Location: Bejjess Bldg, Tamuning.
Phone: 969-CHOW (2469)
Hours: Mon-Thur 11AM-9PM
Fri-Sat 11-10PM
Sun Closed
Facebook: Mosa's Joint
Price: $10-$15 Avg
Hummus with pita
Doug:
5 guys 1 plate, off to a great start as we met up at Mosa's Joint for our first "official" gathering. I had made a mental note to try Mosa's Joint, as I had noticed the restaurant while driving and had previously sampled Mosa's Hotbox, the "meals on wheels" version that can be found at Skinners Plaza.
The first thing that I noticed is the parking lot, which in typical fashion is both cramped and crowded during lunch. For those with large trucks....arrive early or good luck finding a suitable spot. Luckily I was early.
The interior of the restaurant is nice. Some local art hanging on the walls, with artist information, provides visual stimulus. There was a flat screen TV at the bar with the football game on...nice! But a sports bar or restaurant it is not, I've seen bigger TVs hanging in cars. So if you want a good view of the game, the bar is the best option.
On to the food! We ordered a handful of appetizers which included baba ganoush, hummus, artichoke dip, and fried calamari. Down and dirty...the baba ganoush was great, the hummus and artichoke dip were good, but the fried calamari was soggy and oily. The naan that came with the dips was good and soft, while the bread that came with the artichoke dip was toasted on one side and had a nice crunch. I did like the dipping sauces that came with the calamari.
On to the main course. I ordered the lamb gyro with sweet potato fries, which came out on a fairly large and fancy plate. My first reaction was "wow thats it?" The plate was big enough that the fries were spread 1 layer thin with large gaps in between individual fries. Nestled in a paper pouch in the corner of the plate was my gyro, almost completely hidden by the pouch. I had to rescue the beautiful little gyro from the nasty dungeon by pulling it out from the pouch. Ok. Was I expecting a little gourmetification of the "meals on wheels" food experience? Yes. Yes I was. The presentation totally threw me off. Simply put....it was a wrapped gyro with some fries thrown on a plate. Ok ok. Who cares how it looked. What about the taste? It was decent. Not great. The same naan tyoe bread they used for the dip was used for the gyro. However, my circle of bready goodness was a little tough on one of the edges, as if it had been left out and dried out a little. The meat was tasty, with a little crunch to it. I like crunch. A few tomato slices, sauce, and red onions finished off the gyro. I appreciate that they sliced the onions very thin. Just how I like them. The tzatziki style sauce was good and did not overpower the other flavors. The sweet potato fries were fried and mostly crispy. They were served without cinnamon sugar topping. I prefer them without added sweetness, so that was a plus.
Service was good. My glass of iced tea (pre sweetened) never passed the half full mark, as the wait staff refilled drinks promptly. It did take a while for all of the orders to come out, I think I finished my gyro before Drew even got his dish. The temperature in the restaurant was warm, borderline hot. It became a a topic of discussion, not really a good thing in my opinion. Finally, one of the waitresses obliged our motley crew's request to take a photo of us in the middle of their lunch service. That was appreciated.
I thought our appetizers were good. But it felt as if the entrées were made the same as their portable eats from the box, served on a fancy plate. Thats not necessarily a bad thing, but I would have liked to have seen a little more effort put into the dishes. Quality was ok, with some inconsistencies observed. The staff was on point and I never felt ignored or forgotten....although they need to put ice in their iced tea pitchers if they are going to keep the temperature setting inside the restaurant at "sweaty".
3 Plates...out of 5.
Baba ghanouge with pita
Zach:
I was late when first arrived and the place was full before noon. Since it is our first outing together I was excited. My initial impression was that the ambiance was "warm" with wall colors, paintings, wood decorations, and air conditioning. Yes, air conditioning. I don't know if it was because of the lunchtime rush but the ac was not up to par.
The service to me was "better than ok". Our server was constantly checking on us and filling our drinks but unfortunately Drew and I had to wait 15 minutes after our table recieved thier food before we got ours. When asked about the delay the staffs reply was "they are taking care of a large order". Too bad it wasn't ours.
The food or Chorizo Burger with seasoned fries in my case was the saving grace for this place. This burger's taste is right up my alley. It was juicy, spicy, and flavorful. I wanted more. In fact, when John asked me if I "ordered a medium" I thought and had hoped he was referring to the size of the burger. Unfortunately, he was referring to how cooked I liked it. The seasoned fries came with 9.5 pieces. I dont count a half piece as a whole. They were naturally cut so it was bigger than normal fries but I would have liked to have gotten 3 more pieces at least. Even though I would like more fries, I did not enjoy the fries as they tasted too salty. Almost "Ajinimotoish (MSG)."
Overall, my experience at Mosa's was great. Great because I was with great company. The Chorizo Burger really prevented the overall rating from "dropping a whole plate." I hope the air conditioning issue will be addressed and food would come in a more timely manner. When the food arrives, fix the flavor on the fries and add more pieces please.
3 plates out of 5.
3 plates out of 5.
Lamb burger
"I think the lamb burger is overrated I wouldn't order it again"
3 Plates out of 5
Lamb gyros with sweet potato fries
3 Plates out of 5
Blue cheese burger
3 Plates out of 5
Fish Taco
3 Plates out of 5
