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Momofuku Ssam Bar
Categories: Restaurants Korean Restaurants American (New) Korean, American (New)
207 2nd Ave(between 13th St & 12th St)
New York, NY 10003
Neighborhood: East Village
(212) 254-3500
- Nearest Transit:
-
3 Av (L)
1 Av (L)
Astor Pl (4, 6, 6X)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 am - 3:30 pm
Mon-Thu 5 pm - 2 am
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 3 am
Sun 5 pm - 12 am
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Hipster, Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
1059 reviews for Momofuku Ssam Bar
Review Highlights
"The pork buns are everything you dreamed of and more."
(in 554 reviews)
"Definitely do not miss the Pork Sausage and Rice Cakes."
(in 96 reviews)
"Honeycrisp apple kimchi: Veerrry interesting."
(in 36 reviews)
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1059 reviews in English
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Review from Alexandra B.
New York, NY
2/6/2012
I had been here before but went with a group for the Bo Ssam dinner. I don't even have words. It was incredible. You would have thought that pork wrapped in lettuce with a little bit of sauce could taste like what heaven should feel like. But it did. Oh, it did.
We also ordered the pork belly buns (as amazing as everyone says), the sausage rice cake things (also as amazing as everyone says), and the tartare (delicious).
So to recap... you've heard momofuku is amazing yes? It's not hype. If you don't go you will regret it. Do what you must. But you must eat here. -
Review from Meredith X.
Hoboken, NJ
2/1/2012
Momofuku, you lived up to all my expectations and more. Came here with a party of 10 for best friend's birthday. It's been on my list for a while but near impossible to get a reasonable dining reservation (10PM? girl's gotta eat man).
We started with a round of their famous pork belly buns. Love pork belly but my god has this set the bar high! Flavorful, tender, perfectly cooked and seasoned, served with cucumbers to provide that light crunchy contrast to the fatty and rich pork belly. Some diners complained there wasn't enough hoisin sauce but I thought it was the perfect amount to complement and not overpower the meat.
When they first brought out the bo ssam pork shoulder, I was thinking "Damn that really is not enough food to feed all 10 of us". So wrong. That behemoth kicked our butts with about 1.5 pounds left to spare. The pork shoulder was so tender, fell right off the bone. Everyone at the table was surprised at how easily the tongs tugged away at the meat. Not sure what they rubbed it with but it was tangy, sweet, with a little kick. When topped with a raw oyster, pure decadence.
Waiter was really cute and almost coaxed us to order dessert until we remembered we each were carrying food twins (nice try dimples). All 10 of us left stuffed and extremely satisfied with the meal. -
Review from chum L.
Oakland, CA
After drinking poolside all afternoon, us four girls decided to head out for some comestibles to counter some of the day's libations.
Wow, baby got back!
So much back, we had to call in reserves. We invited the Whorenzo and friend to try and make a dent in the bo ssäm pork butt and bottles of wine we ordered. To no avail, we ate till we couldn't eat anymore and still had plenty to take away.
First Jimmy for drinks and then eats at the Lucky Peach? Whoa! We must think we're ballers. -
Review from Camille P.
Chicago, IL
1/22/2012
For lunch the next day, we headed to the 'new' Momofuku Ssam Bar. They've recently changed the concept to a rotisserie duck driven menu. I've been to multiple Momo's before and since my man loves duck, I figured this would be a good stop.
Duck Rotisserie
Rotisserie Duck with Chive Pancake
I think my favorite part was the chive pancake. Not at all what I was expecting, but fabulous. It was crispy and salty and greasy (in a good way? Can I say that?). I wanted to control myself, but I couldn't.
Duck with Watercress & Rice in a Chive Pancake
It was quite simple, otherwise. The duck lover thought it was good but neither one of us was falling out of our seats about it.
Steamed Buns...Mmmmm...
Luckily, they still have the Pork Buns on the menu (along with Duck Buns). These babies were as good as ever. Meaty, soft, sticky, sweet! Yipee!
Inside the Bun- Braised Pork Belly, Hoisin, Pickled Veg
Uh-huh. I kinda wished I'd ordered a giant plate of these all for myself. Is that wrong?
Broccoli Salad with Smoked Bluefish Vinaigrette
We didn't love the broccoli salad. In fact, we both took one bite and that was enough. Too smoky, fishy and mayonnaise-y for me. Yeah, yeah. It says so in the description but it was still stronger than I expected. I'm sure someone likes it. Just not us. No offense.
For me, personally, the new concept just isn't my thing. I'll head to Ko next time. -
Review from Megan R.
1/15/2012
I ate here almost a month ago and I am still talking about it. My group of six ordered the bo ssam which is a whole pork butt, a dozen oysters, kimchi, lettuce and rice, but I will get to it later. We ordered lots of deliciousness off of this vast menu.
Our appetizer order was expansive. We had the royal miyagi oysters with lady apple, lime and chili from the raw bar. They were excellent, with a clean ocean taste. The seasonal pickles ranged in a variety of vegetables. My favorite was the pickled celery. The pickles were a perfect match to the lardo. The lardo came on their version of bread and butter. Yum! My favorite appetizer had to be the steamed pork buns. The bun was perfectly sticky and airy all at the same time, and the pork was a little taste of what was to come.
An order of burger's orzak ham was perfectly smoky but the icing on the cake of that dish was the red eye gravy that it came with. It tasted interestingly enough like a smoky piece of bit of honey candy. I found myself holding on to it even when the rest of the plates were cleared.
We also had two small plates, because there was not enough food. The market greens for that day was swiss chard in the xo sauce. Greenery is also good with that much pork. My favorite dish of the day was the spicy pork sausage & rice cakes. The dish also included chinese broccoli, sichuan peppercorn, and crispy shallots. The sausage was spicy which was the perfect complement to the bitter chinese broccoli. The best part of that dish was the chewy rice cakes. They are chewy and delicate, the most perfect rice cake I have ever eaten.
And now to the main event. Bo saam, requires 6-10 people and there are specific reservation times available. It is price fixed at $200. The Niman ranch pork shoulder is slow roasted with a crust of brown sugar and kosher salt. It arrives beautifully brown and steaming hot. You can pull the bone right out very easily. The traditional way to eat this dish is by taking a lettuce leaf and filling it with a oyster, rice, some pork and the sauces. I cannot describe the cacophony of flavors all wrapped into each messy bite. You will dig in and it this pig like a pig.
Anything you don't finish will be packed up. I mean everything. All the sauces and rice included. I will definitely return again to taste the other dishes I do not try. -
Review from Dawn K.
1/23/2012
We ordered the rice cake / chorizo appetizer and managed to conquer that pork shoulder ssam combo with 6 of us. (4 guys, 2 girls)
It should feed 8 well though.
We will never be the same again. -
Review from Mike S.
Chicago, IL
1/28/2012
We stopped by Ssam Bar on a Tuesday afternoon for a duck lunch. We were some of the only people there at the time-- the staff was super friendly and we felt like we were getting super personalized service at a high-end restaurant! We chatted with the bartender for a while about all the John McEnroe pictures on the wall (awesome and random!) and picked up the latest issue of Lucky Peach while we were there. Super fun!
On to the food.. I don't know whether I liked the duck buns or the duck sandwich more. But if someone told me I could only eat one of those two things for the rest of my life, I would probably be okay with it. They were ridiculous. We also got a side of spicy fingerling potatoes, which were the perfect accompaniment.
There are a million places to try out in NYC, but we will definitely be back the next time we're in town! -
Review from Elizabeth L.
Fort Lee, NJ
1/8/2012 1 photo
One word: Excellent.
Had a celebratory dinner bo ssam style for a group of 10. I was definitely skeptical, wondering how this lettuce wrap meal would accomodate such a large party.
Let me just say I ended up packing up what felt like 3lbs of meat home after the meal.
The meat was perfectly crispy on the top and buttery tender to the bone. Meat to bone ratio was 10:1 haha. Delish!
We also ordered an extra 6 oysters and two of the steam pork buns definitely top notch not just all fat like most other places. (Though I can never mathematically justify $10+ pork buns)
We opted not to get dessert since we were all focused on putting a dent into this pork so I can't comment on that.
Price for bo ssam drinks and sides was $325 + tip -- not bad for 10 people in NYC
Pros: portions, and preparation, price (for the large meals)
Cons: small restaurant, you can't really tell who works there as the staff wears w/e they feel like (the hostess that night wore what my friend called a "mint chocolate chip" shirt-- literally looked like mint chocolate chip icecream)
WE WILL BE BACK to try the duck. -
Review from Lam N.
1/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
I came here because I was in New York, and didn't want to leave without at least going to one of the Momofuku restaurants. And I was happy I did. I loved how much more casual Ssam was compared to the more busy and much more expensive KO.
I enjoyed the open kitchen, and watching all the cooks at work, and both me and the gf were excited to see DC himself make an appearance to check on some wiring. It was good to see his ocd in action; he really cares about every detail of his restaurants.
The pork buns, pulled duck buns, and pork sandwiches are the stars of the menu, but the rotisserie duck over rice was very good too. I was disappointed that they only had the simple weekday lunch menu going at the time I was there, but I'm definitely going to come back and try the weirder things on the menu -- the dirty rice with gizzards, kimchi jowl burgers, and of course my favorite -- sweetbreads. -
Review from Kevin C.
Updated - 1/5/2012
Gotta update my review... I came here expecting something else. I think i realized this adter visitng momofuku noodlebar. Yes it is overhyped, but it is very good still.
I find myself longing for the pork buns every now and then! And everywhere I go, no other pork buns seem to measure up!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/4/2011
Was very excited to check out Ssam, but left kind of disappointed.
We were on a 7 day trip of NY and… Read more »
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Review from Mandy C.
San Francisco, CA
1/15/2012 2 photos
Came here for lunch one day, and oh boy, the food was delish!
Highly recommend:
1. Spicy Honeycomb Tripe--very addictive
2. Duck Sandwich--very hearty and so much duck flavor
3. Steamed Pork Buns--juicy and very tender. Eat it with Siracha!
I would definitely come back again and again! -
Review from Chris M.
1/10/2012
I don't always eat butt, but when I do, I prefer Momofuku Ssam Bar's pig butt.
You have to pre-order this dish and you need a team of at least 4 people. Probably 6 people if you dont want leftover or to feel like death. It's 199 for the best meal of your life.
It comes with a number of course that culimates in the plate of mouth watering, no knive needing, lettuce wrapping using, awesome sauce dipping, deliciousness of a pig's butt.
No matter how full you are, you will not be able to stop eating that final course. Caution - you may look like a fat@ss to your friends but no worries, they will be too busy pigging on the pig's butt themselves to notice.
If you have the will power to leave some of the pig's butt to take home as leftovers, then kudos to you because that means you have more willpower than 90% of the population. on earth.
Happy eating, suckers! -
Review from Diana W.
----------LATE NIGHT ONLY---------
No wait at 11PM on a Thursday (but we did snag the last seats in the house). So much hype for this place which is definitely worth trying (I'm a fan) but I also don't know if I'd wait in the long lines that people keep saying this place has.
Here's what we ordered:
Steamed buns - pork belly, hoison, cucumbers, scallions: Yummy in my tummy
BRT Bun - crispy pork belly, heirloom tomato, smoked mayo: delicious and one of the obvious ones to order. It was amazing but anyone who goes to any good Chinese restaurant can order the same thing.
Chanterelies - pickled quail egg, bone marrow, green juniper: this was interesting to try--it wasn't amazing but it wasn't bad either. I do like the experimentation on this menu
Sweet potato icecream --This was an experimental dessert (the waiter came by to see how people were liking it). It was definitely interesting to try. The orange soda foam was pretty good and the icecream itself.....will either be a hit or miss with you.
Overall, I like the menu and the different types of items that you can't really find on any menu. That alone would probably make me come back to try out other things. It's a great spot for a date or for a group with friends and I love the community-style seating of this joint. Well done. -
Review from Nicole M.
Brooklyn, NY
1/6/2012
I can't speak to the aesthetics or service of this restaurant because the entire time I was there I was purely focused on the glorious pork before me. I knew I loved pork; I did not know I loved pork with Korean fixings, in lettuce wraps with OYSTERS. Yes. Fresh, briny oysters and succulent, fatty pork shoulder apparently compliment each other beautifully. Well played David Chang.
The Bo Ssam dinner is a huge meal. I was fortunate enough to share this meal with four handsome young men and I can say I held my own. We came incredibly close to finishing, which is no small feat, people. This was an exceptional meal. I am one lucky peach :) -
Review from Chris C.
Allegan, MI
1/6/2012
My new nickname is "country ham" I don't like the nickname but the benton's smokey mountain ham with a side of red eye gravy and a crispy baguette was unbelievable! If I'm called country ham for loving this small plate so be it, it was delicious.
We also had royal miyagi oysters (bc) - lady apple, lime, chili. I didn't care for them.
This country ham. Don't want none unless you got buns, hon! and Ssam bar needs no side bends or sit ups! The steamed buns (pork belly, hoisin, cucumbers, scallions) and
bbq buns (crispy pork belly, coleslaw, smoked mayo) made me drool on my self.
The fuji apple kimchi (maple labne, jowl bacon, arugula) was a small portion shared between three people but we licked the plates.
spicy pork sausage & rice cakes were my second favorite dish. The rice cakes took this plate to another level that I love from David Chang.
We had the scallops and I wasn't a big fan but my wife really loved them.
All together an amazing night of taste bud titillation! -
Review from Scott L.
1/7/2012
I come back as often as possible for the pork buns here. Out of this world. The beer selection is good too, which makes for a tasty, if not very expensive, treat.
But I was disappointed by everything else I tried here. The cuts of ham were pretty dull, as were some polenta fries. Everything is just a distraction from the pork buns. -
Review from adrian robert h.
Beverly Hills, CA
80%
Great duck dishes for lunch.
***Short Review
Came here for lunch Dec'11
Menu at lunch seems very duck centered.
There are several different Asian themed preparation of duck available.
I thought the 'rotisserie duck over rice' was great and ordered two portions.
It's tasty and decadent dish using wonderfully cooked juicy, fatty duck, and a very good scallion garlic sauce.
The 'duck bun' was very good, but not quite exceptional.
The meat was also tasty, and the bun was delicate and not too starchy.
I loved the use of Thai basil and sauerkraut in it.
Prices are on the lower end of moderate.
You can get a pretty good meal for easily under $20 unless you have a larger appetite like myself.
Service is good.
Although you order at the counter, the servers here are attentive and informative.
Food came out within 10 mins or so of ordering.
Detailed review will look further into the dishes sampled.
***Detailed Review
pulled duck bun - sauerkraut, smoked mayo (approx $7)
(Dish Rating, 72%)
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Very good dish. Juicy shredded duck meat and some duck skin is placed inside a Chinese bun (not sure if they are Taiwanese buns, but they resemble it), Inside, there a thin slices of sauerkraut, mayo, and some Thai sweet basil.
Flavor the meat worked great. I was surprised how tender and juicy the meat was. Interestingly I don't think the duck meat was as rich or tasty, relative to the duck breast served from the duck rice bowl. Texture of the meat does resemble an American bbq pulled pork. The meat was a lot lighter. I do wish the duck skin was more crisp. I felt it was a bit soggy, but lent additional flavor nonetheless.
What complemented the meat nicely was the sauerkraut, which was only more subtle with the sour flavor. Texture of it was also very light and tender, blending well into the duck. Thai basil gave the dish some subtle sweetness in flavor (not very sweet for a basil at all). Overall the flavors are fun, balanced, but a bit muted as well. Adding some 'Hoisin' sauce works okay. I'm sure a beer would go great with this.
The bun was good. It was very light and soft, not too starchy at all. It's a Chinese bun that's a lot lighter than even your typical brioche bun. flavor of it was also more on the mild side. Overall a good dish.
'rotisserie duck over rice'
- duck scallion, ssam sauce, crispy shallot (approx $15)
(Dish Rating 87%)
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Rotisserie duck breast slices, with the skin and some fat, are served over white rice. A considerably smaller portion of duck leg is put between the duck breast and rice. A robust sauce of duck fat, scallion, fried shallots, and garlic is poured on top of the duck. A generous portion of Thai basil is served on the side. You can also order some lettuce or chive pancake at a modest additional cost, so you can wrap up the ingredients to make your own 'ssam wrap'
Great duck breast dish, definitely one of my favorite dishes this year! The duck breast was very tasty, juicy, and tender. For a duck breast, i was surprised how amazingly tasty this was. My guess is that, at least part of the reason why this is, is due to generous use of duck fat. There is a good portion of fat between the duck skin and meat. you also get the fat mixed into the sauce. Overall this is a greasy, heavy dish, but at least the grease comes from a desirable, natural source. It's amazing how good this duck was by itself. The flavor of the meat, also almost resembled to the flavor of star anise, although I'm not sure that's the case. Unfortunately, just the the duck bun, the duck skin here is also more soggy and as crisp as I would like.
Condiments work nicely. The white rice was nicely cooked and soft. It also had a lot of flavor, and I think duck fat grease was also applied to it, so you can imagine how heavy everything was.
Adding a bit of Hoisin sauce and fried garlic, both complementary items available at the dining table were welcome. I enjoyed adding a slight bit of sweet flavor from the Hoisin, which I felt balanced well with the rich duck. Fried garlic gave the duck a slight crunchier texture with each bite. Given the intensity of the duck, it was difficult to overpower it with a bit more garlic.
Truly this was a great find and I can't wait to return. Be careful if you're tempted to have another serving of the duck bowl though. Ultimately it's a richer dish, and not something that's forgiving on the belly. I ordered two portions of this and learned the hard way, unsurprisingly with hours of discomfort afterwards.
Solid duck dishes, recommended! -
Review from Leanna G.
Ann Arbor, MI
1/8/2012
This was a wonderful introduction to the Momofuku universe. I started off with a Mountainside, which was a creative and smooth Japanese whiskey and fennel and orange bitters drink. For the food, I had pork belly buns (A) and seared sea scallops in a butternut squash sauce (A+). It wasn't too busy on a Tuesday night, which I was concerned about after reading the reviews here.
Dessert was a chocolate parfait with green tea ice cream and vinegar jellies. While it was good, my companion told me that he normally doesn't order dessert at Momofuku Ssam, preferring to go across the street to Momofuku Milk Bar. Lesson learned! -
Review from NotTelling P.
Manalapan, NJ
1/31/2012
A taste sensation!
Food: Great.
Price: Moderate and worth it.
Service: Good.
Atmosphere: Cramped.
Not sure if they have liquor, but did have beer and wine.
Not a Saturday-night-out-to-dinner place, but the food is great.
I would go back. -
Review from Ian M.
Manhattan, NY
12/25/2011
I was here for a late night snack -- the pork buns and ham chips. The pork buns had a decent cut of pork (though I'd prefer a little more juice and fat). The barbecue sauce didn't stand out and the bun was on the dry side. I had a much more enjoyable one earlier in the night at Cooper Craft and Kitchen.
The ham chips were a total travesty. As a matter of fact, they shouldn't even be called ham chips since they lack any ham! They are large, thin and oddly shaped potato chips with a hint of ham flavoring. I could get a huge pack of them in Chinatown for $0.50, and avoid paying $5 for a bucket of disappointment. -
Review from Hung L.
Brooklyn, NY
1/10/2012
I came here with a group of 6 for the duck dinner which we had to book in advance through their online system. They have reservations up to four weeks in advance and you better be quick to get the prime seating times otherwise you'd be left eating at 11pm. We started off with the pork belly buns. They were okay, but nothing to write home about. The sides came out next. The swiss chard and the picked vegetables were both tasty.
Then the king of the ball arrive. I expected it to be like peking duck with head attached and have to carve it like a turkey. Instead, it was already sliced. No bones or awful carving necessary. The duck was so moist and succulent. It was laid on top of rice which became infused with the flavors of the duck.
We had a humongous smore for dessert. It was perfect for 6 people. There was a scoop of tangy frozen yogurt (?) on top which was a good contrast for the sweet of the chocolate. -
Review from Sophia S.
New York, NY
12/14/2011
Pork Butt for 8? Yes, please.
Very easy dinner for large groups.
Apple kimchi - very tasty, bacon and big apple pieces
Market greens - red chard in a pork based xo sauce, yummy
Pork buns: not bad, but not the best
Pork: ever so slightly over cooked (dried and stringy in some places but that's the hazard of a whole pig butt right?) but with that much meat, we barely put a dent in it.
Accompaniments: like the lettuce wraps, the sauces were tasty and diverse (green onion oil, bbq, kimchi, sriracha and another one)
Oysters: horrible. I sadly swallowed one and my bf spit his back into the shell.
atmosphere was fun, I love a restaurant who can play westcoast hip hop (pharcyde anyone?) reservations were a happenchance by a friend (personally not a big fan of the momofuku reservation system)
would go again, but not go out of my way to... -
Review from Jin C.
New York, NY
12/21/2011
Okay. The pork buns. They were good, but honestly just not $5 apiece good. I had pork buns at Cooper Craft & Kitchen just a little before this and I thought they were comparable, if not better. I think pork fat does make everything better.
Also, their ham chips are a lie. Let me raise a parallel example for you: when you order potato chips, you expect your chips to be made out of potato, do you not? When you order pickle chips, you expect your chips to be made out of pickle, do you not?
You do not expect your potato chips or pickle chips to merely be FLAVORED like potato or pickle. This was the exact issue we faced with the "ham" chips. These "ham" chips were essentially ham-flavored krupuk, or deep fried crackers. I think ham chips is seriously misleading. When I see ham chips I think little slivers of crisply fried ham, not a fried cracker that's vaguely reminiscent of ham. Just really, misleading menu wording is disappointing. -
Review from Karolina L.
Queens, NY
1/3/2012
The pork buns
Remain the stars of
A many longing dream -
Review from Taylor J.
Tarrytown, NY
1/27/2012
I like the idea of a separate bar room where you can wait for a table in the main dining room, but the snacks were pretty mediocre. The pork buns were probably the best of the bunch, but the ham chips and hominy lacked flair. The raw oysters we ordered were particularly unpalatable (maybe that's just me). The redeeming factor may have been the ta henket dogfish head beer, but that's more a nod to dogfish head's beer than to the ssam bar for stocking it. Willing to give the main menu a try, but won't be coming back for the bar snacks anytime soon!
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Review from Monica J.
12/1/2011
This review will be my shortest yet: Amazing.
Not that short.
-They were nice enough to seat us without a full party and wait for my late friend even with a huge lunch crowd.
-Steamed pork buns: zomg! i wanted to die
-Duck sandwich: DUCK SANDWICH!!!!
-Duck soup: reminded me of some of the delicious buffalo momo's i had in nepal
-The chocolate dessert: weird at first but by the end you want to lick the plate (and just might if no one is looking)
-Prices are prettyy reasonable for such awesome food, even more so if you aren't an alcoholic who drinks at 12:00pm.......
Go there and eat, then make sounds like: NOM NOM NOM! -
Review from Andrew C.
12/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Another great spot in NY to eat at! This place is definitely on the "pricier" end with smaller portions, but the food is definitely delicious.
Must Haves:
1) 2 pork belly "bao's" (buns, with about 2 slices of pork belly + onions + hoisin sauce) for $10 bucks
2) Pork and Sausage Rice Cakes (~$19): Wasn't sure what to expect when we ordered these, but it's basically the korean style rice cake "Dok Boki", chopped up and somehow slightly crunchy with just enough spice + meat. This was an eye-opener for me because I've had many dok boki dishes, but the texture on this one was great
Nice to Try:
Apple Kim Chi with Bacon (~$13?): It's a small appetizer dish that I thought would be kim chi mixed with some apples, but it is quite literally kim chi sauce/flavor over some apples with bacon.
Eh:
Poached Chicken: This basically comes in a sticky rice roll with chicken wrapped inside of it. Didn't think it was all that special for $25 bucks.
This place as a whole was pretty darn good. Although the prices may seem higher than "usual" (see: texas, california), the food was definitely delicious. They are supposedly known for and take extra care of their cocktails as well, but I didn't try them. -
Review from Daisy K.
Brooklyn, NY
1/27/2012
I really think this place is overated. Everything is overpriced. We had a table of 8 and ordered the pork ass dinner for $200 or $250. There was really nothing special about it. And the pork belly sandwiches...I can easily make that at home. I don't understand the hype.
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Review from Jenny S.
11/23/2011
ASIAN FUSION done right!! this experience definitely made up for my disappointment in Momofuku Milk Bar
came at about 12pm on a Sunday and didn't have to wait for a seat, but it started to get more crowded by the time we left!
----STEAMED PORK BUNS: a must try, the best pork buns i've tried yet!! the pork is fatty BUT i didnt feel heavy after eating them & the meat was PACKED WITH FLAVOR! i love their yummy special red sauce (tastes like a fusion of sweet soy sauce & siracha)
----pork w/ rice cakes: this spicy dish was basically deep fried korean dukbokki (rice cakes) mixed w/ ground pork.. it was really saucy & could have used some noodles, but i enjoyed the flavor & texture of the rice cakes!
the meal is more on the pricey side but its definitely not your average NYC restaurant... it actually reminds me a lot of LA! -
Review from Kirsten S.
Astoria, NY
Try the SWEET BREADS. Don't read the description, just eat it! Totally worth it!
Anything Pork here was fantastic as well. What a unique menu and a way to expand your palate. Just wish it wasn't so popular so you could get a table easier! Next time I will call ahead to get the roast duck! -
Review from Jennifer S.
Redwood City, CA
12/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
I am so thankful that there was a 45 minute wait at Ippudo just to put our name down because I ended up here!!
This place was AMAZING! Walking distance from Ippudo and oh-so yummy to my tummy.
We ordered:
Apple Kimchi - I definitely thought this was kimchi with apples in it..but it is KIMCHI'd APPLES. WHAAAAAAaaaa...Yeah. It was really interesting and tasted so crisp and refreshing. I have never seen this before so I would definitely try it out if you like kimchi :)
Pork Belly Buns - this is what they're KNOWN for..at $10 for 2 buns, it BETTER BE friggin delish. And it was. All you need to know aside from the juicy tender pork and soft fluffy sweet bun is that You MUST try these. The End.
Pork and Sausage Rice Cakes - Imagine dokboki..chopped up into little squares and fried until they are crispy, chewy, spicy nuggets of goodness. That would be this dish. Really had a kick to it.
This place was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to NYC. Definitely a place you have to try...loved the ambiance, the service, and of course, the food! -
Review from Albert L.
12/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Made reservations a few weeks in advance to take the wifey and in-laws who were on their first trip to NY. We also reserved the duck in advance.
Our reservations were for 10 PM, so we were starving. We ended up ordering a few appetizers because our eyes were bigger than our tummy. Our order consisted of the pork buns, kim chi, and the massive duck. Our duck came with a few sides; potatoes with duck fat drenched and bak choy.
Pork Buns - good, but Chairman Bao (in San Francisco) and Ippudo are better.
Kim Chi - unique, but again nothing to write home about.
Duck - WOW!! This is a huge dish, enough to fill the 5 starving tourists. It came with rice, buns, and sauces. Personally, I liked the ginger and hoisin sauce the best. It's kinda like peking duck where you make a sandwich but if you want less carbs you can use lettuce. We were each impressed with this dish; how flavorful and tender the duck was.
The staff was pretty good in re-filling our drinks and accommodating our requests for more sauce and veggies. Would be happy to recommend and come back! -
Review from Neline S.
11/19/2011 1 photo
My cousins were in town asked if we can do Asian Fusion for dinner and sadly couldn't figure out what Asian Fusion meant.
Luckily, one of my Yelp buddies came to the rescue and sent me a list of a whole host of places. I trust his judgment and went for Momofuku Ssam.
They don't take reservations so you just walk in and hope there's seating. We arrived at 7pm and my cousin managed to score a seating for three on this rainy, yucky night.
We looked over the menu and I was instantly drawn to the cocktail menu where Penicillin caught my eye. It consisted of scotch, lemon, honey, and ginger and my cousin ordered another drink but can't recall the name.
It took us awhile to go over the menu despite it being only one page. However, we started out the first round with the following:
-shaved dry aged sirloin - Edamane, radish, lemon verbena
-bev eggleston's pork shoulder steak - cauliflower, piperade, pine nuts
roasted lamb loin & belly - bulgur, snap peas, egg yolk
- some charcuterie plate my cousin's girlfriend picked. (Sorry the details on that are fuzzy)
I was surprised it took awhile for the cocktails to come out as I assumed they would be served while we waited for our plates. My expectations were high considering the amount of reviews from other Yelp friends but when I saw the plates, they were rather small.
My palate has changed over the years so tastes that are distinct or robust usually win me over however, the plates didn't inspire or wow me.
However, my cousin's girlfriend managed to score a really interesting coffee/something dip that came with her bread that we asked for a second serving.
My cousin was still hungry and asked if we wanted a second round. I gave him a sheepish look and said I saw another dish that caught my eye.
Round 2 consisted of the following:
-wild catfish - corn curry, green mango, peanuts
-grilled dry aged rib eye (niman ranch) - shallot confit
The catfish was definitely worthwhile and noticed I should start ordering seafood plates because they taste better than meat dishes.
My cousin and I ordered another round of drinks and convinced me to get the same one he did which was the mango sriracha - wheated bourbon, lime, cane syrup. YUM! Who would have thought sriracha would have gone well with bourbon!
The drink was good but my family knows me well and said, let's go for dessert! We asked for the dessert menu but the waiter also mentioned the special which was three scoops of vanilla ice cream, chocolate and some type of pudding concoction, graham crackers, and hazelnuts. We all looked at each other and agreed the special would end the night very well and we were right when it came out!
I think desserts are basically what make the meal. It was decadent, inspiring, and fulfilling!
Then the bill came and it hurt the wallet a bit especially when I saw the price of the dessert but I had a smile on my face on this rainy night! -
Review from Marina P.
Brooklyn, NY
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Review from Leo O.
12/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for the pulled pork. Overall impression, much much better than the chicken dinner. Yes it is more costly, but I think it's well worth it. Sauces are the same as for the chicken dinner. One thing that really stood out was eating the oysters with the pulled pork plus sauce. It was surprisingly good. I didn't think oyster and pork would go well together, especially raw oyster, but it was good! There was definitely A LOT of meat. There was only 8 of us and we had leftovers. The bone was really small. Meat came off extremely easy. Only one draw back is the skin, really fatty.
Service was on par, wasn't excellent.
The restaurant NEEDS coat hangers BAD!!!
I would definitely recommend this over the chicken. I think I will end on a high note and not try their duck. I think duck at Sam Woo would taste better. -
Review from Diana Y.
1/11/2012 2 Check-ins Here
the bossam at momofuku is a truly americanized version of the korean dish, but for it to be coveted and wanted by the masses, i think they do a good job.
the pork bossam was had. i've done this twice & although it is good, it is definitely not worth the whole debacle to go through reservations, etc etc. in fact, i don't really think bossam should be something that you have to round up 10 people to eat.
the pork shoulder itself is a whole lot of meat. even WITH 10 people we barely took it down. i wish the entire shoulder was glazed in honey and crispity. it would make it even better and i could probably eat the whole thing for the next week if that was the case. unfortunately, it is not.
the kimchi puree is an awesome way to use kimchi as a spread... imagine if you had the best kimchi ever for it!! gahh, it would be amazing. maybe trying that at home. -
Review from Steve A.
Westport, CT
1/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
Pork buns are great.
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Review from rusty r.
11/16/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I'd like to give them 2 reviews...
The first review: 5 stars.
The Korean Rice Cakes are one of my TOP 5 dishes in NYC. Everything is exquisite, from the duck to oysters to buns to cocktails. This place is absolutely incredible. One of my favorites, and I think it's now a classic original New York spot.
The second review: 1 star.
I have been here countless times when they abruptly close early for some ridiculous reason including "we were slow" (it's NYC, people come here from around the world.. stay open if you care about your customers), it's halloween (???), and the time change (instead of staying open an hour later, they decide to close an hour early). Also, service is very resistant to actually serving customers... sometimes that act like it's an inconvenience to make you a drink.
So, my take is they have incredible chefs and very very lazy management.
2.5 star average, rounded down to 2. -
Review from Julia L.
Manhattan, NY
12/8/2011
Not a big fan of the space. It's bar seating, super loud and cramped so dont come here with more than 4 people.
Came here on a Wednesday rainy night and the wait was about 20 minutes.
Great:
- Pork buns / bao: would get again
- Apple Kim Chi with Baco: might get again. the sweetness of the apple was interesting with the kimchi. would get this if i want a light dish
- catfish: there was some DELISH ginger sauce. DA BOMB
- Pork and Sausage Rice Cakes: might get again, but wasn't a huge fan. The rice cakes are dense and its pretty spicy, but its very well made
Ok
- PEI mussles: wasn't anything special
Their sparking wine was good too.
Spent about $50 / person but everyone got a glass of wine. -
Review from Jason L.
Berkeley, CA
10/24/2011
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!
