We were greeted with an amuse bouche: Cauliflower purée on a homemade cracker with honey
It was just ok. The combination of cauliflower and honey was a bit strange to me.
The menu consists of small plates made to share. They have prix-fixe options or you can order a la carte, which is what we decided to do so we can try multiple dishes. The waitress recommended 3-4 dishes/person.
We ordered a bunch and each came out as it was prepared at a perfect pace. We also ordered a side of their hot sauce – which I HIGHLY recommend as it pairs beautifully with every dish.
CRISPY PORK BELLY BUN with apple, pickled red onion, sweet bean sauce, mantou bread
This was the highlight of the meal. Soft, squishy bread, crispy, fatty pork belly and jsut the right amount of acid from the red onion. They also served it with pickled turmeric cauliflower which was delicious.
SCALLION PANCAKE, smoked pork confit, grilled scallions, plum ginger sauce
I have to say I didn’t like this dish at all. It had a strange formaldehyde smell, it was greasy, not great. It did have the pickled cauliflower and some pickled squash which was good too.
STUFFED PEPPER with curried lamb & rice filling, poblano pepper, toasted coconut sauce, and togarashi
It definitely doesn’t photograph well, but this dish was delightful. The pepper was nicely charred, the lamb was perfectly seasoned and the coconut sauce was great!
MANDARIAN PANCAKE with napa cabbage and egg stuffing with butternut squash mostarda
This was much less greasy than the scallion pancake and had better flavor. The mostarda was a bit sweet but the mustard seeds gave it a nice kick.
BAMBOO LEAF FISH: hake fillet grilled in bamboo leaf, house cured lardo, matsutake mushroom, jasmine tea salt, gremolata
The fish was nicely cooked and the jasmine tea salt was a very tasty and interesting accompaniment. It was very soft and paired well with the fish.
POTSTICKERS: pan fried pork and napa cabbage, smoked tomato jam, black vinegar
I felt the jam was too sweet, but Kevin loved it. The potstickers were fine, but I’ve had much better ones.
ROASTED MUSHROOM STIR FRY: maitake and lobster mushrooms, apple, edamame, black bean sauce, garlicky mustard greens
These were really good. What they don’t mention is the flat noodles, similar to gnocchi, that it is served with. I wish there were more mushrooms, but the apples and edamame were amazing! The crunch and tartness of the apples were a very pleasant surprise. Also, the bright freshness from the scallions lightened the dish and brought it perfect balance.
Our meal ended with complimentary Chocolate Sesame Cookies bites which were fine.
All in all, I would recommend East by Northeast but I don’t know if I would return.