Momofuku Ssam Status Update

I go to Momofuku Ssam bar all the time so I tend not to write about it. However, some recent changes in the place have prompted me to put together this brief Momofuku update. Don't worry, nothing bad has happened and Momofuku still remains my favorite place to eat in all of New York, but I thought it would be dutiful to report some actual news for a change.

Ssam Bar now has a tasting menu. Although I appreciate the idea, I went and compared the tasting menu items and looked at how much they would cost on the regular menu (assuming two people ordered every item and split them) and found out that ordering a la carte would be about two thirds the price. Since the tasting menu only really offers one or two off the menu items (for which we made educated guesses about the price to make the math work) its not really worth ordering. I am confident however, that the ever creative Momofuku people will find a way to make the tasting menu worthwhile

The other big new is that they’ve hired a pastry chef! They’ve eschewed the Mocchi Ice Cream Sampler and started creating their own in house desserts. I’ve tried the cheddar shortcake with ham cream and really enjoyed it. Don’t worry, ham cream isn’t as completely far fetched as it sounds. I also tried the PB & J which is comprised of concord grape jelly, a sort of peanut butter cookie, saltine ice cream and crushed saltines. It was fantastic and instantly brought a smile to my face—I love it when food can do that.

I’m also starting to think that the Banh Mi might be my favorite menu item. I love the pork buns but perhaps I’ve been eating too many. Every time I order the banh mi it really hits the spot with the perfect elements of spice, freshness (the cilantro) crunch, creaminess and savoryness. It might be the perfect sandwich.

Finally…if you go to Momofuku and are thinking of ordering the chicken Ballotine...Don’t! It’s probably the only thing I’ve had there that I have actively disliked. Instead, do yourself a favor and muster up enough courage to order the pigs head torchon. Its face meat rolled up, poached, coated in bread crumbs and then deep fried (it doesn’t look like a head but more like a little disk.) It is crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside and tastes like some sort of ethereal little corn dog. Definitely a must have if you go to Ssam bar and fancy yourself an open minded eater.