One Friday night, after a long week of school, we decided to treat ourselves by eating out at one of Ithaca’s newest restaurants. Bōl, a self-described “fast casual Asian-inspired restaurant,” opened in December 2016 next to Simeon’s. As soon as we entered, we were pleased by Bōl’s tastefully minimalist interior, with a few tables and red chairs located near the open-air kitchen, and stairs to an upstairs loft with more tables.
Ordering at Bōl is a fairly intuitive process. At the head of the line, customers pick up a clipboard with one of three menus attached. Customers can choose between a Soup Bōl, with choices of ramen, pho, dumpling bowls, or a Thai butternut squash bowl with a choice of broth and proteins; or a Salad Bōl, with a choice of greens, noodles over greens, or a grain over greens, with additional pickled and fresh vegetables, dressings, proteins, and other toppings. Customers can order steamed dumplings as an appetizer, and there is a dessert menu.
Customer service at Bōl was excellent—the cashier was very patient in explaining the restaurant’s concept. We decided to get a noodle salad bowl topped with tofu, pickled mushrooms, cabbage, and a cilantro lime dressing, and a dumpling bowl with pork dumplings in a chicken and pork broth. Another friend who joined us ordered a ramen bowl with eggs, also in the chicken and pork broth. The total came out to around $40, more than we would have liked to pay for casual dining in Downtown.
While we waited, we helped ourselves to complimentary green tea. The tea had a mild, somewhat nutty flavor, and was perfect for the cold weather. Our food was ready within five minutes—we took the stairs to the upstairs loft, a nice seating area with lots of natural light from its large windows. We first tried the salad bowl. It was a perfect portion, with perfectly cooked Yakisoba noodles and satisfyingly crunchy pickles. The dressing was light and sour, and complimented the dish well. But the dish did lack some flavor, so we decided to add some of the complimentary hot oil to the salad. Bōl’s dishes can be customized to adjust for spice level and flavor, so there are many sauces at each table, including a variety of hot oils, sriracha, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce.
The dumpling bowl was a bit disappointing. Although the dumplings were large, the dish only came with four, and we quickly finished them, leaving only the broth. Bōl could have included a few more dumplings, and perhaps decreased their size. The broth, although flavorful, monopolized the flavor of the meal such that a flavor not to one’s personal taste could spoil the morsels within. We decided to add chilli oil to mitigate this issue but went a bit overboard, making the dish almost inedible (whoops). We encourage you to add sauces in moderation to avoid this problem.
Overall, Bōl is an interesting concept that is still under development. The dishes, while unique and portioned well for the most part, are priced significantly higher than their competition, meaning that the restaurant may be inaccessible for many downtown eaters. That being said, we encourage you to try Bōl for yourself, and to give them feedback about your experience. They welcome your suggestions, and their willingness to listen to feedback should position them well for the future.
Ratings:
Ambience: 5/5
Customer Service: 5/5
Price: 1.5/5
Food: 3.5/5