Apropos of almost* nothing, I give you this: David Chang is the RZA of chefs, and Momofuku is his Wu-Tang Clan.
Chang leads a crew of like-minded foodslingers, each of which he wants to help make a star in his own right. Hip-hop mastermind RZA did the same with the Wu, helping O.D.B., Ghostface, Method Man, Raekwon, etc., spin off successful solo careers.
Not buyin' it? Consider the evidence.
"I don't believe in that whole superstar celebrity chef thing. I've worked in too many kitchens where the egos got in the way of the food. I appreciate the honor; it's amazing, but it's also surreal and absurd. Sometimes I feel like I'm on the Truman Show. I always considered myself one of the worst cooks in any kitchen I ever worked at."
"I think our stuff is overrated. And now I sort of feel like a hypocrite because I'm doing less and less cooking and more business. I never intended this to happen. People say, 'Oh, he's a genius, he's so talented,' but it's all hype. Who cares about that fluff?"
"My last good idea was my worst idea; every time my ego comes into it, it hinders the restaurant. Turns out the people in this neighborhood want real food, not fast food. We just want to make great food at an affordable price. And we don't copy. I've got the Emersonian take on that: Imitation is suicide."
— David Chang, in the New York Times last Friday
All right, already. I get it. David Chang, recipient of this year's James Beard Rising Star award award for best new chef and co-proprietor of New York's Momofuku and Ssäm, doesn't want to be a rock star chef.
David Chang of NYC's Momofuku on what excludes tables from the possibility of receiving the money piece, extra-special treatment for otherwise randomly chosen non-VIP diners: "Poor orders were not considered - no sauce on the side people, no special requests, no well-done meats. If they didn’t know how to eat, they weren’t going to appreciate what we were putting on their plates."
David Chang was named one of the top ten chefs of 2006 by Food & Wine Magazine and his flagship restaurant Momofuku is one of the shining stars of New York's East Village restaurant scene, so he's no novice when it comes to attention from the press—but waiting for a review of his newest venture from Frank Bruni of the New York Times is a nerve-wracking experience nonetheless.
Chang himself handicaps Momofuku Ssam Bar's chances at getting a starred review over at Eater: "Prune has one star – and that places rocks. This is where my money is: a review that says the restaurant is good enough, but not transcendent – a nice one-star. Some witty insights about the food, some finger wagging about the music being too loud, and a summation about how there are certain elements that prevent the restaurant from being great, but those imperfections are what make the place endearing."
So what did Bruni make of Ssam Bar? His review came out online this morning: "There are reviews that introduce an unheralded chef to an unaware public and reviews that take a renegade view, saying a chef disrespected must be redeemed. Then there’s this one. If it came with a soundtrack, you’d hear the clattering of a bandwagon, along with the heavy thump of an overfed critic landing squarely (or is that roundly?) on it. That critic would be me, and his unsurprising message would be this: David Chang is a terrific cook, a pork-loving, pickle-happy individualist whose integration of Asian flavors and his own unbound sense of what’s delectable makes for some deliriously enjoyable meals." Ssam Bar gets a very loving pair of stars, and a lot of chefs are going to be very hungover today.
We asked a handful of Asian noodle freaks about their favorites—what was the best bowlful they'd eaten in the last year, where they got it, and why it was so delicious. Here are their answers. With a recipe from New York City's David Chang, a young chef on the rise known for creating his own killer noodle dishes. Dig in—slurping is encouraged!
Dear David Chang,
After another unsuccessful attempt at finishing a bowl of your Momofuku ramen (don't worry, it won't be my last attempt), I was inspired to design a t-shirt for you:
xoxo,
Alaina
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