Momofuku Ssäm Bar (2006–2007)

[Jesikka]

More later, but I just cannot restrain myself from saying that the Grilled Brook Trout, with corn, Benton's bacon, nori and pickled chantrelles  was one of the most transcendently delicious things I have ever had the pleasure of eating.

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Completely agreed.

[spaetzle_maker]

More later, but I just cannot restrain myself from saying that the Grilled Brook Trout, with corn, Benton's bacon, nori and pickled chantrelles  was one of the most transcendently delicious things I have ever had the pleasure of eating.

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Completely agreed.

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Was it served as the whole fish? At one point the kitchen was thinking of changing the dish and serving it as a fillet minus the head and tail and I'm curious if they made the change. I've had the earlier rendition of the trout: pickled cherries, preserved lemon and almonds. On one visit, the generous chef provided a sample of the fillet with corn, succotash, bacon and the pickled chanterelles. Both versions were absolutely delicious. The full fish with head and tail is so visually beautiful - on the other hand, the fillet is practical and easy to eat.

Edited September 4, 2007 by spaetzle_maker (log)

[philadining]

It was a whole fish, and it was actually quite easy to eat, the moist flesh practically falling away from the skin and bones. Except that we were mostly eating the smoky, charred skin. That is, when we could pull free from the thrall of the corn, bacon and mushroom stuffing. I blame Mr. Benton.

[spaetzle_maker]

It was a whole fish, and it was actually quite easy to eat, the moist flesh practically falling away from the skin and bones.  Except that we were mostly eating the smoky, charred skin. That is, when we could pull free from the thrall of the corn, bacon and mushroom stuffing.  I blame Mr. Benton.

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Mmmmmm That sound good. I'm glad they left it as the whole fish. What else did you eat?

[philadining]

We had: the Bentons country ham; a couple orders of pork buns; fried cauliflower; lamb belly; clams with bacon dashi, baby bok choy and chinese sausage; the above mentioned trout; and a hanger steak ssam.

They were out of a few things, including the uni, but there was no shortage of choices. We'd actually seriously contemplated ordering all of the country hams, for the sake of comparison.

The lamb belly was not especially well-liked, but I'm sure it was not a preparation issue, I just don't think we're fond of lamb belly.

Everything else was almost incomprehensibly delicious. I'd order any of it again, in fact I hope to, soon.

[kathryn]

We'd actually seriously contemplated ordering all of the country hams, for the sake of comparison.

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I've done this before and discovered all sorts of wonderful nuances, some being more smoky, more fatty (Burgers'), a little spicy, mmmmm.

There's also a new eggplant and tomato tartine on the menu. It's more like a fancy bruschetta, with an eggplant-based puree on top of toasted bread, topped by heirloom tomatoes. Amazing.

[spaetzle_maker]

We'd actually seriously contemplated ordering all of the country hams, for the sake of comparison.

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I've done this before and discovered all sorts of wonderful nuances, some being more smoky, more fatty (Burgers'), a little spicy, mmmmm.

There's also a new eggplant and tomato tartine on the menu. It's more like a fancy bruschetta, with an eggplant-based puree on top of toasted bread, topped by heirloom tomatoes. Amazing.

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That eggplant and tomato tartine is great. It also has some anchovies which adds a perfect level of saltiness to heighten the flavor of the tomatoes.

[philadining]

We'd actually seriously contemplated ordering all of the country hams, for the sake of comparison.

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I've done this before and discovered all sorts of wonderful nuances, some being more smoky, more fatty (Burgers'), a little spicy, mmmmm.

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You're my hero. Really. Where's the un-ironic smiley?!?

[philadining]

It's been pointed out to me that somehow I forgot to mention the Bahn Mi. I think it's because we split it 4 ways, so it really was just a bite or two. But quite a delightful bite. Should have ordered two. Or four.

[kathryn]

Some changes in the lunch menu:

Had a serious steamed bun jonesing so headed to Momofuku Ssam Bar on 2nd Ave & 13th for an early lunch. The staff was still being educated on how this new menu was going to work & I may have been the first customer to experience it. A couple of things-instead of going straight up to the preparer & ordering the steamed buns or Ssam directly from him-you now need to go to the register & place the order thru that person who then tells the preparer what you ordered. Also, they added Momo Boxes, kinda like their version of a bento box I guess that comes w/one side, pickles & soda. Those boxes run $14-$17. The steamed buns are still $8 for 2 but they replaced the berkshire pork w/pork belly. I asked if they could give me the berkshire pork & they said no problem. I hope & pray they continue to accomodate the switch bc that's the main reason I go there. Sides are $4 & include Pickles, Kewpie Slaw, Mixed Lettuce Salad, Cold Roasted Cauliflower, Kimchi Granny Smith Apples, Yukun Gold Potato Salad & Chap Chae Noodles. They still have the various Rice Bowls, Steamed Buns & Flour Pancake Ssam's.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/440601

[tokyogurumegal]

Meh... I'm clearly not getting it. I've tried this place out a few times and I'm still not impressed.

[ulterior epicure]

Recently had dinner at Momofuku Ssam Bar. The pictures (sans comments for now) are up on my flickr account.

FWIW, despite being an uni-lover, I did not enjoy the uni dish as much as I would have liked to have. I think it was the tofu cream - it had a strange flavor that was unlike any tofu/soybean I've ever had.

[Nathan]

had a feast here the other night culminating with the bo ssam.

finally had the heirloom tomato salad....pretty darn good...like the nifty use of tofu as faux-croutons.

agreed not to discuss the details of what we tasted but it looks like there might be a fun new dish or two this fall.

Edited September 27, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[spaetzle_maker]

had a feast here the other night culminating with the bo ssam.

finally had the heirloom tomato salad....pretty darn good...like the nifty use of tofu as faux-croutons.

agreed not to discuss the details of what we tasted but it looks like there might be a fun new dish or two this fall.

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I've been making those croutons at home. They're so tasty and easy to make. That salad from Ssam Bar has been my favorite tomato salad this summer.

[weinoo]

had a feast here the other night culminating with the bo ssam.

finally had the heirloom tomato salad....pretty darn good...like the nifty use of tofu as faux-croutons.

agreed not to discuss the details of what we tasted but it looks like there might be a fun new dish or two this fall.

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How do they do them as faux-croutons? Deep fried?

At Noodle Bar, the tofu is faux-mozzarella.

[spaetzle_maker]

had a feast here the other night culminating with the bo ssam.

finally had the heirloom tomato salad....pretty darn good...like the nifty use of tofu as faux-croutons.

agreed not to discuss the details of what we tasted but it looks like there might be a fun new dish or two this fall.

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How do they do them as faux-croutons? Deep fried?

At Noodle Bar, the tofu is faux-mozzarella.

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Yes, they are deep fried.

[ulterior epicure]

Yes, they are deep fried.

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They even look like croutons. I was really pleasantly surprised by the tofu when I bit into one - I thought the were croutons, since this was brought out by the kitchen (i.e. we didn't order it), and I hadn't paid attention to the menu description.

One note - when I first saw this plate, I don't know why, but I thought it was a warm dish... I think it's because the "pickled shallots" on top looked like they had been sweated or cooked.

[cchen]

had the bo ssam again a couple nights ago. still amazing. tried the cauliflower the first time. definitely liked it, but still prefer the brussels sprouts

[Nathan]

alas, the heirloom tomato salad was off the menu last night.

that lamb belly is seriously good.

[kathryn]

alas, the heirloom tomato salad was off the menu last night.

that lamb belly is seriously good.

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Strawberry short cake is gone, now, too, as is the tomato and anchovy tartine and the brook trout. Alas.

But the apple salad is back! This time with delfino and mint. Absolutely wonderful.

There's also a new preparation of spicy clams with poached egg, rice cakes, and duck sausage. Out of this world, hearty, and filling. Definitely a dish for those cold winter nights.

[spaetzle_maker]

There is also a steak tartare with raw quail egg. I didn't see it on the menu last night, but I had it on friday. I really, really liked it.

[kathryn]

Newish on the menu:

Four Story Hill Farm Chicken Ballontine -- porcini mushrooms, walnuts (new preparation)

Honeycrisp Apple Kimchi -- Burgers' Smoked Jowl, maple labne, arugula

Roasted Mushroom Salad -- pistachio, radish, crosnes

Crispy Pig's Head Torchon -- red adzuki beans, spicy mustard (new treatment)

Spicy Tripe Salad -- poached egg, frisee

Apple kimchi? Amazing. Fantastic. Perfect. The smoked jowl is like the best bacon I've ever eaten. And the apples were wonderful.

Spicy Tripe Salad was also very good with some croutons and honeycomb in there, nice and spicy.

They've gone back to the clams/mussels preparation with kimchi and bacon and poached egg; I loved the duck sausage version and am now sad.

There are also now some daily specials that come and go. Last night they had a Bell and Evans chicken dish.

Edited October 15, 2007 by kathryn (log)

[spaetzle_maker]

Newish on the menu:

Honeycrisp Apple Kimchi -- Burgers' Smoked Jowl, maple labne, arugula

Roasted Mushroom Salad -- pistachio, radish, crosnes

Apple kimchi? Amazing. Fantastic. Perfect. The smoked jowl is like the best bacon I've ever eaten. And the apples were wonderful.

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I second that the new apples are fantastic. I loved, loved, loved ithem!

The roasted mushroom salad is great too - it is the same as last year's.

The torchon is good - the spicy mustard cuts through the fattiness of the pigs head very nicely.

I think next time, I'm getting the apple kimchi and the spicy tripe salad - that one sounds exciting.

[Fat Guy]

The apple kimchi has got to be one of the best dishes in Momo-Ssam history. The apples are given a light kimchi treatment, and the spice is set off my the maple yogurt underneath. The jowl bacon is a beautiful complement to the dish.

I tried the skate for the first time, and was blown away by it. Best skate dish I've ever had. I'm not much of a skate fan, but the dish won me over: a big fat piece of skate with crispy exterior, served over fingerling potatoes and garnished with preserved lemon.

The chicken and escarole special was on offer, and was excellent and very subtle. I definitely recommend trying it if it's available -- it's a good counterpoint to some of the spicier dishes.

Momo-Ssam has gone back to the 2am schedule. I don't think the word has really gotten out, because at 12:30am it was pretty dead.

[kathryn]

Brussels sprouts are back! Brussels sprouts are back!

Brussels sprouts are back!

The Honeycrisp Apple Kimchi continues to be beautiful.

Braised escarole also good with flavorful, tender chicken and a poached egg. Lots of garlic. Kind of like a composed chicken and leafy vegetable stew with a bit of heat. Hearty and tasty and something that would be perfect on a colder night.

Oh, and the Amish Cheddar Shortcake? Words cannot describe. Warm Empire apple compote, ham cream (yes, you read that right, ham cream), some cider syrup on top. Ham + apples + cheese = amazing. The servers said that very few people had been ordering it; those people are idiots (possibly).

With the apple salad, the apple/cheddar shortcake, and apple kimchi, I think I might end up eating only apples at my next meal.

My boyfriend said to me, "They should change their name to Lucky Apple."