Moca Asian Bistro in Forest Hills

MoCA Asian Bistro
107-18 70th Rd Forest Hills, NY 11375
(718) 268-3333
www.mocaus.com

If you're interested in the Manhattan restaurant experience without leaving Queens, then you may have heard about this hot spot restaurant. While the decor of the restaurant was dark and hip (wine bottles on the wall, glass wall trickling water as a section divider, and other things I couldn't see in the dark), the music was a big turn-off. Almost immediately upon entering the restaurant on a Friday evening, I had to push my way through the crowd at the bar and those waiting for a table. Luckily my friends already made table reservations so we avoided any wait.

I was looking forward to good conversation with old friends but instead we ended up screaming at each other over the table. Worse, the music changed its volume during the course of the meal as it approached 9pm....I guess as an attempt to inspire the lounge mood.

Let's get back to the menu...I was mostly interested in sampling the Asian fusion plates. I was especially interested in the Special Rolls after reading rave Yelp reviews. I ordered the shrimp dumplings (appetizer) and the Spicy Crab Roll with Strawberry. The shrimp dumplings ($8) was served elegantly on a white rectangular platter. The dumplings were made with the Chinese sticky dough similar to Chinese dim sum's har gow. As there were only 5 small pieces, I was a little disappointed. However I was looking foward to my entree, the Spicy Crab Roll. Since the price of the roll was a bit high ($17)!!, I hoped that it would satisfy me. However the 8 pieces did little for me and I ended up snacking on Jander's chilean sea bass entree. For the price of the Special Rolls, I expected a fish that was more expensive than spicy crab. The aethetic look of the strawberry with a drop of mango sauce was very appealing however it did not justify the price of the roll.

My friend's also had mixed reviews on their food. Based on my observations, the portion of the chicken pad thai was on the smaller end. The Chilean Sea Bass entree was very delicious (firm but not overcooked) but again, the portion was small. Lastly, the chicken and vegetable tempura was exactly what I expected from my experiences in other Japanese restaurants. The chicken pieces looked like shrimp - long lean and thin.

Sadly I was still sick to drink any of the special martinis, so I can only comment on the hot tea. The tea pot was filled with beans (apparently how green tea is served in some parts of Japan). However, the cup that the tea was served in was shockingly (but then again, how could I be?) small! It was the size of a double shot glass!

Based on my experience, I will doubtfully return for another meal. While the restaurant tries too hard to be hip like a Manhattan restaurant, I believe I would rather eat in a Manhattan restaurant.