Momofuku Ssäm Bar

Cuisine	American (New)
Price	$$$ (31-50)
Rating	6/10
Last Visit	July 30, 2019
Location	New York: East Village

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General Notes

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Momofuku Ssam Bar is another one of celebrity chef David Chang's creations that completely defies categorization. It is inherently a New American restaurant, but each of the dishes draws strong Asian influences. At its heart, Ssam Bar is a restaurant that specializes in shareable plates that highlights a variety of meats and flavor profiles, which it does a decent job of doing so. The dishes are generally executed with precision, but the flavor isn't the most standout by any means. I went as a solo diner, so I feel that I missed out on a lot of options. I'd recommend giving this place a try as a splurge-ish experience with a medium to large party.

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Positives

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> An excellent option for medium to large parties. Essentially all the dishes are designed to be shareable, with a variety of small plates, larger plates, and options not on the a la carte menu (like their whole roast duck ssam).

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Negatives

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> A bit pricey. Not to say that the food is bad by any means, but Ssam Bar certainly uses the publicity from the Momofuku brand to hike up its prices.

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Dishes Tasted

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• ★★★☆ Max's Curry and Potatoes -- Burrata, spinach, garam masala. A strange combination, but it works surprisingly well. Almost like a play on poutine, with potatoes, cheese, and a heavy sauce. The texture of the curry was excellent, though it could use a bit more of a punch in terms of flavor - needs a touch more salt and acidity to balance out other bland ingredients.
• ★★★☆ Broadbent Country Ham -- Kuttawa, KY. Nutty, sweet, medium smoke. Nice flavor and texture, and a reasonably generous portion. I personally was not a big fan of the maple cream spread, which overpowered the ham and gave it a strange flavor.
• ★★☆☆ Pork Belly Buns -- Pork belly, hoisin, cucumber, scallion, served with ssam sauce. The pork is remarkably juicy and tender. But I also found the dish to be slightly lacking in flavor, and had a bit too much fat. Normally I never complain about too much fat, but it felt too greasy here. It really needs some of that ssam sauce to lift up the flavor.