I might’ve been a convert even before I even took a bite. It was revolutionary when they handed me the plate. I’d always enjoyed meat-filled, steamed Chinese buns but they never quite gave me my meat fill. That non-descript, reddish meat interior was nice, especially when dipped into a soy sauce / Sriracha combo, but why couldn’t they improve the meat-to-bun ratio?
The Pork Bun is being called the cheap eat of the year, and my first one was in 2006. My sister was visiting from Boston and her restaurant-savvy friend Amy told us to meet her at a new Momofuku spot: the Ssam Bar. It was lunchtime, and the place advertised a sort of “Asian burrito” (Ssam apparently means "wrapped" in Korean and can be used even in describing lettuce wraps).
I had ordered some type of pork ssam burrito when I saw someone ahead of me walking away with two of the most attractive buns I’ve ever seen. Instead of a large circular contraption with an invisible meat interior, the white of the bun delicately held a two legitimate pieces of what looked like a thick-cut piece of Peter Luger’s bacon. This was 2006 and Pork Belly had not yet become the new Kobe Beef (or artisanal pickle or cupcake or kale) and I had never tried it before. It was right there in front of me. The meat to bun ratio had been solved.
I switched up the order, took that first bite through the half inch of steamed bun, into a crispy, yet fatty pork belly with a touch of I think hoisin, and a slightly pickled cucumber, and I never looked back. It became an obsession. I’d insist anyone who visited needed to try this. I made the mistake of trying to go there at 3am for drunken food when they closed at 1am, not once, not twice, but three times. In the most propitious twists of fate, the Sox, Celtics, and Patriots all were hitting their peak and the best “Boston sports bar” in NYC happened to be a block away. Instead of wings and waffle fries, I’d run over to grab a duo of pork buns during games.
Over time, the Ssam Bar became a bit of a fancier joint and I dont think they serve the pork buns in a box anymore. I still go and the food is incredible, but it’s more a fancy dinner night than a quick bite of heaven. Everyone else caught onto the idea and variations on the bun sandwich have become a staple on New York menus. Asian hipster cuisine is now actually a thing. I’ve even taken a trip to H-Mart and attempted making them myself. I’ve now lived in Asia and learned the proper name of that non-descript, reddish stuff (cha siu). Times done changed. But I’ll never forget that first look, that first bite, that first year of the Momofuku pork bun.
The Pork Bun is being called the cheap eat of the year, and my first one was in 2006. My sister was visiting from Boston and her restaurant-savvy friend Amy told us to meet her at a new Momofuku spot: the Ssam Bar. It was lunchtime, and the place advertised a sort of “Asian burrito” (Ssam apparently means "wrapped" in Korean and can be used even in describing lettuce wraps).
I had ordered some type of pork ssam burrito when I saw someone ahead of me walking away with two of the most attractive buns I’ve ever seen. Instead of a large circular contraption with an invisible meat interior, the white of the bun delicately held a two legitimate pieces of what looked like a thick-cut piece of Peter Luger’s bacon. This was 2006 and Pork Belly had not yet become the new Kobe Beef (or artisanal pickle or cupcake or kale) and I had never tried it before. It was right there in front of me. The meat to bun ratio had been solved.
I switched up the order, took that first bite through the half inch of steamed bun, into a crispy, yet fatty pork belly with a touch of I think hoisin, and a slightly pickled cucumber, and I never looked back. It became an obsession. I’d insist anyone who visited needed to try this. I made the mistake of trying to go there at 3am for drunken food when they closed at 1am, not once, not twice, but three times. In the most propitious twists of fate, the Sox, Celtics, and Patriots all were hitting their peak and the best “Boston sports bar” in NYC happened to be a block away. Instead of wings and waffle fries, I’d run over to grab a duo of pork buns during games.
Over time, the Ssam Bar became a bit of a fancier joint and I dont think they serve the pork buns in a box anymore. I still go and the food is incredible, but it’s more a fancy dinner night than a quick bite of heaven. Everyone else caught onto the idea and variations on the bun sandwich have become a staple on New York menus. Asian hipster cuisine is now actually a thing. I’ve even taken a trip to H-Mart and attempted making them myself. I’ve now lived in Asia and learned the proper name of that non-descript, reddish stuff (cha siu). Times done changed. But I’ll never forget that first look, that first bite, that first year of the Momofuku pork bun.
