Momofuku Ssam Bar

Recommends

FryeGurl

Joined 2 years ago

Delicious!. I don't know how their only getting 3 stars. Ssam bar has never let me down. 3 rules I live by:

1) get the steamed buns

2) go any time someone invites me

3) try at least one new ham every time

Enjoy!

Doesn't Recommend

Chubby Restaurant Goer

Joined 4 years ago

Overpriced Hospital Food. I took one bite from my dish and it tasted like burnt charcoal. I almost threw up after that but kept it in because I didn't want to make a scene. Keeping a low profile, I proceed to ask the waiter to doggie bag it. This was the worst thing I ever eaten. Worst than Applebees or the food court at your local mall. I cannot think of anything comparable to this except for the food from the airplane or hospital. I paid sixty dollars (including tip) for a beer, appetizer, and entree and the portions will only be suitable if you're a super model.

I decided to cleanse my palate by visiting more authentic restaurants on St Marks. As I was walking there, I saw a homeless person and so gave it to him instead of simply throwing it out. The homeless person was gracious and immediately ate the food. He basically spit it out and threw it on the ground. Immediately, the rats came out from the park. I would like to say even the rats didn't like it but we have a winner and actual fans of the food, finally!

Recommends

Scoop NYC

Joined 4 years ago

Some dishes are great but all are tiny. If you have extra money and want to try some interesting flavors that you've never eaten before, give it a whirl. The buns are as good as advertised, as are the hams, the duck and the spicy pork sausage dish. The ducks necks are good, but there's virtually no meat on them, which is the real problem with the restaurant.

Small women will probably be able to sate themselves on two or three courses apiece and walk out at reasonable prices. Large men like me would have to eat seven or eight courses to fill up. As a result, I tend to come here only when I'm planning to eat my real dinner at some place cheap, like a pizza parlor.

Doesn't Recommend

foodie10021

Joined 6 years ago

Awful Manager. Our food was horrendous and all members of our party were ill that night. When we called the manager that night to let him know his exact words were "This isn't the upper east side. You get what you get."

Doesn't Recommend

flipcityguy

Joined 3 years ago

Pay the Price for Fabulousness!. My first inclination to try this place was all the buzz David Chang was getting from food writers as innovating new approaches to Asian foods. I've heard about the steamed pork buns and ordered it. It was delectably tiny and okay but nothing to rival the authentic ones in Chinatown which is bigger, tastes more rich but less the price. There were several interesting things on the menu - like the noodles with braised beef and the dessert was okay. The dark interior was indeed fabulous but spare to keep you focused on the food - but the price to pay can be much. Come if you want to check the great flavors and rethink how Asian food can be enjoyed - but you can get something else heartier and cheaper.

Doesn't Recommend

MK0905

Joined 5 years ago

What?. The hype has nothing to do with the reality of the dining experience here. If being fabulous and keeping up with "cutting edge cuisine" is your goal then this is your place. If another goal is telling everyone you know how wonderful it was to eat exotic ham all the way from Kentucky, Tennessee or Virginia, then this is also your place. If you actually want to eat some food, I wouldn't recommend it. The menu is utterly confusing, the place was filthy and the "laissez faire" attitude of the inappropriately attired wait staff was just too cool for me. I have eaten ham and steamed buns and "oh, so exotic" beef brisket in my life, and nothing here was so out of the ordinary that it warranted the miniature servings for ridiculous prices. Yes, it is NY and food is expensive, but if I pay over $20 for a bowl with five noodles and a Lilliputian chunk of beef brisket, it better be as good as the ham I might get at a roadside bar-b-que in Tennessee or Kentucky. (Yes, the pigs there do play the banjo.) Is the irony of this whole endeavor evident yet? (And I don't mean the good kind of irony.)

Recommends

marchandrews

Joined 5 years ago

Great flavors worth the trip. As I looked through the menu and tasted the cured hamachi on top of an edamame and wasabi paste, the fried brussel sprouts in a fish sauce, the pig's head prepared like a crab cake on top of collard greens and aduzuki beans, and the pork shoulder with a ramp ranch dressing, which all went together incredibly well, I said to my wife, "how do they think of these things?" And her apt response was, "I guess that's why the chef won a James Beard award." Everything we tried had truly great flavors. We sat at the bar, and the bartender/waiter was great. Definitely take all their recommendations, including the wine and sake suggestions. And definitely have the pork bun...juicy (although fatty) pork and the freshest, fluffiest bun you'll get anywhere.

Recommends

SFields41

Joined 5 years ago

AMAZING!!!! Loved every bite of my lunch. Friendly staff, prices right and I'm a foodie!!!. AMAZING!!!! Loved every bite of my lunch. Friendly staff, prices right and I'm a foodie!!! Must try the dumplings... fluffy bites of heaven!!

Doesn't Recommend

labuonaforchetta

Joined 5 years ago

Leaves a lot to be desired and I will not be going back. Avoid yourself a bad experience.. Momofuku seems to have bet all its cards on trendiness and regrettably they appear not to care at all about those vital factors that are decisive when it comes to turning an "eatery" into a "great restaurant" where patrons can't wait to return. The food is overly salted, unimpressive and unreasonably priced. The service is terribly unprofessional and overbearing, the ambiance is below average. [There should be line breaks here but citysearch make each posting a big blob of text!]

Note: Because of the standard limitation applied to the length of reviews on citysearch, I can't write and extended review. Dear citysearch team if you are reading this, please consider extending the limit. That's the least you can do since you will own the rights for each review, why impose a 2000 characters limit? If someone is taking the time to write an "article" for you and they are doing it for free, at least give those users enough space so you can get a more detailed review, not just a quick complain or praise about a place (restaurant or other commercial services). Additionally no line-breaks are honored by your posting system making reviews hard to read, you should fix that. This will be my first and last review until posting limits will be removed and line-breaks will be respected. Thank you.

Doesn't Recommend

TimGourmand

Joined 5 years ago

Overrated and pretentious. Starting with the very uncomfortable seating, then moving to the over-salted ham, then having the waitress dismiss your opinion of the salt level, and finally having being topped off by the entree of bronzini which was literally a half of a small fish. By comparison, if you go to Ethos in NYC, you'll get a full grilled bronzini for the same price (I know, it's not Asian Fusion, but we're talking bang-for-the-buck here). Very disappointing.