Bon Me - Test Kitchen

Love this place. I work just down the street and they do all sorts of very neat Asian fusion. I probably go twice a month and their items are always affordable and well portioned for lunch. My personal favorites are their ramen or pho, or if I'm feeling just a bit peckish, I'll get their karrage chicken bites and just nibble on those for a couple hours back at my desk.It's not really worth driving or traveling out there, but if you're in the area and need a quick bite you will rarely be disappointed.

Tried this place out on a Tuesday after work and both things we got were fresh, affordable, and delicious! I got the namesake bahn mi sandwich which was delicious pulled pork and veggies on a baguette with both sweet and sour flavors.My friend got the k-town throw down rice bowl which was also lightly spicy and deliciously seasoned gochujang chicken with veggies and hard-boiled egg on rice.Our food was prepared quickly once we figured out that you should order on the screens next to the door instead of waiting for a person to take your order. They have a large seating area with full floor-to-ceiling window walls on two sides and clean, industrial style tables and benches.

Nothing like a fresh Banh mi sandwich with fresh crispy yet soft bread, flavorful chicken and veggies and creamy sauce - for a filling and satisfying yet quick meal after work!We got here around 6:35pm and they close at 7 but it was enough time for us to order, eat and be on our way. Place was fairly empty with only a couple of the tables occupied. Ordering was easy on the little iPads by the entrance. We had about a 5-10 minute wait till the food was ready. Both hubs and I got the same thing - spicy Korean style chicken sandwich. We enjoyed them and ate them pretty quickly. The staff was nice and didn't kick us out even though it was a few minutes past 7 and they had started cleaning the floors.The decor is cute with festive decorations for Chinese new year of the rabbit (see pictures). The space is large, clean with plenty of seating. I imagine it gets busy during the lunch hour being in the Pharma/Biotech central district in Kendall square. It's quieter in the evening as the area overall gets quiet due to the work crowd leaving. They did seem to get several pick up orders while we were there. Overall good satisfying meal and will return to try the other dishes!

I was pleasantly surprised by this bubble tea! The milk tea flavor wasn't too strong and it was the perfect balance of sweet and creamy. Much better than some of the other places I've tried so far.I'm a huge fan of the test kitchen, there is so much seating and huge windows to overlook Cambridge! I'm definitely going to come back for the veggie bahn mi!

I was walking around Kendall Square and was looking for a quick bite, so I decided to stop in. I went with "the namesake" and thought it was pretty solid, but nothing particularly special. The bread tasted fresh and it was stuffed with a good amount of meat and veggies. I thought the pork was a bit bland, but the veggie blend had a nice vinegar flavor and creamy sauce.The real highlight was that when I checked in on Yelp, I got a free milk bubble tea! I considered ordering the tea beforehand, but I figured it might not be the best, given it was more of a food spot. I don't think the tea was especially fresh, since they poured it out of a prepared pitcher, but it had a nice sweet flavor. The boba was perfect, with just the right chewy texture. So be sure to check in on Yelp when you come by!

Stopped here for lunch in the middle of the workday and it was delicious! There are kiosks that you can order from and customize your meal. I decided to add kimchi to my noodles and it was an awesome add in. I ended up sitting outside and the tables were clean and it was nice to people watch since there's so much going on in that area.

If you follow along with my reviews, you have probably seen that ever since my student days as a theatre major at Emerson, I've been a huge fan of everything and anything Bon Me. So imagine my surprise and delight when I stumbled upon the Bon Me Test Kitchen in Kendall Square in Cambridge! I had read about this location - that it was where they pilot new menu items, and even though I was basic and stuck to my usual salad with spicy and flavorful Gojuchang Chicken, it was neat to see what might be in store for the menus of the other locations around Boston and beyond!While of course the quality of the food itself was excellent, Bon Me Test Kitchen does not have the lightening-fast service that I've come to know from the food truck and Public Market locations I usually frequent. It took about ten minutes from order to pickup to get my food, and there was only one other person in the restaurant. I love Bon Me, but if you're in rush, you might be better off going to another location instead. Nonetheless, the employees are friendly and cheerful.Luckily, I had the time, so I was able to enjoy the fun and funky interior that was decked out with handsome light wooden tables, millennial friendly twinkle lights, and a projection screen that scrolls through photos of the restaurant, trucks, and employees doing what they do best - spreading joy throughout Boston through the power of amazing Vietnamese cuisine! I don't think the Test Kitchen will be on my list of must-return Bon Me locales, but it was fun to try something new and chow down on some comfort food as well.

My experiences with Bon Me have made me skeptical. I'm Vietnamese food fanboy and my body is made up of at least 15% pho at any given time. So when I first encountered Bon Me as a Boston/Cambridge institution I was ecstatic. But then I actually tried it.Personally, I find Bon Me's namesake pretty generic. The sandwich is good, don't get me wrong, but it's good in the way a steak sandwich is a steak. If you want a bahn mi, you go to Dorchester. If you want a rough approximation of what it feels like to eat a bahn mi, Bon Me'll do.So all that talk about Bon Me generally just to say that Bon Me Test Kitchen is different. Not their sandwich, it's whatever. But their soups, now, that's steak. Of course it's not the same as Dorchester pho, but it doesn't seem like it's trying to be. It's its own thing, toying with a few different flavors, sometimes spicy, sometimes slightly sweet, always oily salty goodness.Sometimes chains get it right. Especially when they go off script like Bon Me has.

Wow Bon Me has definitely grown on me. I hadn't had the best experiences before but now I have a few favorites that never disappoint. Their pork fried rice is delicious!! Always hits the spot and the portion is extremely generous. Will keep getting this over and over. I also really love their lemongrass fried chicken. So delicious and crispy!

Incredibly slow, staff ignoring customers. Won't be back. How do they stay in business?