Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
I’ve had my fair share of street meat. Not only do I lead food cart tours for Turnstile Tours, but I used to be a regular writer for the now sadly defunct Midtown Lunch. And that site was practically all about street meat.
Obviously the term refers to meat you order off a cart on the streets of New York. But those in the new understand it refers to perfectly seasoned, grilled chopped meat topped with an array of hot and creamy sauces.
The concept has gone a bit mainstream now. The latest to showcase these flavors is David Chang, who has opened a slew of new Momofuku concepts inside high-end shopping malls lately including Bāng Bar inside the Time Warner Center.
I finally visited the little kiosk (there are two standing-only communal tables in the mall) which has been crazy busy. I managed to arrive right when they opened and ordered The U.
This affords you two bāng and they allowed me to choose both the Spicy Pork and the Chicken options.
Bāng for the uninitiated is a wrap using an originally Chinese bread called bing. It’s fluffy and buttery – not so far from a naan. Here, the delectable vessel is stuffed with any number of meats shaved from a rotating spit.
The pork one was rich and spicy with a marinade of funky fiery Korean gouchjang, while the chicken one was much more mellow and had subtle notes of garlic and soy. Together they made for a very satisfying lunch combo.
The flavors and sauces certainly reminded me of my days searching the street for great street meat. I am impressed here that Chang keeps the prices as low as expected. It does give the street vendors a run for their money, but it’s still important after you’ve tried the trendy stuff indoors, to get outside sometimes too. Price: $5.79
| BĀNG BAR |
| Inside Time Warner Center, 60 Columbus Circle (between West 59th and West 60th Street), Third Floor Hell’s Kitchen |
| bangbar.xyz |
