Little Mo — Just Enough
Little Mo is casual in the way of many Brooklyn eateries; open seating, counter service, sassy and chatty British girl who’s been there all of two weeks taking your order. The unique pieces are on the wall of Instax photos of patrons (?), the giant wooden sliding door, and the alcohol selection (no Mexican beers and expensive wines). Still, these casual-seeming choices come together to be quite the cohesive experience.
A Vietnamese eatery, Mo does the staples you’d expect — shrimp spring rolls ($8), pork bao ($8), pho ($10–13), and bahn mi that can be rice/vermicelli bowls ($11-$13). With few surprises in the menu much of their standout qualities show up in the execution. That said, this author and his date are not experts in Vietnamese food (sorry Jerald). In that vein this meal was taken not for its authenticity to the Vietnamese way but simply on the grounds of the engaged eater.
The verdict is that another visit is in order.
The first mistake made was to have come in on a weekday. The truest test and indeed only authentic comparison I could make, the beef pho, is available on weekends. The marrow add-ons ($3) are also weekend-exclusive.
Our second denial came in the form of the shrimp spring rolls. Veggie options aren’t my bag, as good as peanut sauce is on all things. However this is an excellent reason to return.
Our spritely counterperson turned us from the spring rolls to the pork bao and definitely salvaged the day. The pork bao was exquisite: soft, light, juicy, and bursting with delicious sauces. The fish-sauce caramel on the wings was phenomenal. Thick enough to be crunchy around the perfectly cooked chicken, we delighted in peeling the cooled pieces from their paper.
As well curated as the atmosphere and small plates were, it unfortunately set us up for disappointment in our main dish.
The shortrib was the best among the pork cutlet and the chicken and as far as the protein itself the choice was justified. However the choice of vermicelli noodles beneath proved lackluster. Lightly picked carrots and daikon, the couple sprigs of cilantro, the insufficient smattering of basil and mint, and crispy shallots became disparate islands in a starchy sea. While the overall lightness was welcome it seemed that no one bite could contain more than one added flavor to the lightly seasoned noodles. The sauce that came with them was sure was good but it sure wasn’t strong. A larger portion would have been welcome. Supplementing with the provided hoisin and sriracha felt like cheating the subtler flavors.
But hot-damn, would I go back for another shot at the bao and shrimp spring rolls (they were out on the first visit)? You bet your pho-king ass I would. Those wings were sublime and the lady dug those bao well enough I’d get an extra order next time. If the beef pho is as good as the rest of the detail-work, Little Mo’s going to see a little more of me than they’d like.
Regrets: vermicelli noodles, not being present on the weekend
Cost: $25 each for a fair helping of the menu. Can be done cheaper but definitely to the detriment of the experience
