Pork buns top prix fixe menu

207 Second Ave.

3 out of 5 stars

The whole concept of famed chef David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar has always confused me. I understand that Chang wanted to provide a relaxed atmosphere, while still providing a great, simple, seasonal menu. But I couldn't comprehend how his restaurant got such high marks.

In December 2008, Frank Bruni, the ex-New York Times restaurant critic, gave Chang's Ssam Bar the esteemed three-star rating, making Ssam Bar one of the best restaurants in the city. But with no reservation system, diminutive backless chairs, waiters in jeans and the smallest dining area I've seen in the world of fine dining, it just didn't add up.

But as the cliché goes, you can't judge a book by its cover.

Fortunately for me and my date, the Saturday wait for the lunch service was only a few minutes. Surprisingly, the no-reservation system actually worked. We sat down at one of the small wooden tables by the window. We hastily divvied up the dishes on the $25 three-course, prix fixe menu (so as not to repeat anything). We were brought our first course within minutes.

But eventually the reservation-less system backfired. Ssam Bar rushed us through each course, eager to get their valuable table real estate back. Frankly, it was slightly annoying to be pushed so rapidly through the courses, but for those who just want a meal, I am sure you will enjoy the speedy service at Ssam Bar.

For our first course we had the Sichuan beef tenderloin and Ssam Bar's legendary pork buns. The beef tenderloin, served cold, was a well-executed textural meal: the crunchy peanuts complemented the soft slices of thin tendon meat. But once our waiter arrived with the pork buns, the tenderloin was completely overshadowed. Biting into the melt-in-your-mouth pork belly inside the bun, I finally realized why Momofuku Ssam Bar was a force to be reckoned with, despite its modest setting. Inside the relatively thick Asian buns sat a mix of beautifully tender pork belly meat with a rather affording portion of fat, pickles, hoisin and scallions. Though the recipe is simple, the buns are exquisite because of the luscious intermingling of pork belly meat and fat. And with Chang renowned as a culinary "pork head," it is no surprise that Chang fiercely grabbed our attention with his pork buns.

As the meal continued, other food failed to deliver. In the second course, we had the grilled branzini — a plate of both branzini and eel with a potato mélange on the side — as well as the rice cakes, an exceedingly spicy plate of minced meat, hot peppers, scallions and mild rice cakes. Neither dish was particularly spectacular.

In the third course, we received the corn ice cream pie with a strawberry puree and the Thai iced tea parfait. These were both very strong plates. For me, the complementary almond tea crunch and lemon marscapone of the Thai iced tea parfait was an incredible end to the meal.

The prix fixe lunch had its high notes, particularly in the first and third courses, so it is hard to criticize Chang for his generous menu when it only costs $25. A beautiful progression that includes Chang both in and out of his comfort zone, no plate was particularly flat. And with that in mind, if you're near Union Square and feeling lucky enough to get a walk-in table, I would highly advise Ssam Bar's prix fixe lunch.

Andrew Tom is a contributing writer.