A Meh Visit to Momofuku Ssam

Patrick Asian, Michelin Starred, New York, Restaurants, World's 50 Best

I subscribe to a number of food blogs that cover New York and David Chang seems to get rave reviews for his Momofuku set of restaurants. My cousins took us to the Momofuku Ssam restaurant where his dishes, are frankly, vegetarian unfriendly. Except for the pickled vegetables (see below), everything else has some sort of meat or seafood in it. Oh, and no, I don’t count seafood-eating vegetarians as vegetarian. The correct term is pescatarian and seafood are animals too.

We got there a little early, so we did a bit of a walk around the block. Here’s the outside of Momofuku Ssam (conveniently with their address picture perfect too!) We waited in their milk bar next door (where we later had desserts) whilst we waited for a table.

You can only really book if you go for this special Bo-Ssam (pork butt) that you need at least 6 people (my cousin tells me from experience you need much more). Unfortunately we were Bo-Ssam’ed out by two other parties dining so just turned up. Even with a group of six, you can’t make a reservation. In true Chinese style, we shared everything we had though. We started with the pickled vegetables and then their “famous” pork buns. Here is their traditional one made with pork belly, more pickles and some hoisin sauce. Whilst good, it seemed all a little bit too squishy and could have done with some more texture.

Fortunately they had another bun on special, this time made with a crispy pork belly, different pickles and avocado. I think what the other pork bun lacked, this one definitely made up for.

We then tried the short rib sandwich. I liked the sound of it. It arrived on a crispy bun, different to the white fluffy steamed rolls although this time, my cousin Kathleen tried to split it up between the six of us with only a bread knife. What are we? On a plane?

My other cousin, Penny hadn’t had a chance to try sweetbreads. She missed it at Gramercy Tavern where it was found on the tavern side menu, and nowhere to be seen on the restaurant side. Fried crisp, this one tasted just like fried chicken. I’m not quite sure what the white mayonnaise-like spread on the bottom was but all it seemed to add was creaminess, not necessarily that much flavour.

We asked if they had any Bo-Ssam left (as on the menu it still said to ask). Our waitress checked with the open plan kitchen not more than fifteen metres from us and came back with a disappointing no. Instead, she recommended the rib eye which would be plenty to share amount us all. As you can see, it was immaculately cooked – juicy and pink on the inside. They served it accompanied with some “juice” – i.e. drippings. Whilst very tasty, I was a little disappointed it didn’t seem to have any other signature flavours or spices that made it something else, other than a very well cooked rib eye.

They did serve it with this anti-Atkins diet potato filled ravioli. The starch with starch combo seemed a little bit weird and once again, very well executed. The portion size definitely doesn’t go with the size of the rib eye though.

With all of that out of the way, we then moved into the milk bar portion where they had cookies, pies, whole cakes (pictured below), soft serve, milkshakes and “adult” milkshakes (i.e. concoctions with alcohol). I really wanted a slice of cake but they only sold them whole, or rolled up into what they called truffles – imagine cake crumb mashed into a ball and you get the idea. Probably quite tasty but not for me even though a bargain at 3 for US$3. I went for their “Old Fashioned Donut” soft serve after having a taste. Light flavours of cinnamon and slight hints of jelly without being excessively overpowering. Delicious.

I enjoyed the food and the evening. Service was pretty reasonable and considering the lack of space, they did pretty well. I like the fact you can see into their open kitchen as you walk between the restaurant to the milk bar and I don’t think we ever felt rushed. I did tweet later that it didn’t quite live up to all the expectations of the “David Chang” empire but I hear his noodle place is the much better place to go. I don’t think it really has a place up in the San Pellegrino Top 50 restaurants in the world list.

Name: Momofuku Ssam
Found at: 207 2nd Ave. (Corner of 13th + 2nd), NY, NY 10003
Website: http://www.momofuku.com/ssam-bar/

Peking Palace

Patrick Asian, Restaurants, UK, Vegetarian

Tucked away on a busy street in Holloway Road, we ventured out into the extreme cold to dine at a vegetarian Chinese restaurant called Peking Palace (apparently now taking on the less appealing name, “Loving Hut”). Strange? You betcha. Good? Indeed. Our relatives in New York once took us to a similar place, apparently Buddhist run to typical Chinese dishes with mock meat. Here was us testing this small restaurant.

Things looked pretty good with this first platter of appetisers. Boy were we hungry. The ribs probably felt the least close though tasted strangely the same as one would expect. The “prawn” toast also felt a little bit gummy, as I suspected some sort of turnip paste instead.

We next went for the “duck” and isn’t it strange to see how close it looked like to the original. It even had whatever was the equivalent of the crispy skin and meaty flesh minus all the typical oil of the real duck. Served with spring onions, hoisin sauce and pancakes it really didn’t seem to be any different from the original.

Next up, “crispy beef”. We wouldn’t normally order this when dining at a Chinese restaurant yet wanted to see how it compared. Very close to the original as well. The “beef” was very thin yet the taste persisted even with its crispy coating.

Probably the weakest dish that we had, the meatballs seemed a little bit doughy if not slightly chewy and one jumped off the table as I tried to put my fork in it. We were also a little disappointed the sauce seemed to close to the our next dish.

The aubergine. No need for mock meat here.

We decided to have fried rice with “king prawns” and the wobbly equivalents sat on top of the rice when they first delivered it. Reasonable tasting fried rice.

Apparently the carrot cake was pretty good.

My toffee banana was devine, and despite asking if they had non-vegan ice cream it turned out surprising well. I think it might have been a soya-based equivalent instead of a rice milk that makes ice cream too gritty for my liking.

I really enjoyed myself at this restaurant and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a healthier Chinese meal equivalent. Everything tasted very light and surprisingly packed full of flavour. I think their other name was probably better and I’m surprised they changed the name after only a few weeks when we ate there.

Name: Peking Palace (now Loving Hut)
Found at: 669 Holloway Rd, London, United Kingdom N19 5SE
Website: http://www.thepekingpalace.com/

Melur

Patrick Asian, Malaysian, Restaurants, UK

It was a dark and stormy night… on Edgware Road. Roaring traffic and rain made it hard to make out the tiny passageway leading down to the the basement dwelling Malaysia restaurant known as Melur.

We sat down, in a rather dimly lit root. Cavernous on first look, it starts to fill with other diners as we peruse the menu. A popular haunt it seems, and it seems like they had some regulars. The menu offers an extensive range and was almost overwhelming on what to order. Fortunately their dishes are exceptionally priced and all very reasonable. I can’t remember seeing (m)any dishes over £10. Bargain!

Here’s the fried squid pictured below. Light, crispy and a really huge serve for an appetiser.

I’d convinced my dining companion to try roti canai since I hadn’t eaten this since my visit to Singapore many years ago. A light slightly spiced sauce quickly mopped up by a freshly cooked roti. Mmmm.

We tried this rather unappetising looking grilled chicken with curry sauce that tastes completely different from how it looks. Complex flavours and a real spice kick to it all. I could eat all this sauce with my rice alone; which I did when I finished the last piece of chicken.

Our vegetables of the evening aubergine though nothing to ring home about.

Here’s the rice ball and coconut dessert.

I indulged in the toffee banana with ice cream. A great way to push me from being full to way stuffed.

As far as Malaysian food goes, Melur delivers. It’s atmosphere isn’t the poshest place but then when the food is going at the price they’re charging that really doesn’t bother me. Flavours trumps that for me. I think I’d really enjoy bringing a much larger group so that we can try many more dishes from their menu.

Name: Melur
Found at: 175a Edgware Road, Paddington, London, W2 1ET (don’t believe the google map location – it’s located on the North West corner near a traffic intersection)
Website: http://www.melurlondon.co.uk/

Zilli Green

Patrick Asian, British, Italian, Restaurants, UK, Vegetarian

Another month and another vegetarian outing. Our last outing brought us to Zilli Green, the vegetarian outpost of Italian chef, Aldo Zilli. Located really centrally in Soho, it’s a great spot for all of us to meet at because it’s pretty much surrounded by all sorts of transport.

When I walked in, one of my dining companions already had been seated. The first dining area isn’t very large – in fact, it’s no larger than a small hallway and I thought it was going to be a much larger place. Maybe there’s some seats downstairs.

They went to quite a lot of effort to cram in plenty of tables. In fact, I noticed this clearly when sitting down and found my legs almost barely squeezing in between the two table legs and the chair. No space for them to sit outside. Hmph.

Anyway, on to the food. Zilli Green’s menu covers a broad range of dishes. It wasn’t quite as Italian-centric as I anticipated with dishes inspired by Asian classics, British favourites and the touch of Tex Mex. Each menu option lists some useful symbols to help choose if you happen to be vegan, nut or gluten allergy-friendly dishes. Helpful!

Quite a few of us went for the Squash, Corn & Feta Quesadillas with Guacamole & Sour Cream (£7.90). I’d hoped for a bit more kick than we got, and though the flavours tasted strong and well prepared, seemed a bit overpriced for a starter.

I admit I’m obsessed by truffle flavours at the moment. Their umaminess and richness add so much depth to the dishes, it’s my winter comfort food. I was struck when on the menu, two dishes included this magnificent ingredient. In the end I picked the Tagliatelle, Porcini Mushrooms & White Truffle Oil (£13.90). I think it was the extra dash of oil and the porcini mushrooms that did me in. Perfectly al dente pasta and each mouthful a flavour sensation, I was certainly pleased by it.

Fortunately someone else went for the Mushroom & Fresh Truffle Risotto, Grilled Asparagus & Mascarpone (£11.90). I had a small taste and the truffle flavour seemed a bit more sublime, it carried on the palette slightly longer probably due to the creamy mascarpone.

Another person ordered the Cous Cous & Soya Burger with Pickled Cucumber, Avocado, Mustard Dressed Mixed Leaves, Homemade Mayo & Ketchup, Thin Chips (£10.90) though wasn’t particularly impressed by it. They reported it not bad, but not the best vegetarian burger they’d ever had.

We had better reports from the handful of people ordering the Thai Green Curry with Sweet Potato & Thai Vegetables served with Quinoa (£11.90). Strong flavours and a very reasonable serve though slightly out of place in what I’d consider an Italian restaurant.

On all reports, it’s worth avoiding the Tofu Sausage with Spring Onion Mash, Mushroom Gravy & Mushy Peas (£11.90). Perhaps it’s just me, but I think it’s always a bit dangerous trying to replicate a dish typically relying on the quality of the meat to make it that good.

I wasn’t close enough to capture the picture but one other diner recommended avoiding the Beetroot Gnocchi filled with Blue Cheese in a Red Pesto, Potato & French Bean Sauce (£10.90) where the giant sized (and few) gnocchi ended up being very chewy pillows with, as they described it, ” what tasted like splashes of bottled pesto”.

Zilli Green isn’t going to win any Michelin stars for service any time soon, although we do have to acknowledge one of the waiters who, when pressed for vegan-friendly ice cream, went next door to sister restaurant Zilli Bar to report on what gelato and ice-creams they had. Apparently vegan-friendly ice cream wasn’t favoured by this group of vegetarians. Upon making our waiter go next door, my dining companion couldn’t help but feel compelled to order a scoop.

Their slightly different twist on the classic, Apple, Currant & Clove Crumble with Cream or Ice Cream (£5.50) had be tempted yet was completely full from the rest of the meal.

Name: Zilli Green (currently moving or closed)
Found at: 41 Dean St, London, W1D 4PY

Brunch at Lele Nha Hang

Patrick Asian, Copenhagen, Restaurants, Vietnamese

One thing I never realised about Copenhagen was its fascination for the weekend brunch. I think it’s something that London has drilled out of me where the city doesn’t really start to move until midday. Not great for morning people. Fortunately Copenhagen is a much less sleepy town, at least on a Sunday morning.

Reading about the Copenhagen brunch culture, I started to look around at a number of options and discovered LeLe Nha Hang did a very different brunch. I remember eating here last year, extremely impressed by the combination between classic Vietnamese with some modern techniques and Danish ingredients. What a strange combination a brunch might make when these two worlds collide. We had to go here.

I’m really glad that we did as well. Considering the wide selection and the buffet style, it really is great value at DKK155 (£18) even if you have pay a bit extra for drinks.

To start off the brunch, I needed my daily caffeine fix so the Vietnamese style coffee was definitely in order. Strong and without being too sickly sweet, this was a great start to the day. Of course they offer many other classic brunchtime drinks including all of their intriguingly unusual drinks all very well named. Care for an “Apocalypse Now” (Johnnie Walker Black Label, Cherry Heering, Chambord & Bitters)? What about a “Red Dragon” (Absolut vodka, dragonfruit, strawberry & hot stuff)?

Their asian influenced brunch roughly splits into a small number of tables. There’s the cold cut table where they stock the salads, cold seafood including this perfectly rolled smoked salmon pieces pictures above and the tiny sushi rolls pictured below. Another table stores the hot stuff (split into the western and asian section), a breads and pastry table and then a very large desserts table.

Of the hot stuff, you get everything from the steamed dumplings influenced with vietnamese spices, fried spring rolls, noodles and fried rice all the way to the western waffles, a variety of sausages, hashed potatoes, pancakes and, what would brunch be without eggs and bacon?

I pretty much stopped at most of the mail meal. Despite the wide girth of the desserts table, my widening girth from the other meals made me stop to really think about what I really wanted off the table.

I’m not a big fan of chocolate fondue and although they cakes all looked really appealing, none of them really stood out as being extremely different or out of the ordinary.

I satisfied myself with having a number of sticks skewered with fruit and a few dragonfruit and kiki fruit slices available in the large bowls.

It’s worth getting here early (or at least booking ahead) since the whole restaurant filled up with people and the you-know-its-good queues of locals forming outside in the cold. It’s great value, excellent quality and definitely worth giving it a go.

Name: Lele Nha Hang
Found at: Vesterbrogade 40, 1620 København, Denmark
Website: http://lele-nhahang.com/

Birthday Meal at Patara

Patrick Asian, Restaurants, Thai, UK

I celebrated my birthday when my folks were in town by helping them enjoy some delicious Thai food and one of my more favourite Thai places, Patara. I like Patara because it although it’s not quite as fancy as Nahm yet it’s much better quality than what you’ll find at any of the Thai Square branches or Thai restaurants found in any pubs.

I love how, when you walk into Patara, it feels like you are back in Thailand. Strong scents of lemongrass waft about you and the decor changes drastically from the cold and often gray surroundings of London to brightly coloured walls.

The great thing about dining as a family, Chinese style is ordering a whole heap of dishes to share. Here’s what we ended up ordering.

Satay Trio – A selection of chicken, beef and prawns delicately seasoned with a slightly spicy peanut dipping sauce. They impressed me with the attention to presentation detail with that perfect curl of coconut cream signed into the sauce.

Betel leaf wrapped prawn – I thought we’d ordered the beef wrapped in betel nut leaves, but they brought us a seafood version instead. Not bad but I wouldn’t order it again.

Thai fish and prawn cakes with cucumber salsa – Good Thai fishcakes are often hard to come by, and Patara’s was perfectly cooked – still very juicy and that slightly chewy texture with slightly crisp edges.

Lamb shank in paneng curry – This is one of my major reasons to come to Patara and I find it really difficult to order anything differently. The curry is not overly sweet and has plenty of spicy kick and the lamb shank is so well cooked it literally falls off the bone. The rest of the family has a huge dislike of lamb, yet they all tried it and was certainly impressed by the flavours and its succulence without an excessively strong lamb flavour.

Grilled chicken skewers – This was a special off their menu and was served with a tangy tamarind sauce. The chicken had that slightly smoky flavour from the grill and stayed nicely succulent with each bite.

Deep fried sea bass fillet served with light red curry sauce – This dish looks extremely impressive on arrival with the whole fish deboned in advanced and each piece, deep fried to a crisp and then served with a deliciously spicy red curry sauce.

Stir-fried broccoli spears with shitake mushrooms – Fairly ordinary greens.

Coconut lemongrass pie – Nice to have something warm when it’s so cold outside. The lemongrass flavours comes across rather strongly with the coconut playing a much more subtle role.

Baked banana served warm with vanilla ice cream and toasted almonds – A great combo of hot and cold.

Name: Patara (Oxford Circus branch)
Found at: 7 Maddox St., London W1S 2QB
Website: http://www.patarathailand.com/london/

Bahn Mi in Paris

Patrick Asian, Paris, Vietnamese

One of my favourite lunch time dishes in Calgary was going to the nearest Vietnamese place that did a wonderful Bahn Mi. Talking to my friend, Gerrod who lived in New York for sometime, apparently the Bahn Mi is taking the city by storm and I’m glad it’s about time that it did. When I went to Paris a couple of weeks ago, I made sure to track down a Bahn Mi place (that must be accompanied by a pearl tea!)

The Bahn Mi store that I found on the Internet is closest to the Arts et Métiers metro stop, literally only a block away. The store isn’t very well signed and I walked up and down until I saw that the name of the store wasn’t on the building itself, but a tiny non-descript sign hanging off the door. Fortunately they were still open when I went early afternoon, hoping to have to grab one for dinner.

The lady who runs this place is actually a Chinese lady who lived in Vietnam for sometime, and then moved to Paris. I’m amazed because she effectively spoke four languages (I had an easier time communicating with her in English than many other people that weekend) and so we got chatting as she put together my Bahn mi. I guess it’s probably about time to describe what this dish is. My memories of the Calgarian adaptation of the Bahn Mi is a toasted baguette (think Quiznos but better) filled with the classic Vietnamese marinated meat (or tofu) accompanied by fresh or pickled cucumbers and carrots, spicy coriander (cilantro for those americans), and tiny chopped chillis to give it that bite.

Here, the baguette is fresh and unlikely another one I had in little Vietnamese town, came toasted and freshly cooked. I had the beef particularly spicy, with a homemade deep and flavourful sauce that it really did remind me of the good times in Calgary. Given that the baguette was almost a foot long, this was one of the best value meals I had in Paris. I also made sure I had the sesame pearl tea that was made just as freshly. Yummo.

Name: Bahn Mi
Found at: 7 Rue Volta, 75003 Paris, France (look out for the dark black paint)
Website: None found though here’s a couple of links to some reviews

Bayswater’s Banana Tree Canteen

Patrick Asian, Restaurants, UK

The Banana Tree Canteen is one of those micro-chains providing pan-asian cuisine in a communal dining space made popular (or acceptable) by Wagamamas. There’s a few of them around town though the first one I’ve eaten at is the one located at Bayswater, just slightly down from the famously cheap Khan’s.

Out of the starters, we tried the Chicken Satay and the Chinese pork ribs. I’d definitely order the satay again, with juicy and slightly spiced chunks of chicken with enough char to give it some interesting contrast. I’m glad the accompanying sauce also had just the right level of chilli. On the other hand, I wish I could forget the ribs. The combination between an awfully strong pork flavour indicative of old meat and simply fried didn’t do anything to add flavour and made only worse drenched in a sickly sweet sauce.

Fortunately the main dish made up much more for it with a grilled pork dish served with a side salad and a chilli dipping sauce. You might think all that clear stuff on the plate is the oil, and maybe some of it is, but the rest was a light glaze made of honey that definitely worked well with the natural sweetness of the pork.

Dessert was up next and my dining partner couldn’t resist the black rice with coconut ice cream (pictured above). I can’t resist ordering the classic pandan pancake and the waitress was good enough to swap the normal ice cream for coconut ice cream as well.

Our waitress provided some very friendly service throughout the night, but if it’s like any other micro-chain will be variable depending on who’s working and their level of service. Three course dinner for 2 including a couple of soft drinks and tip: £47.80.

Name: Banana Tree Canteen(in Bayswater)
Found at: 21-23 Westbourne Grove, London W2 4UA
Website:

A Golden Day in London

Patrick Asian, Restaurants, UK

There seems to be an explosion of Northern Chinese cuisine popping up all over London. One of the newest replaces Shaftsbury Avenue’s Chinese Experience with a new one called Golden Day. Like many of the new northern Chinese restaurants, their menu is a comprehensive photographic journey through the feasts on offer. It’s a good thing too because many of them are unusual sounding and strange dishes. Like any good restaurant, based on the sampling of dishes that we ordered, they also did a great job keeping them as close to the pictures.

The picture above contains Chicken with Chillis and Wood ear mushrooms. Unlike one of my most favourite Northern Chinese dish, the chicken with sichuan peppers, this one was cooked in a spicy, saucy broth, slowly reducing over the a live flame at the table. The wood ear mushrooms, one of the least spicy dishes on the menu provided a nice cool complement to the meal.

The other star of the meal was the Aubergine dish. Surrounded by bok choi, this well presented dish covered a salty, slightly spiced aubergine that was unimaginably delicious. We weren’t even rushed out of the restaurant like many other Chinese restaurants and tea promptly filled at regular intervals.

Name: Golden Day
Found at: 118-120 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 5EP
Website: (none found)

Grilled Chicken in Bangkok

Patrick Asian, Bangkok, Thai

One of best things about writing about food is that you help others find things it would take a long time for you to find. One such place I would never have stumbled across is Baan Tawan Gai Yang as written up by Hungry in Bangkok. I’m a huge fan of anything grilled and combined with anything spicy, it’s definitely one of the things I had to go out and try.

This place is found by getting out of the Ekkamai BTS station and heading directly north on Soi Ekkamai (which starts off being Sukhumvit 63). From memory it took me about 10 or 15 minutes to walk up there, so if you’re in a rush I’d catch a taxi. On the way, you pass all the different bars/clubs run by the various spirit brands and I think it was located right after a seafood restaurant.

I was pretty hungry by the time I found this place. Their menu has plenty of visuals and there was a great mix of locals and some foreigners dining there. I sat in the open air side section where there seemed to be more locals.

This is a picture of the Gai Yang (grilled chicken) that came with two different types of dipping sauces – the sweet chilli sauce and a sour one. Both of them went really well with the chicken and I could have done with much more. The chicken also arrived with plenty of fried shallots on top, adding another set of depth to the dish. Perfectly grilled, chicken not too dry and a lovely smoky skin, this was totally worth the trip.

Above is the Tod Mun Goong (Fish & Prawn Cakes) that I thought I was going to have as an appetiser. I had no idea that these were almost the serving of a full sized dish with at least 7 or 8 large cakes. Covered in Japanese-panko style bread crumbs, these cakes were the best I’ve had anywhere. It probably helped that they cooked them fresh – I bit too eagerly into the first one not realising how freshly cooked they work and they were great because they were soft, juicy and really tasty. If not for ordering lots of food, I could have eaten many more of these.

This dish is their Som Tum (Papaya Salad). I thought I’d ordered the carrot one as recommended by Hungry in Bangkok, but apparently I didn’t. This version didn’t disappoint though with such lovely textures and complex flavours combined with that immense kick of chilli that permeated throughout.

I had a beer to go with my dinner and the funniest thing about the dinner was the fact that they kept coming around to top up the beer that was poured into the glass and then put ice into the glass to keep the beer cold. I would have preferred to keep the beer bottle in the ice bucket and then simply pour the beer out but I can see why they were doing this.

This place is great for a casual dinner with lots of friends. It was definitely on the cheaper end of the scale and great value for the quality of the food you get. I really wanted to return to try some other dishes but unfortunately I ran out of time.

Name: Baan Tawan Gai Yang
Found at: Ekkamai soi 1, Bangkok, Thailand