Myers + Chang
1145 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02118
Yelp

Myers + Chang is part of Joanne Chang’s Boston empire.  Her claim to fame probably comes from her chain of bakeries, Flour Bakery.  But she and her husband, Chef Christopher Myers, decided to take the foods she grew up eating, revamped and reinvented for a fun and trendy experience.  Honestly, I would describe the ambience as kitschy at best, bordering on gaudy and tacky more like it.  The dragons, tigers, and other Asian-esque decor was sensory overload.  The food, on the other hand, is a totally different story.  Joanne Chang is Taiwanese, but the food definitely melds influences from all over Asia.

No doubt, the restaurant is aiming for a casual vibe.

Twice Cooked Lamb Belly Stirfy long beans, hot mustard, slippery noodles
Piping hot, the dish eats well.  As it sits around you definitely start to notice the heaviness.  The flavors were interesting with a bit of salty sweetness and some kick from the hot mustard.  The long beans were a bit on the tougher side but I think that’s just standard for Chinese long beans.  Maybe why that’s why they are typically deep fried?  The lamb belly was just ok.  I liked the dish for the plentiful vegetables more than anything else.

Sweet + Sour Brussel Sprouts crispy rice, mint, hot + sweet
Yelpers really loved the brussel sprouts, but I thought they were too sweet and needed more balance.

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) pork, shrimp, pineapple, farm egg
This was easily my favorite dish.  It was flavorful and spicy.  There was so much going on, but in the best way.  I really loved the crispy fried shallots.  YUMS!

Pork Belly Buns braised pork, steamed buns, hoisin, pickles
The thick cut of pork was tender and definitely more meat than fat.  The pickled  daikon brought good balance.  My major issue was with the bun, which was your standard supermarket quality frozen bun.  Considering Joanne Chang is a pastry chef, I expected buns made from scratch.  House made buns are so much tastier and fluffier.

Tea-Smoked Pork Spare Ribs
I found these pretty underwhelming.  The tea smoked flavor was more of a subtle essence which I didn’t have any problems with.  But the ribs were a little bit dry.  I just had 1 rib and didn’t want to have anymore.

While not every dish at Myers + Chang, was a success, the place offers a good variety of dishes.  I can’t say the food is authentic, but I don’t think that is the intent.  Fusion is the name of the game.  My experience might be different if I ordered a little better, so no ribs or buns next time.  Maybe the wok charred udon or a rice bowl?  I’m not in any rush to come back, but if I did I would order the nasi goreng in a heart beat.

10 – You NEED to eat here
9 – Awesome
8 – Very good
7 – Good
6 – OK
5 – Average
4 – Not bad
3 – Not good
2 – Terrible
1 – Do NOT eat here