Latest news with #Momofuku
Eater
12-08-2025
- General
- Eater
Momofuku's Pork Belly Bao Still Sings 20 Years Later
When I moved to New York City in my 20s, one of my first stops was Momofuku Noodle Bar. At that point, the famed East Village noodle joint had been open for over a decade, and I needed to know what the pork belly bao tasted like. I'd seen them featured in No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain cheerfully diving in, his fingertips glistening with rendered pork fat. I'd heard David Chang discuss them at length on NPR. I'd read about them in countless food magazines. This was before Momofuku had outposts in Los Angeles and Las Vegas or a consumer packaged goods brand; visiting felt like a rite of passage. That first bite was jovial; unctuous and rich, sweet from the hoisin sauce, freshened by sliced cucumbers. The bao was pillowy soft, holding every element together perfectly. I understood then why Momofuku had captured the attention of New Yorkers, just as I understand why, now — 20 years later — it remains an institution. Making the pork belly at home isn't complicated, but does require patience. For shortcuts, use store bought mantou buns (they can typically be found in the frozen food section of Asian grocery stores and are easily steamed). Be sure to pair the pork belly with hoisin sauce and thinly sliced cucumbers to really replicate that Beijing duck-inspired experience that put Momofuku on the map. Momofuku Pork Belly Recipe For 12 buns Ingredients: One 3-pound slab skinless pork belly ¼ cup kosher salt ¼ cup sugar Instructions: Step 1: Nestle the belly into a roasting pan or other oven-safe vessel that holds it snugly. Mix together the salt and sugar in a small bowl and rub the mix all over the meat; discard any excess salt-and-sugar mixture. Cover the container with plastic wrap and put it into the fridge for at least 6 hours, but no longer than 24. Step 2: Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Step 3: Discard any liquid that accumulated in the container. Put the belly in the oven, fat side up, and cook for 1 hour, basting it with the rendered fat at the halfway point, until it's an appetizing golden brown. Step 4: Turn the oven temperature down to 250 degrees and cook for another 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the belly is tender — it shouldn't be falling apart, but it should have a down pillow–like yield to a firm finger poke. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the belly to a plate. Decant the fat and the meat juices from the pan and reserve. Allow the belly to cool slightly. Step 5: When it's cool enough to handle, wrap the belly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put it in the fridge until it's thoroughly chilled and firm. (You can skip this step if you're pressed for time, but the only way to get neat, nice-looking slices is to chill the belly thoroughly before slicing it.) Step 6: Cut the pork belly into ½-inch-thick slices that are about 2 inches long. Warm them for serving in a pan over medium heat, just for a minute or two, until they are jiggly soft and heated through. Use at once. Reprinted with permission from Momofuku: A Cookbook by David Chang and Peter Meehan. Photographs by Gabriele Stabile © 2009. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Dina Ávila is a photographer living in Portland, Oregon. Recipe tested by Ivy Manning
The Age
06-08-2025
- Business
- The Age
What Momofuku's Paul Carmichael did next – and how Australia lost one of its best chefs to New York
Earlier this year, New York City got something that Australia should have had: A new Paul Carmichael restaurant. Kabawa, on Manhattan's Lower East Side, isn't exactly what Carmichael envisioned when he was trying to find partners, funding and space in Sydney during the years after two-hatted Momofuku Seiobo closed in 2021. But the basic building blocks are the same: something fun, an exploration of Caribbean flavours and history, rum drinks, and Carmichael's particular brand of exuberance and singular cooking. The chef was lured back to the US to work once again for Momofuku, the company that brought him to Australia in the first place. In New York, he's been given the opportunity to create a space and menu that fully unleashes his creativity. Bar Kabawa, a 20-seat room adjacent to the main space, opened in early February serving Daiquiris, wine and snacks. On March 25, Kabawa opened, serving a prix-fixe menu that celebrates the foodways of the Caribbean in intensely personal and thoughtful dishes. Less than six weeks later, it appeared at No.4 on the New York Times' list of the 100 best restaurants in the city. The reviews have been rapturous: The New Yorker's Helen Rosner called it easygoing and joyous; new New York Times critic Ligaya Mishan gave Kabawa a rare three-star revie w last month. All of this is cause for celebration, to see a talented chef get his due. But for food lovers in Australia, it should also be frustrating, because what Carmichael really wanted after Seiobo closed was a chance to open something as personal, standard-setting and excellent as Kabawa is, but in Sydney.
Sydney Morning Herald
06-08-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
What Momofuku's Paul Carmichael did next – and how Australia lost one of its best chefs to New York
Earlier this year, New York City got something that Australia should have had: A new Paul Carmichael restaurant. Kabawa, on Manhattan's Lower East Side, isn't exactly what Carmichael envisioned when he was trying to find partners, funding and space in Sydney during the years after two-hatted Momofuku Seiobo closed in 2021. But the basic building blocks are the same: something fun, an exploration of Caribbean flavours and history, rum drinks, and Carmichael's particular brand of exuberance and singular cooking. The chef was lured back to the US to work once again for Momofuku, the company that brought him to Australia in the first place. In New York, he's been given the opportunity to create a space and menu that fully unleashes his creativity. Bar Kabawa, a 20-seat room adjacent to the main space, opened in early February serving Daiquiris, wine and snacks. On March 25, Kabawa opened, serving a prix-fixe menu that celebrates the foodways of the Caribbean in intensely personal and thoughtful dishes. Less than six weeks later, it appeared at No.4 on the New York Times' list of the 100 best restaurants in the city. The reviews have been rapturous: The New Yorker's Helen Rosner called it easygoing and joyous; new New York Times critic Ligaya Mishan gave Kabawa a rare three-star revie w last month. All of this is cause for celebration, to see a talented chef get his due. But for food lovers in Australia, it should also be frustrating, because what Carmichael really wanted after Seiobo closed was a chance to open something as personal, standard-setting and excellent as Kabawa is, but in Sydney.
Tatler Asia
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
6 essential podcasts every foodie needs to listen to
2. 'Recipe Club' David Chang brings his Momofuku empire credentials and Ugly Delicious media savvy to this competition-style podcast. Co-hosted by Chris Ying, the co-founder of the groundbreaking food magazine Lucky Peach , this programme follows an engaging format that goes beyond typical top chefs podcast territory. The show is delightfully brutal: every episode, Recipe Club members bring their own take on a theme and debate whose recipe reigns supreme. Listeners get a front-row seat to high-level culinary creativity—and the occasional kitchen catastrophe. For anyone who's ever argued with a friend over the best way to fry an egg, this podcast is like a peek inside your most passionate foodie group chat. Read more: Now streaming: 10 food and cooking shows you need to watch in 2024 3. 'The Recipe with Kenji and Deb' Above This podcast gives foodies the knowledge and freedom to riff on recipes and make dishes their own. Far from offering simple, easy recipes, this podcast helps you understand the why behind cooking so you can adapt, improvise and create with confidence. J Kenji Lopez-Alt and Deb Perelman excel at demystifying kitchen science for home cooks. Lopez-Alt's James Beard award-winning approach and former Serious Eats role establish him as a premier cooking communicator. Perelman, who has built a devoted following through her Smitten Kitchen blog, is an expert at translating complex techniques for home cooks. Their episodes on stir-frying, roasting or even boiling water dive into the mechanics of everyday cooking, while their mailbag segments solve listeners's kitchen problems with practical cooking tips. This approach transforms casual foodies into intuitive cooks, giving them the knowledge and freedom to riff on recipes and make dishes their own. Read more: What chefs read: Go-to cookbooks according to culinary professionals 4. 'The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters' This podcast treats food as a gateway to understanding not just flavours but cultures—and under Francis Lam's stewardship, it's become essential listening for anyone interested in how cuisine shapes identity. Lam brought a fresh perspective to this established programme when he took over hosting duties in 2018, drawing on his New York Times Magazine and Top Chef Masters experience. Popular episodes include conversations with Indian American author Khushbu Shah about diaspora cooking, with Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Bill Addison about the intricacies of food criticism and with Yossy Arefi about finding freedom and joy in baking. For those seeking programmes for food lovers or interviews with chefs, The Splendid Table is a long-standing favourite in the best foodie podcasts landscape. 5. 'The Sporkful' A three-time James Beard awardee, Dan Pashman 'obsesses about food to learn more about people'. He can spend hours debating whether a hot dog is a sandwich or dissecting pasta shapes and sizes. This passion led him to invent a new pasta shape called cascatelli, a curved half-tube with wavy ruffles designed to deliver a more satisfying experience. Pashman finds profound stories in everyday dining. His interview with Crying in H Mart author Michelle Zauner explored how Korean food helped her grieve her mother's death and rediscover her cultural identity. Another episode examined why recipes that seem straightforward on paper become frustratingly complicated in practice. Meanwhile, a profile of street vendor Dan Rossi, who sleeps in his van to protect his coveted spot outside the Met, reveals the brutal realities behind New York's street foodie scene. 6. 'Your Mama's Kitchen' Above This soulful foodie podcast taps into childhood memories in the kitchen to explore identity, heritage and belonging. 'Tell me about your mama's kitchen'—this podcast's opening salvo transports guests (and listeners) to a specific time and place, evoking memories of sights, sounds and smells that shaped their identity. Michele Norris, former NPR All Things Considered host and Washington Post columnist, understands this power and uses it to create something genuinely moving. Produced by the Obamas's Higher Ground media company, this podcast explores how those early kitchen experiences—recipes passed down, traditions upheld or abandoned, moments of connection over shared meals—fundamentally influenced guests's worldviews. When Michelle Obama, Kevin Kwan or John Legend open up about their childhood food memories, Norris's seasoned interviewing skills draw out the deeper connections between nourishment, identity and belonging in ways that transcend typical celebrity conversations.
Eater
15-07-2025
- Business
- Eater
One of New York's Oldest Ramen Restaurants Has Closed
is the lead editor of the Northeast region with more than 20 years of experience as a reporter, critic, editor, and cookbook author. One of the city's early ramen restaurants has closed in the East final service was Monday night after first opening in 2004. The restaurant at 536 East Fifth Street between Avenues A and B served Tokyo-style ramen – thick noodles, a spicy miso broth, and a selection of toppings. 'This long-running East Village ramen parlor established itself way before Ippudo,' former critic Robert Sietsema wrote, 'and it takes its ramen every bit as seriously — with a jazz soundtrack.' While it remained low-key, it had its share of neighborhood regulars. EV Grieve reports the owner, Shigeto Kamada, wants to retire. Momofuku switches up brunch After 20 years, Momofuku Noodle Bar (171 First Avenue, between 10th and 11th streets) in the East Village has switched up its brunch menu along with expanding hours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Look for items like egg buns, double-stack shrimp burger, bluefin tuna toast with a $70 fancy caviar add-on, and crispy rice with kimchi, pork belly, and bok choy. Two New York chains expand Two New York chains are opening in high-traffic locations. First, there's Van Leeuwen that is now open at 1 Penn Plaza, one of many locations around the city. It joins Anita Gelato and Davey's Ice Cream for scoop options in the neighborhood that has transformed over the past year, with openings from Roberta's first Manhattan spot, a Los Tacos location, a Blue Ribbon restaurant, pickleball courts, and more. Another homegrown chain, Shake Shack, will open in Rockefeller Center on Thursday, July 17 at 10 a.m. as part of the collection of places at the lower-rink level now called Under 30 Rock; it joins another Danny Meyer offshoot there, Daily Provisions. On opening day, the restaurant will donate $1 for every sandwich sold at this location to City Harvest. Eater NY All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
