OBAO

Last Friday I tried out the latest restaurant by Michael Huynh, OBAO. He was also behind
Bao 111, Bao Noodles, and Baoguette. Luckily, this installation is located conveniently close to my work and well within lunching range. I had been following MidtownLunch’s coverage in anticipation of them opening. They just opened for the first time early last week after some delays and last friday was their first day serving lunch after getting the early word from MidtownLunch that they had started serving lunch. Luckily not many more people heard so they weren’t too busy for lunch when I got there at 1pm. They apparently were crazy busy later during the afternoon.

I went with a friend and we shared the short rib skewers for an appetizer which the waiter assured us is one of their specialties. For our entree’s I ordered a bowl of their Pho Bo and my friend ordered the Singaporean Laksa.

The appetizer was thinly sliced short ribs wrapped around a whole lemongrass skewer, which was then bbq’ed until slightly crispy on the outside. It was then covered with some crumbled peanuts and served with a sweet hoisin based sauce. Overall, it was pretty damn awesome. The meat was very tender and tasty even without the sauce (which I found to be a bit too sweet). You get 4 skewers for $8.

This was my first time having pho so I am not really the best judge of that, but I did enjoy it. I was expecting a stronger tasting broth, but I might just be too used to the japanese broths served with ramen. Once you added the seasonings in though it was pretty good and if I didn’t have to rush back for work I would have finished more of it. The noodles had pretty good texture, but there was no “al dente” snap. I am not really sure if it supposed to have that or not.

I got to try a few bites of my friend’s laksa, which is a coconut milk based soup with some spices, soba noodles, shrimp, and roast pork. I was expecting something a bit stronger in flavor when I read the description, but I guess I was just expecting something that tasted like a Thai soup, which I am more used to. The soba noodles were different than I have had before. They looked like Japanese style soba noodles (square in shape and a slightly dull brown color), but they seemed a bit mushy and overcooked. I am not sure if this is because it was actually overcooked or if singaporean style soba is different than japanese style soba.

The total bill came out to $35 with tax and tip for 2 entrees and 1 appetizer so its a bit pricier than a typical go to lunch for me, but given the other options in the area I will probably be stopping by from time to time. If you work/live nearby I would definitely try it out.

MidtownLunch did a full review with photos so I would read up Zach’s review for further details.

OBAO
(212) 308-5588
222 E 53rd St (Btwn 2nd & 3rd Ave)