My friend Moki made an observation while we were ordering coffee at Dean & DeLuca. We’d just eaten lunch at Bún Soho and picked up a snack in Chinatown. Now we were longingly eyeing D&D’s food display. Moki said something like, “How come whenever we go out to eat I’m always hungry again afterwards?”
We thought about it and concluded that we often went out for tapas or Asian cuisines. Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean… they all involve rice or noodles that fill the stomach quickly but leave you hungry again after a few hours — or in our case, a few minutes. And with tapas, forget it, it’s almost impossible to truly fill up without spending a fortune. I do love my tapas though.
I guess my point is this: If you’re looking for lasting fullness that’ll carry you through the rest of the day or night, tapas and Asian cuisines aren’t the way to go.
That’s no knock on Bún Soho, though. It was a good meal. “Bun” (pronounced “Boon”) are rice noodles, and they’re incorporated into many dishes at this stylish Vietnamese eatery. We both liked the hot steamed rolls filled with mushrooms.
Moki ordered noodles with hanger steak and finished as usual, about ten minutes before me.
I was in the pho mood — here’s my beef shin and Berkshire pork in a lemongrass broth. The side of chili sauce helped spike up the heat.
“I’m still hungry,” Moki said afterwards. ”And there’s no way you’re full.”
‘I could eat some more,” I admitted.
See, it was all very good… it just wasn’t very filling.
We left and sauntered over to Chinatown. Moki picked up a sesame ball; I grabbed a $.99 roast pork bun.
“Ohh, Patsy’s!” I remarked several minutes later as we walked past one of my favorite NYC pizzerias. ”I wonder if they sell by the slice.”
Again, we’d JUST eaten. That’s the thing about noodle dishes — they make a fine meal. They’re just not suited for two guys with hollow legs.
Bún Soho
143 Grand St.
New York, NY
212-431-7999