Momofuku Ssam Bar

»Momofuku Ssäm Bar – David Chang’s Gut Busting, But Delicious Bo Ssam (Pork Shoulder)

**For full post and pics**: http://www.lauhound.com/2011/12/momofuku-ssam-bar-%e2%80%93-david-chang%e2%80%99s-gut-busting-but-delicious-bo-ssam-pork-shoulder/

David Chang has truly become a celebrity chef and every restaurant he opens seems to turn to gold as they all do really good business. While I am not a huge fan of Asian fusion food and I don’t like every dish David Chang makes, I do...+READ **For full post and pics**: http://www.lauhound.com/2011/12/momofuku-ssam-bar-%e2%80%93-david-chang%e2%80%99s-gut-busting-but-delicious-bo-ssam-pork-shoulder/

David Chang has truly become a celebrity chef and every restaurant he opens seems to turn to gold as they all do really good business. While I am not a huge fan of Asian fusion food and I don’t like every dish David Chang makes, I do think that David Chang has created something good and I’ve got a lot of respect for what he’s done (he also seems like a nice guy from the TV interviews etc I’ve seen him in), so I’m rooting for him.

I’ve heard about his version of Korean bo ssäm for quite some time and I’ve been trying to put together for a dinner for a while, but given the long lead time necessary for a reservation and people’s constantly changing schedules it took me a long time to finally come here.

The format at Momofuku Ssäm Bar has changed immensely from the first time I came when it was a Chipotle-style Korean burrito type of concept. Now it’s got a full menu and real food and is not some fast food concept with the hallmark being their large group bo ssam and rotisserie duck offerings.

The restaurant is long thin space with tables, long communal seating and an open kitchen. The walls and floors are all dark wood and look reasonably sleek. However, the layout is kind of weird so it’s a bit cramped and definitely on the loud side. The service was reasonably good and everyone was nice.

On to the food:

- Steamed Pork Buns: This dish is one of David Chang’s signature dishes. It consists of a white steamed Chinese bun called mantou with steamed pork belly, hoisin sauce, cucumbers and scallions. While many in New York thought that David came up with something totally revolutionary, I originally thought that he just copied a Taiwanese gua bao, which is very similar to this except the condiments are slightly different. However, I read an interview where he explained that he was trying to re-create Cantonese style Peking duck buns except using pork belly instead of duck. This makes sense because while both gua bao and Cantonese style Peking duck buns use a steamed mantou, the condiments at Momofuku are very similar to a Cantonese style Peking duck bun except he uses cucumbers instead of spring onions. Anyhow, the dish comes together nicely, the pork belly is tender and flavorful and the sweetness from the hoisin sauce goes well with the cucumbers and scallions. However, people always want to know what’s better and for me a good Taiwanese gua bao is definitely better because I prefer the condiments. With that said, this is still a very tasty dish and definitely worth trying out. 8.25/10

- Bo Ssäm: This is David Chang’s version of a traditional Korean dish called Bo Ssam, which is steamed pork belly with condiments that is put into lettuce wraps with condiments. The main differences are at Momofuku they give you a whole pork shoulder where as traditionally they give you sliced pork and the sauces and condiments are a bit different as well. Here they give you lettuce, rice, spicy and sweet bean sauce, ginger-scallion oil, chopped kimchi, pureed kimchi and oysters. I liked the spicy and sweet bean sauce a lot, the ginger-scallion oil tasted just like the typical Chinese version meaning it was good, the kimchi was decent, but not great and I wasn’t much of a fan of the pureed kimchi. The oysters were nice as they tasted fresh and briny. The pork was flavorful and tender, however it depended on where the meat was as some of the meat was very tender and delicious and other pieces were a bit dry. I liked it in the lettuce wrap, but after a while I started to like it better with just rice and bean sauce. It was extremely filling and even though we had 8 people, I was almost too full and ended up being a zombie on my couch afterwards. Overall, while I didn’t think it was quite as transcendent as some made it out to be, I did think it was very good. 8.5/10

I thought this was a unique and enjoyable meal. While it’s not something you can eat very often, I’d definitely recommend trying it out. I look forward to coming back to try his rotisserie duck ssäm.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (12 Replies) (by Lau, created December 1, 2011)

»Lunch @ Ssäm Bar

My first David Chang restaurant, and while it's not enough for me to scream "David Chang is God!" (that would probably be Eric Ripert), it is enough to get me to buy the cookbook and swear that I'll be back . . .

Sat at the long communal table -- and therein lies another tale (the people next to us were talking about a friend of ours, a friend we had dinner with the night before! Who says...+READ My first David Chang restaurant, and while it's not enough for me to scream "David Chang is God!" (that would probably be Eric Ripert), it is enough to get me to buy the cookbook and swear that I'll be back . . .

Sat at the long communal table -- and therein lies another tale (the people next to us were talking about a friend of ours, a friend we had dinner with the night before! Who says Manhattan is a big city???) -- the service was fine if a bit casual. But the food . . . OMF'ingG!

Friends in Napa told us we had to try the pork buns, and they were incredible! But that was just the beginning -- his take on "dirty rice" (an homage to David Chang's appearances on Tremé?) with duck gizzards, scallions, rice (duh!), and more was delicious. This was followed by veal sweetbreads served with almond, sauerkraut, and Thai chili -- tender, sweet, spicy, and yummy. Then came two of Chang's "signature" dishes at the Ssäm Bar: the rotisserie duck ssäm - chive pancake, bibb lettuce, ginger scallion -- was tender, flavorful, and moist, with crispy skin . . . I was in heaven; and the spicy pork sausage & rice cakes, with chinese broccoli, sichuan peppercorn and crispy shallots that was simply to die for!

This was the best lunch I've had in a long time -- words can't do it justice, but let's just say that Chang has elevated street food to a level of refinement that -- if I lived in NYC -- would DEFINITELY make me a regular!-COLLAPSE / REPLY (by zin1953, created October 27, 2011)

Yes, the whole rotisserie duck at Ssam Bar is wonderful! My sister and I had it in July, and it was a ton of delicious food. I had leftovers for 2 days. REPLY (15 Replies) (by ellenost, created October 4, 2011)

Wanted to report back about the wonderful whole rotisserie duck at Ssam Bar that I had Friday night. What a spectacular meal! Perfect number of people is 4 - 6. There was only 2 of us, and we looked at the roasting pan filled with a ton of the most beautifully cooked sliced roast duck breast, several more slices of duck skin with what I think may have been thigh meat cooked confit, rice, greens,...+READ Wanted to report back about the wonderful whole rotisserie duck at Ssam Bar that I had Friday night. What a spectacular meal! Perfect number of people is 4 - 6. There was only 2 of us, and we looked at the roasting pan filled with a ton of the most beautifully cooked sliced roast duck breast, several more slices of duck skin with what I think may have been thigh meat cooked confit, rice, greens, half dozen scallion pancakes, a head of lettuce, sirracha, hoisin and (my personal favorite) liquid duck fat with ginger and scallions. The duck itself was perfectly rosy with very little fat and crispy skin. This duck completely blows all other duck meals that I've had recently completely out of the water!

Accompanying the duck were two side dishes of our choosing. I selected the broccoli with fish sauce and the spicy potatoes. I loved both of them.

We got about half way through, and I have to admit that even though I have no trouble finishing the 16 course lunch at Ko, I have never been so full as eating 1/4 of the duck dinner.

The staff at Ssam Bar told us we did better than most in getting through the duck (I think they didn't want us to feel bad about only getting through half). The staff packed up everything in these great leak-proof containers. My sister and I had yummy leftovers for the next two days!-COLLAPSE / REPLY (22 Replies) (by ellenost, created July 19, 2011)

»Momofuku Ssam Bar (Bo Ssam, etc..)

I might be the last Chowhound to try this meal. But if anyone's looking for a recent report:

(Accompanying photographs, here: http://www.girleatscity.com/2011/07/momofuku-ssam-bar-new-york-ny.html)

The bo ssam's slow roasted pork shoulder (a slight departure from the steamed or boiled pork more traditionally used in bo ssäms) was elegantly simple. The outside layer was nicely caramelized...+READ I might be the last Chowhound to try this meal. But if anyone's looking for a recent report:

(Accompanying photographs, here: http://www.girleatscity.com/2011/07/momofuku-ssam-bar-new-york-ny.html)

The bo ssam's slow roasted pork shoulder (a slight departure from the steamed or boiled pork more traditionally used in bo ssäms) was elegantly simple. The outside layer was nicely caramelized and on the inside, the meat was almost unspeakably tender, streaked through and through with generous amounts of fat, which helped to keep the entire roast moist. When you used the provided meat tongs to rip off a chunk, there was hardly any resistance. According to his published recipe, David Chang achieves this magnificent texture by immersing the shoulder in a salt and sugar brine, and then slow roasting for about seven hours.

The bibb lettuce used for wrapping was not an afterthought. It was buttery, tender, flavorful and a real delight to eat, even by itself. Kimchi (at the far right in the picture) was made of about equal parts daikon cubes and Napa cabbage. I had a very hard time not greedily scarfing both bowls that were brought out to our table. In pureed form (second bowl from the right), the kimchi was a bit more noticeably salty and slightly overwhelming to eat unless you wrapped it with plenty of white rice. Ginger scallion oil (second bowl from left) was a well made, run-of-the-mill rendition and ssämjan (far left) was standard issue, as well.

I didn't actually end up wrapping my ssäm with oysters on the inside, but I did eat one by itself. Flavors were not highly concentrated, but the shellfish was very fresh and of surprisingly quality, given that it was supposed to be eaten in a wrap along with other strong-tasting ingredients like kimchi.

Our order of seasonal pickles included an impressive array of vegetables: beets, white baby radishes, sunchokes, shiitake mushroom, cucumber, green cherry tomatoes, more kimchi, celery, baby carrots and fennel. All of these (except the kimchi) had been lightly pickled in what tasted to me like rice wine vinegar, salt and sugar, a simple preparation that did not garble the distinctive, delicious flavors of each vegetable. It may sound like an oxymoron, but the quick pickling actually highlighted the freshness of the vegetables: The sour vinegar highlighted their innate sweetness.

Since this was the first time that many of our dining companions had eaten at a Momofuku restaurant, we had to order the steamed buns (pictured at the top of this post), the signature Momofuku dish that launched a thousand diners, copycats and David Chang's Momofuku empire. Fluffy, white buns were filled with two generous slices of pork belly, a moderate amount of hoisin sauce, thinly sliced cucumbers and sliced scallions. Each 3/4" x 1" x 2" cut of pork belly was very tender, lightly seasoned, but intensely flavorful, half glisteny, slippery, silky fat by volume. Cucumber slices and scallions helped balance the richness. This deceptively simple dish is not so difficult to make at home, but to make it this well and to achieve that perfect, tender-to-the-point-of-melting texture and clean, clear taste of pork is a matter that calls for some attention to detail.

The only possible disappointment of the evening was the dish of market greens with XO sauce, which was in our case Swiss chard sauteed with bits of what tasted like bacon and topped with fried onions. In concept, the dish was great, but in execution, the bite I tried (near the bottom of the bowl) was overly salty and too heavily doused in XO sauce.

The two drinks I tasted were both erudite, well-conceived, cocktail nerdy concoctions. The spring pea cocktail, made by shaking good mezcal, lime, agave, yellow chartreuse and wasabi with ice, and straining, was beautifully smokey with a modest kick of wasabi. There was just enough sweetness to blunt the high alcohol content.

The mountainside cocktail was made with Japanese whisky, fennel and orange bitters, served with a curl of grapefruit peel. It was a serious, adult drink of the style served at Employee's Only and The Highlands, again with a slight touch of sweetness (from a fennel syrup?). Notably, it was served with the sort of oversized ice cube favored by mixologists for melting at a slower rate than their smaller counterparts.

As good as both cocktails were, I would probably just order beer or ginger ale, next time. These cocktails ought to be savored long after a meal, as dessert. They're so heavy that they take away stomach capacity during a meal.

As it was, we ended the meal with orders of black rice horchata with dulce de leche, lime and sake. This barely sweet, light, frozen confection was a perfect chaser for an indulgent meal of fatty pork and strong kimchi. Flavors were interesting, but the slightly icy texture and presentation on a bed of puffed rice did not change my opinion that David Chang does savory much more successfully than he does sweet.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (10 Replies) (by michelleats, created July 5, 2011)

»Momofuku Ssam Bar

Went there for lunch on Monday, and was so impressed that I took two friends for dinner on Tuesday. Not perfect, but has streaks of genius and staff that appreciates them.

Monday lunch was honeycrisp apple briefly marinated in kimchi sauce with very piggy Berkshire bacon and Lebanese yogurt: an inspired combination of flavor notes and textures; unctuous pork shoulder from a specialty pork...+READ Went there for lunch on Monday, and was so impressed that I took two friends for dinner on Tuesday. Not perfect, but has streaks of genius and staff that appreciates them.

Monday lunch was honeycrisp apple briefly marinated in kimchi sauce with very piggy Berkshire bacon and Lebanese yogurt: an inspired combination of flavor notes and textures; unctuous pork shoulder from a specialty pork farmer; brussel sprouts that converted me: sauteed fast till brown, with a mint, Thai pepper, fish sauce and maybe orange vinaigrette, they were crunchy, spicy, refreshing and comforting all at once. My partner and I fought over the last spoonful of sauce. the one failure was the Sichuan beef tendon: I had enjoyed the genuine article the previous evening at Sichuan Gourmet, and this had no texture and no zing.

Tuesday night the standouts were the pickles (yes!) and dessert. I only chose the pickles because I had bought the Momofuku cookbook and was thinking of making them as Holiday gifts. The plate had fennel, carrots, celery, cauliflower, ramps, baby mushrooms, cucumber, baby turnips, onion, shitake mushrooms and two kimchi marinated pickles. Each vegetable was sliced thinly so the pickle could penetrate quickly without overpowering them, and several had different pickling mixtures. the three of us focussed intensely on the delicious pickles till all were gone. The skate in the next dish was (unfortunately) breaded, which didn't add anything to the tender fish, but the combination of preserved tiny lemons, charred fingerling potatoes with Old Bay spice (thank you, Baltimore) felt like a winter campfire meal with a chef. Two of us chose the Stilton and fruit dessert: crumbled rich Stilon at just the correct ripeness, on a thick smear of sweet "pumpkin ganache". with an oval spoonful of refreshing pear sorbet in the middle: wow! The other dessert was a rectangle of assertive Thai iced tea mousse, a scattering of what they called almond tea crunch and a spoonful of quiet lemon marscapone mousse. We celebrated this course with a quarter bottle of beeranauslese Riesling. drunk on food, we went to the bakery next door where I got compost cookies and smoked kale focaccia to have for breakfast.
P.S. The service was knowledgeable, efficient and helpful-COLLAPSE / REPLY (4 Replies) (by crowsonguy, created December 17, 2009)