Restaurant Review: West Bridge in Cambridge

This Kendall Square newcomer has potential in spades, but feels incomplete.

restaurant review west bridge in cambridge

West Bridge’s industrial-looking Kendall Square space.

Gaudet’s studied technique makes for two dishes that qualify as Boston insta-classics. The “egg in a jar” ($12), a duck egg cooked in a water bath so that both the white and yolk are creamy, was served over a buttery Yukon Gold purée and roasted maitake mushrooms and topped with Turkish pepper and a weighted slice of crisped duck skin. Every bit of it was pleasingly rich.

The other should-be signature is a creative take on the classic s’more ($7). Also layered and served in a glass, it featured homemade marshmallow fluff (slightly less sweet and much creamier than the original) and graham-cracker crumbs toasted in brown butter and cinnamon. At the bottom there was miso caramel and a homemade chocolate pudding, really a panna cotta, made with very good chocolate. You’ll scrape the glass for every last spoonful.

Most of West Bridge, though, seems like it’s waiting to be finished. I hope that the owner and chef, with their obvious talent and enthusiasm, will fill in the blanks with something more than noise.

Other Menu Highlights:

Local-lettuce salad, $7
Roast lamb shoulder, $45
S’mores, $7

Critic Corby Kummer—an editor at The Atlantic and author of The Pleasures of Slow Food—has been reviewing Greater Boston’s top restaurants in our pages since 1997.