Momofuku Bo Ssam

Last night, I completed my sojourn to the whole Momofuku empire by indulging in the Bo Ssam. Let's break that down into an equation:

Bo Ssam [n/v*]: An entire pork butt + dozen oysters + Kimchi/scallions/dipping sauces + bowl of rice + bibb lettuce = $200 total

The glorious moment can only be summed up by a single photo:













See the entire set at my Flickr here.

We were only a party of 4, though it's recommended that you come with 6-8. Still, there wasn't THAT much meat left over so maybe you just need to come with hearty carnivores. The meat was extremely tender, juicy, and fatty, with a slightly sweet glaze on the outside. I was tempted to tear the meat off with my hands, but I am a lady. A lady who picked up the huge pork bone butt and proceeded to gnaw on it for the remainder of the night.













Oh, and I should mention that David Chang was on the other side of our communal table entertaining a fashion crew. I suppose a girl sucking on a giant pork butt bone is enough to catch anyone's attention, but honestly I was too fixated on my food. Good food enhances your dining experience. Great food will steal your undivided attention.

The Momofuku experience couldn't be completed without trying the Milk Bar's new strawberry cake. It's a three-layer slice of tristar strawberries, sweet corn crumble, and corn parfait.














My favorite still remains the Banana cake, but the Strawberry cake isn't a bad runner up.

We wrapped up the night with some artisinal drinks at Angel's Share. I'm celebrating Labor Day now with the remains of the pork butt, and I couldn't be happier.


* I've deemed this capable of being a verb.

Momofuku Ko

A few things to cross off my list of things to do before I die:

• Eat Foie Gras
• Eat Caviar
• Love a dish so much I forget cucumber is in it

My full review is here.

Weekend Re-cap, Take III

I'm too tired to make an entire post to play catch-up, so I will just throw links out.

Told you I like cupcakes, but this is how much.

Friday I had Momofuku's Fried Chicken Dinner at 11:30pm. The photos will do all the talking for me:

Saturday I made Honey Yogurt Pancakes, which I'll post pictures and the recipe for here soon.

Sunday was mostly devoted to the Cupcakes and Delicious Sandwich meetup. It was great meeting everyone, and there were so many yummy cupcakes! Photos are up here on my Flickr.

Monday I moved into my new room. Pretty much only two things tire me out: 15+ hr plane rides, and moving, especially by myself from 5pm-1am. I'm not made for heavy lifting. Baking, yes, physical strength, noooo.

Tonight I saw some interesting world records being broken. Cupcake Kebab, anyone? No? Pickled herring, spelled and then eaten? Flying Tortillas?

That is all for tonight. Will edit later.

Triple Food Fail

Tuesdays are my Long Days. You know how everyone has those days that are just a little more jam-packed than others? Mine's Tuesday. I work a half day at one internship, then move onto another one until 8pm. I enjoy both, but I'm a little dead to the world when I get home.

But sometimes, all I want is (surprise, surprise) good food to pick me up.

This particular Tuesday, I had been looking forward to Momofuku Milk Bar. I heard about the new soft serve flavors during my Texas vacation and was dying to try them. I had my heart set on it, so it was all I could do to stop myself from running and skipping to Momofuku.

BUT THEN I SAW BUTTS. ON CHAIRS.

And I knew something was up.


Here's the deal, Momofuku milk bar is standing room only. Chairs are a bad omen. What does that mean for me? It means private event, which means no Momofuku for Melissa. My crushed look must have attracted the attention of a worker near the door, who kindly placated us dejected folks with some of the day's leftover cookies.

I stood blankly at the corner of 2nd ave and 13th street, watching the people go in and out of Momofuku Ssam. I experienced that moment where I was so set on something that I didn't even bother with a back-up plan. At an utter loss, my friend and I decided to check out a new ramen place near St. Mark's, but then changed directions and headed to Otafuku, the little hole in the wall that sells takoyaki (Japanese street eats: delicious octopus balls).

BUT THEN THERE WAS SILENCE IN THE STORE. WHY?

"We're out"

I think my jaw dropped. I've been a patron here for years and never have they run out before. My friend steered me down the road towards our final destination. Chocolate solves everything.

BUT THEN THERE WERE BOARDED WINDOWS AND AN EMPTY BUILDING.

Seems like the second ave Max Brenner closed down while I was MIA.

However, good ol' Union Square Max Brenner was open, thank goodness. I was about at the end of my rope here. I couldn't believe my luck! However, the night was not over.

My friend got a ice cream sandwich and a chocolate martini, and I happily ordered the Popsicle fondue, eager for my sugar fix.


BUT OUR WAITRESS HESITATES. OH NO, WHY AREN'T YOU WRITING?

She gives me an apologetic look and tells me that the Israeli supplier has not given them shipments for 2 weeks.


I couldn't believe what she was saying. Either my brain was still processing what she said, or paralyzed from lack of sugar for more than 3 hours. In any case, she quickly offered up a solution, which was to give me scoops of ice cream and the toppings on the side. Same concept, slightly different execution. It ended up being less messy than the popsicle and a little less expensive too. Check out their entire dessert menu here.

Luck didn't seem to be on my side that day, but all things considering, I ended up with a better ice cream deal a la carte and a free Momofuku cookie. Munching on the cookie now, I think that plans can go awry and still end up memorable, if nothing else.

Lesson learned. Now give me back my luck. ;)