Moongate Asian Bistro in Boulder

[katzenjammy]

Moongate Asian Bistro, which is apparently a popular joint in Denver, has opened a Boulder location in the former Moshi Moshi Bowl space (1628 Pearl). We stopped in for dinner tonight -- had a decent plate of Drunken Noodles and an amazing dish called Saigon Crab, two soft-shelled crabs lightly breaded in panko and fried, then dressed with a spicy Hunan-style sauce and served with rice and a bunch of perfectly stir-fried vegetables. (In the interest of full disclosure: I'm a sucker for soft-shell crabs.) At $13, I am tempted to see how many days in a row I can eat this dish before I get burnt out on it. It's the tastiest thing I've eaten in a long time -- by far the best Asian dish I've eaten in Boulder.

They don't have a liquor license yet, which is a bummer. But prices (especially at lunch) are very reasonable. The decor is groovy, the service attentive, the Muzak cheesy. I'm looking forward to checking out the other menu options...once I get my fill of the crabs. It could take a while.

[rlm]

Mmmm. Soft shell crab. Thanks for the heads up. I'm trying to remember exactly where Moshi Moshi Bowl was. What other stores/restaurants are nearby?

So is the Muzak porno-music cheesy, disco-classics-remade-with-a-string-section cheesy, or something else entirely (Slayer meets Barry Manilow perhaps)?

And where ya been, Katzenjammy? Busy like the rest of us, I gather.

[AmyH]

Moshi Moshi was on the East end of Pearl, next to Starr's Clothing and generally toward Frsca and Gondolier (and same side of street).

[katzenjammy]

Yeah, losing my mind is where I've been, no doubt. Q4 has been a bear. But it's off to Mexico next week, yay! Gonna make vacation count.

Moongate is just east of the Borders bookstore on east Pearl, between 16th & 17th. They still have no liquor license, but proximity to the Mountain Sun means we can get happy hour microbrews and then walk a block to dinner.

I've been back for lunch twice (they've been "discovered" and it gets busy at noon) and dinner twice (still pretty quiet). Pocket review: the dishes can tend toward the sweet side; "hot and spicy" isn't (though there's a killer chili paste available on request). But it's still some of the best Asian cooking in Boulder -- though Khow Thai and Ping's remain on my list of Good Cheap Places to Eat.

Cheesy music as in: music last popular when I was in high school/college (and the '70s was not a high point of popular culture). Not quite "Muskrat Love," but close.

Edited December 19, 2004 by katzenjammy (log)

[TheMatt]

I've been back for lunch twice (they've been "discovered" and it gets busy at noon) and dinner twice (still pretty quiet). Pocket review: the dishes can tend toward the sweet side; "hot and spicy" isn't (though there's a killer chili paste available on request). But it's still some of the best Asian cooking in Boulder -- though Khow Thai and Ping's remain on my list of Good Cheap Places to Eat.

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So they are open for lunch? Didn't know that. I'm more of a lunch man than dinner, so it's nice to have a new place to try.

As for Khow Thai and Ping's, I agree. In fact, I just went to Ping's and had the Pork with Dried Winter Cabbage. So good...

[mongo_jones]

we've eaten at ping's a couple of times but in our opinion china gourmet beats it on both quality and price. this khow thai--is it possible that there is decent thai in boulder?