Alden & Harlow, located near Harvard Square in the heart of Cambridge, is a trendy restaurant striving to create modern twists on more traditional dishes. Such creative endeavor, when executed properly, can yield truly innovative results by bringing to the table (pun intended) new flavorful, sometimes, ground-breaking meals. On the other hand, if overdone, it might lead to often overpriced and gimmicky concoctions. Therefore, I was curious as to whether Alan & Harlow would reach the right balance.

Torn between all the appealing options on the menu, I chose a Tuna Tartare, the pepper carbonara pasta, the breakfast sandwich, and the sweetcorn pancakes with berry coulis. In other words, half the menu soon found its way to my confined table. The Tuna Tartare, while delectable and well-presented, didn’t last long due to its diminutive portion. A few bites, and it disappeared. On the other hand, the carbonara pasta, whose consistency reminded me of risotto, remained more filling albeit a little salty. The bacon in itself already provided all the salt necessary for the dish. In other words, some of the culinary liberties, deviating from the traditional recipe, didn’t truly enhance or enrich this meal. However, the sweetcorn pancakes bathing in their berry coulis, for dessert, were extremely delightful and largely compensated for the previous dish. Delicate, light, flavorful, and seemingly simple, they beguiled my taste buds.