Every time I visit New York City, I try to squeeze in a meal at a cutting-edge Vietnamese restaurant. It brings me great pleasure to experience the cuisine I grew up on in fresh and innovative ways, even if it means dropping more change than usual.
On our previous visit to the city, The Astronomer and I lunched on the most delectable banh mi at Chef Angelo Sosa’s Xie Xie. We were hoping to experience the same kind of Midtown magic at Má Pêche, the latest restaurant in Chef David Chang’s Momofuku empire.
Opened in 2010, Má Pêche is located in the basement of the Chambers Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The windowless room is minimally appointed and feels something like a sterile cave. Here, Tien Ho, the former chef at Momofuku Ssäm Bar, dishes up his brand of French-Vietnamese cooking.
While I wanted to try the restaurant’s upscale rendition of bo bay mon (beef seven ways), which is priced at $450 for parties of four to eight, my dining companions weren’t up for throwing down a Benjamin for the experience. So, we came here for lunch instead.
Every table was outfitted with menus, napkins, chopsticks, a squeeze bottle filled with Sriracha, and Maggi seasoning sauce. If you haven’t experienced the umami bomb that is Maggi, you must get your hands on a bottle. It tastes like a dream atop sunny side up eggs.
