Ma Peche, NYC – ‘dim sum’ and so much more
While the East Village is home to most of David Chang’s Momofuku empire, he spread his wings to midtown four years ago to open Ma Peche in the basement of the Chambers Hotel.
This is a fun space. Soaring ceilings make the dining room feel light and airy, despite there being no windows.
Greedy Girl and gluttonous husband pulled up stools at the bar, ordered a Cosmopolitan and a Ballast Point pale ale from San Diego (guess who drank which) and perused the menu.
There are different ways of ordering. You can pre-book for the special chicken/lamb with rice, order plates of various sizes from a small menu, which includes a raw bar, or wait for the trolleys to be wheeled around the floor. It’s a variation on old-style dim sum but showcasing a range of cuisines. Our first choice from the trolleys was an amazing pork shank terrine with a foie gras centre.
From the trolley
The waiter carves slices of the terrine and plates it with cornichons and slices of crunchy baguette. It was soft, tasty and delicious. The cornichons gave a lovely vinegary tang.
Pork shank terrine with foie gras centre
From the main menu, we took the potato pancakes (pictured at the top of this blog) served with dollops of sour cream. Instead of the more expected coupling of salmon, it came with trout roe, which was incredibly intense. Gluttonous husband particularly enjoyed these.
We also took scallops with yuzu, olive oil and sea bean. Sea bean is also known as sea asparagus. The scallops had been seared and then coated with the other ingredients and served cold. They were also very tasty. Sea bean is also known as sea asparagus. The scallops had been seared and then coated with the other ingredients and served cold. They were also very tasty.
Scallops with yuzu, olive oil and sea bean
It was time to go back to the trolleys. We couldn’t pass up the pork bun, of course. Served in individual bamboo steamers, these were even better, if that’s possible, than at Momofuku Ssam Bar. Beautifully soft pork belly with hoisin sauce and cucumber, sandwiched in a soft bun. Absolutely delish.
David Chang’s signature pork buns
We also chose crunchy shrimp balls served with a citrus mayo. Greedy Girl really enjoyed these, while gluttonous husband thought the best part of the dish was the zesty mayo. These were seriously crunchy and had a great balance of flavours.
Crunchy shrimp balls
We then took a dish of pork meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce, topped with a quenelle of a garlic and anchovy sauce. The addition of a couple of slices of bread on the side to mop up was a lovely touch. This dish was just bursting with flavour; the meatballs were incredibly soft and the anchovy sauce gave it a delightful boost.
Pork meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce
Greedy Girl thought this would be the final dish of the night – cod fritters. The batter on these was very light. The texture wasn’t exactly crispy but it was very pleasant. Cod can be quite strong but these packed just the right amount of punch.
Cod fritters
Greedy Girl was preparing to head back up the stairs and out into the rainy night; not so gluttonous husband. The pork belly buns were wheeled around again and gluttonous husband said he couldn’t pass them up. He had another to hit the road.
Ma Peche is a fun place to eat. No doubt there are standard dishes, such as the pork bun (a Chang staple) but there’s always something new and different on the trolleys and that’s a major part of the attraction.
Ma Peche
Chambers Hotel, 15 W 56th Street, New York
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