Second Chances: The MOB Edition

A Hip Hop Vernissage at Wanderlust

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from hyper-talented media maven-mom-vegan-living diva Chloe Jo Davis, letting me and a few other Paris-based people know that her friend, the photographer Mike Schreiber, would be kicking off his latest exhibit at trendy venue Wanderlust. The theme? New York hip-hop. Yes, I totally want to go! Not just to experience some art, but to check out the new MOB, which recently moved from its original rue Charlot location to a new space on Quai Austerlitz overlooking the Seine.

That's MOB's owner with the beard and hat.

I love this portrait of musician/actor/activist Mos Def.

I wanted to give MOB a second chance to make me love it, since my first experience left kind of a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't think I'd ever come back for seconds, but part of me felt I should give them another try. After all, they're supporting the vegan movement merely by existing, and plenty of people actually rave about the food. Maybe I hit 'em on an off day.

After a couple of whirls around the art-show floor and a few plastic cups-full of box wine, we walked the twenty paces out the door and over to MOB.

How convenient! MOB is right next door to the exhibit.

The menu, printed in English and towering above the cash register, is simple: Burgers, fries, "corn soup," Nutella cheesecake, and a few other items. Prices range between €4 and €9. We ordered our burger-and-fries combos, then found a table and sat soaking up the funky ambiance.

Communal tables, blonde-wood chairs, wall treatments in primary colors, and floor-to-ceiling curtains depicting Last-Supper scenes (with Amy Winehouse and other pop-culture figures in attendance) were all calling out for attention. It was a lot to take in.

I didn't try one of these chocolate-chip cookies but I'd sure like one right now.

MOB's designer was in the house. Here he is showing me how he worked himself into MOB's curtain fabric.

Ten minutes later, our order was up. My initial reaction was "way better!" Visually, these burgers were far more tantalizing than the unadorned beige-on-brown numbers they served up the last time. Taste-wise, they were the real (veggie) deal, with sauce and veggies and, most importantly, FLAVOR. Right on, MOB!

Even my lettuce-wrapped burger (I was cutting back on carbs in anticipation of a beach vacation the following week) dazzled my persnickety palate. The fries were scrumptious, too: Thickly cut, hot out of the fryer, and salty. Too bad there weren't more of them! On my next visit--and I predict there will be many next visits to come--I'll definitely order a large.

This sloppy, delicious mess came with eggplant and lots of sauce.

I blew my own mind by ordering the bun-less burger. Hardly missed the carbs at all.