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Moma bistro open for fine dining in Richmond
MoMa Contemporary Bistro
8580 Cambie, Richmond | 604-276-0576
Cash and cards accepted
Some vegetarian options available, though menu is fairly meat-heavy
Prices for appetizers range from $11-$15, entrees from $19-$33, and dessert from $7-$8
By Lindsay Anderson
Special to The Post
Open since summer, the MoMa Bistro in Richmond invokes imagery of the museum in New York. Turns out the name is a play on the names of Chef Henry Mok and Chef Xin Mao
The two owners Mao and Mok took over the space from Cucina Toscana, and have completely transformed it. It’s now bright and contemporary, with candle-filled mason jars and cutlery tied with twine.
The two ambitious young chefs went to culinary school together. Since then they have since spent time in the kitchens of the Fairmont Pacific Rim, Emsemble, Cin Cin, and Cioppino.
They call their food “contemporary West Coast,” with French, Italian, and Asian influences.
It’s impressive and inspiring to see this kind of ambition, and I’m happy to say that they make really good food.
I started with a refreshing little amuse bouche – a chilled ginger and carrot soup with basil oil.
Then it was onto official appetizers: I had the beet, arugula, feta, and hazelnut salad with raspberry dressing. The red and golden beets had a spiced flavour to them – I could especially taste fennel – and the peppery arugula was perfectly dressed. This was a nice way to start.
Next I tried the prawn fritters, which were finished with toasted sesame and seaweed, and came with a mildly spicy togarashi aioli. They were rich, crunchy, the prawns were juicy, and I liked the earthy dusting of seaweed.
The pork belly, one of their signatures, was next. I’m picky when it comes to eating chunks of pork belly, because far too often the fatty bits have to be gnawed through.
Fortunately, MoMa served me a piece that was crispy on the outside, with layers of tender meat and soft, butter-like fat streaked through the inside. Bravo!
It was served with coarsely-mashed peas, pickled radish, jus, and chili oil. My one complaint is that the peas (or were they edamame..?) weren’t salty enough.
Otherwise, I liked the kick from the chili oil and was all over that pork belly.
I also tried their special yesterday – sous-vide rack of lamb with taro root puree, a savoury mix of mushrooms and edamame beans, and a sprinkling of a Chinese spice mixture.
Lamb is not something I typically order, but this was crazy tender and delicious. I also loved the warmly-spiced seasoning, and it was interesting to see lamb paired with taro.
Fully meat-ed out, I moved onto dessert. I had a matcha crepe filled with red bean cream, served with crispy bread crumbs, compressed pineapple, vanilla ice cream, and strawberry sauce.
My favourite parts of this dessert were the various garnishes– the bread crumbs, strawberry sauce, and pineapple all had more presence than the matcha crepe. It was okay, but didn’t particularly thrill me.
Overall, however, my meal at MoMa was an excellent one. This is a style of food that speaks to Richmond’s mix of culinary styles, ambitious next wave of chefs, and general appreciation of pork belly.
Lindsay Anderson is dining out at 365 Richmond eateries in 365 days for Tourism Richmond. The Asian Pacific Post is featuring excerpts from her blog each week. See www.365daysofdining.com for Anderson’s blog.
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