Momofuku Ssam Bar – New York City
As soon as we booked our tickets to New York City for a work shoot at The French Culinary Institute, we knew Momofuku Ssam Bar was on our hit list of “must eats”. This is how we run our business affairs: secure the contract, book the clients, think about where to eat in the city and then figure out the rest of the project logistics.
Eat Now. Work Later.
Barely even walking into the hotel, with just enough time to drop our bags down and grab our cameras, we immediately headed out to David Chang’s hot spot with our friend Jaden of Steamy Kitchen.
The sampler plate of ice cream at Momofuku Milk Bar, East Village
Momofuku Ssäm was packed. Literally every seat was occupied and everyone before and after us in the long line were content with the 30 minute wait. That’s a sign of great food to come if customers are willing to wait.
There are plenty of things to do and see in 30 minutes, but Jaden (the savvy tour guide) led us to the second hot spot (conveniently located next door) for some beer at Momofuku Milk Bar in East Village. A place to buy beer and milk within a few feet away! Beer for the big people and cereal milk for the little people. There’s something for everyone in the family at Milk Bar!
Milk Bar was standing room only, not only because it had a line out the door, but because literally, there are no chairs in the joint. A long communal bar table settles in the middle of the thriving shop and customers are packed side-by-side enjoying unique ice cream flavors: cereal milk, melon and peach tea.
How can you not love Pork Slap Pale Ale? *inside joke*
After a few cans of Pork Slap Pale Ale Beer and sinfully good pork belly buns (omg the pork! pork!), we headed back over to Ssäm bar for the rest of the feast.
We were all drawn to dishes that had high fat content, why we don’t know exactly, but when we’ve got 4 different types of sake strewn over the table, life becomes more daring.
Bone marrow shavings, pig’s head terrine, crunchy pigs ears, salty fatty ham, tripe and the deadly decadant spicy rice cakes told us that hard work deserves rewards and fat masterly executed by David Chang is worth every bit of blood, sweat, and tears. Every single bite was amazing and not one crumb of fat or green was left on the plates. We had to repeatedly fight of the servers who were diligently trying to clear our table. Don’t touch till it’s licked clean!
Momofuku Ssäm bar prepared us for the 3 long days of shooting that lie ahead.
More New York Eats posts to come!
Love New York.
David Chang’s steamed pork belly buns rock. Add a squirt of hot sauce for extra zing!
above: sweet & sour crispy pig ears and pig head terrine
a packed house, and everyone having a great time
above: spicy honeycomb tripe and edwards wigwam ham
a shot of Jaden outside the colorful wall of Momofuku
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P.S. Di Palo’s on the corner of Grand and Mott Street is the best place ever. Prosciutto and cheese heaven. just walk in for the smell. 🙂
Damn! We are already back home in So Cal. Wish we would have posted while still in NY so we could have gotten this great insight. We’ll just have to go back, and we certainly intend to.
Thanks again.
T & D
Hi Guys! Glad to see that you are in my neck of the woods.
So many places to eat, so little time.
I would like to recommend Banh Mi Saigon Bakery in Little Italy/Chinatown for the best Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwiches) I have ever tasted. I refuse to go anywhere else. And the pork is $3.75 for a sandwich with chicken at $4.25. It’s a bargain. Their old address is 138 Mott Street (a little shop that salso sells gems and jewelry.) But they have already begun to move to their new location on 194 Grand street in Chinatown. If you have the time and are in the area, I would recommend you try and stop by!
I hope you enjoy the food! and can find some shelter from the humid heat.
More pictures please!
I {heart} NYC, too. My sister was married there last January, and she’s pushing for an anniversary meet-up there with all of us. Not sure we’ll be able to swing a coast-to-coast trip (especially the FIVE plane tix we’ll have to buy – ouch), but it sure would be fun! So many great places – it would take a lifetime to see and taste everything.
p.s. – Jaden looks beautiful. T&D, you certainly know how to bring out the best in people on film.
Ah, to have been at your side that day! What fun you all must have had! Pork, pork, and pork…Not a bad way to go! Great photos and thanks for the visual preview of David Chang’s amazing restaurants.
I have never been but will put it on the top of my list!
OMG. I love it. I STILL haven’t been and the Momofuku cookbook, though wonderful, CLEARLY did not do justice to the place, as your post did.
THanks!!! Mmm. Pork. I must eat some for lunch now.
Also, I third Fuji Mama and Matt. Jaden looks great!
ooh, that looks TDF. I’ve been slowly cooking my way through the Momofuko cookbook, and I have to say that everything in it is almost TOO delicious. The pork belly buns are surprisingly simple to make at home, too, except the buns are a bit of a PITA if you don’t have a large steamer. You can buy buns, though, easily.
I just love the Momofuku restaurants….although I find everything at the Milk Bar waaaaaay too sweet. BTW David Chang ought to be paying you for those beautiful shots!
OMG JADEN LOOKS EFFING HOT THERE!!!!!!!!
I’m so glad you guys went there. NOT A SINGLE TRIP TO NYC happens for us without stopping by any of the Momofukus. I’m serious. In fact, we went 3 times our last visit. Obsessive? A bit. But when you realize what DC does is like no other, well, you understand 🙂
ACK! i just started reading the momofuku cookbook, and now i’m uber uber jealous. the buns look MAH-vah-lous.
Oh drool! For some odd reason I now have the most intense uncontrollable craving for pork. If I hop on a plane for NYC, I’m blaming it on you! Oh, and that picture of Jaden? Absolutely STUNNING.
If I am ever in NYC I will have to try this
You were in NYC?!! Are still??
Momofuku Ssam is great. I recently went there and the pork buns are my favorite too!!
Now I’m totally in for the Pork Slap Pale Ale, but pig’s head terrine? I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. And you made tripe look good–what kind of foul seductress are you? Maybe I’ll be a baby and stick with the pork buns. Phoo-D can eat the more daring stuff!
I’m so glad that you shared this! Momofuku is high on my list for my trip to NY in August. I can’t wait to give all of this porcine goodness a try!
Awesome. I think I want to go to Momofuku more than I want to go to French Laundry 🙂