last meal

Luckily, the food show in NYC was amazing. I loved.. well every last bite of it. However, it was not quite nearly as good as the food I would not want to die without. You know, the meal when you ask for a cigarette and what you want to eat before the electricity zaps the taste buds off your tongue. Yea, okay I know they use drugs now, but still. Okay, so promise me that if I am on DEATH ROW or about to be shot point-blank, that you'll find me the PORK BUNS from Momofuku to give me a little bit of salvation before I die. I beg of you! Now, what's cool is that Calgary is just getting into pork mania. But New York, just seems to be coming off the high. Sweet, I get to enjoy good things for longer! But unfortunately, I have no pictures to show you. This is probably better because then you won't drool on the computer, and if you have a laptop then you' screwed. Thank me later. I will just describe them to you instead, give you a few videos, and dream of these gosh darn delicious morsels and wreck my own computer instead. I have one word for you: Momofuku Noodle Bar. If you go to New York, you must go. Do not try to run or walk, take a cab. Better yet, take a $159 helicopter ride from the airport. This will change your life, the food not the helicopter. Momofuku is kinda like a diner, but it's not. The idea is that it's all about the food rather than the surroundings, and keeping things simple and honest. These pork buns, are sort of like the pork buns you get at dim-sum. The dumpling ones with the soft bread on the outside, and a nice surprise of pork in the middle. Well, just the outer part is the same, the bread is the similar part. Then, the rest is not at all the same. At Momofuku it's a folded in half sandwich with a bit of hoisin, scallions, pickled cucumber, and the most incredible melt-in-your-mouth pork belly. That's right. Pork belly. The whole thing is sweet and salty all at once. Divine. I ordered only just one order, and then had to order another plate! "Jay" joined me and ordered the kimchi stew. I thought there would be a lot more kimchi, than there was, but the bowl was overwhelmingly full of beautiful bits of pork. She loved it more than anywhere else on the trip. Now, Momofuku is not what I expected. In photos, it looks so modern and refined. After sitting at the bar at ChikaLicious only a few hours before, watching meticulous Chika at work, exaggerated the contrast. Momofuku is raucous, and fun. The chefs are hastily slathering on hoisin on the pork buns. But don't step out of line, or you get the impression a chef will kill you. Hoitey-toitey is simply not allowed. The tables are communal, and the food is served fast, and there is no messing around. The chefs were literally bitching that they had to make so many pork buns, it seems they have other dishes they think people should order. But I certainly can't blame anyone who orders the pork buns. Although, I want to try everything else. Hopefully, if I survive death row, I'll make it back. Want to join me? Momofuku has a few other operations in the works too. Check out their website, and these addicting mouth-watering videos too: David Chang with Mark Bittman: