Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave
(at 13th St)
New York, NY
(212) 254-3500
This restaurant has received a lot of rave reviews saying that it’s a delicious joint at a very low price. The only reason that I came here is because I wanted to try their Bahn Mi, viet sandwich. Even though the prices were not listed on its website or on menupages, I thought that it should be cheap because nymag featured them on their cheap eat section.
As I walked into the restaurant, I noticed how incredibly packed the restaurant was. 
This restaurant is a lot bigger than their noodle bar, which is located on 1st ave, but it’s still very small. A female waiter came to me and I told her that I wanted to do take-out. She went to get some menus and then she asked if I knew what I wanted, which I told her yes. I told her I wanted 2 Bahn Mi’s and she took my order. When she came back to give me my receipt, it came out to be $19.50 @ $9 each and then including tax!!! I figure, holy sheit, $9 for a sandwich, it better be damn long, stuffed, and damn good.
After waiting for a good 5-10 minutes at the restaurant, I grabbed my food and leave for him. The people here looks really trendy, but this place is very expensive. Cheap eats my ass.
That’s it. This is the sandwich, and it costs $9. Okay, so it’s a little small but maybe it’ll taste good.
Honestly, I didn’t feel for this sandwich. I really think Momofuku Ssam is really overrated. No sandwich should cost this much and it doesn’t even taste that great. The meat tastes really greasy and it wasn’t even a viet salami, it’s like a light/fluffy ground beef and the bread wasn’t even toasted!! I’m sorry, this is by far one of the worst Bahn Mi sandwich I have ever eaten. This place needs a lesson from one of the better Bahn Mi places.
Finechina’s Rating: 2.2/5
Quality – 2/5
Taste – 2.5/5
Ease of eating – 4/5 (because of me picking out all the jalapeños and gnawing on pork)
Presentation – 3/5
I will never come back here to eat a sandwich. Why on earth do they price it at $9?? That’s ridiculous. My bf tells me that it’s a trendy restaurant in a trendy neighborhood. But what’s the point if their sandwich isn’t even of par?
Alright, health inspection report:
MOMOFUKU SSAM BAR
207 2 AVENUE, MANHATTAN 10003
Current violation points: 6 – Passed
Inspection Date: 08/02/2006
No violations that present a threat to the public health or relate directly to factors which lead to food borne illness were recorded at the time of this inspection.
1.) “Choking first aid” poster not posted.”Alcohol and Pregnancy” Warning sign not posted. “Wash hands” sign not posted at hand wash facility. Resuscitation equipment: exhaled air resuscitation masks(adult & pediatric), latex gloves, sign not posted. Inspection report sign not posted.
2.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
3.) Toilet facility not maintained and provided with toilet paper, waste receptacle and self-closing door.
Verdict: The sandwich does taste fresh, but they did skimp on the ingredients. I wished I had a better picture, but at the time I was busy chowing this down since I was really hungry. The only thing I liked about the sandwich was that the meat was tender and somewhat juicy and all the flavors of the sandwich came pretty well together. I wished this sandwich had more, but overall it tasted good.
they’re losing their edge on what a viet sandwich should really taste like. I used to love this place but they’re lacking taste, especially with their meat. But at least this place is better than most of the sandwiches created in viet restaurants.