Momofuku Ssam Bar, NYC
On Friday August 3rd, we ate at Momofuku Ssam Bar, my new favorite restaurant! David Chang is a genius. He has an amazingly creative palate and flair for combining traditional korean flavors with non-korean ingredients. For example, raw oysters on the half shell, with kimchee consomee, to us koreans: "mul kimchee." It was brilliant. The Ssam was great. Ssam is a traditional korean way to eat barbequed meat, such as Bulgogi, or Kalbi. I've been eating Kalbi this way since I was a kid, but the contemporary culinary relevance of this ancient dish surprised me. (It actually reminded me of an In-n-out Protein Burger) The lamb sausage Ssam was great also. (kimchee compote on the side).
There were four artisinal American hams on the menu. I tried the Edwards Wigwam Country Ham from Surry, VA. Not quite Jamon Serrano (not to mention Iberico), it had a pleasingly strong flavor. I would love to do a ham tasting next time. The fried cauliflower was the hint that chef was for real. Now I hate cauliflower because it is pasty and plain, but his preparation acknowledges this and adds the complimentary flavors and textures to take a one-dimensional vegetable to new heights of complexity. The frying gives it crispness, and the chilie/mint/fish sauce adds flavors to counterbalance and challenge the distinctive cauliflower flavor.
We ordered a very dry sparkling Vouvray (presumably made from Chenin Blanc grapes) which was festive and fruit rich without being cloying, and matched up well with our appetizers.
They also serve Hitachino Beer available in two of its 10 incarnations, White, and Red Rice. If you haven't tried them, they are a revelation. They keep the malt/hops flavors under wraps and go for fruit and citrus notes, but in a subtle way, not in the knock-your-socks-off way of Belgian ales.
All of this doesn't come cheap, in spite of its low-budget, East Village location. But your palate will be rewarded, for your midtown-like expenditure. That it has a very hip, downtown ambiance will either be a attraction or not, depending on what you are looking for.
There were four artisinal American hams on the menu. I tried the Edwards Wigwam Country Ham from Surry, VA. Not quite Jamon Serrano (not to mention Iberico), it had a pleasingly strong flavor. I would love to do a ham tasting next time. The fried cauliflower was the hint that chef was for real. Now I hate cauliflower because it is pasty and plain, but his preparation acknowledges this and adds the complimentary flavors and textures to take a one-dimensional vegetable to new heights of complexity. The frying gives it crispness, and the chilie/mint/fish sauce adds flavors to counterbalance and challenge the distinctive cauliflower flavor.
We ordered a very dry sparkling Vouvray (presumably made from Chenin Blanc grapes) which was festive and fruit rich without being cloying, and matched up well with our appetizers.
They also serve Hitachino Beer available in two of its 10 incarnations, White, and Red Rice. If you haven't tried them, they are a revelation. They keep the malt/hops flavors under wraps and go for fruit and citrus notes, but in a subtle way, not in the knock-your-socks-off way of Belgian ales.
All of this doesn't come cheap, in spite of its low-budget, East Village location. But your palate will be rewarded, for your midtown-like expenditure. That it has a very hip, downtown ambiance will either be a attraction or not, depending on what you are looking for.
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