Usually when I get a cookbook, I flip through it, find pics of what I want to make, maybe try a few recipes that I know I have ingredients for and will be successful with. I read this one almost cover to cover (recipe instructions were skipped over about half the time). This book has made me want to try my hand at recipes with ingredients I've never even tasted. I think cooking through some of them will diversify my pallette and kitchen skills. Well written, entertaining, and easy to follow. With most foodie-type cookbooks concerning celebrity chefs and their restaurants, I just flip through the books to gaze longingly at the pictures, skim the recipes to see if I could possibly imitate them, and then all but skip over the pages of memories, philosophies, and concepts by the author(s). I find a lot of them boring, or to clichéd.But David Chang is interesting! And real! And swears a bunch and tells it like it is! (My favourite bit was about the Frozen Foie Gras Torchon recipe. "You need a scale for this recipe, but I'm thinking that if you're going to shell out the cash for a lobe of foie gras, that isn't a problem - and you definitely don't want to fuck it up. But seriously, I really have no idea why anyone would try to make a torchon of foie gras at home... But for those who won't be deterred by common sense, here's our recipe.") Amazing. The whole book reads like that. I read every word, every recipe, cover to cover. He also name-drops lots of other celeb chefs, which is something you don't find in books by the likes of Rachel Ray or Gordon Ramsay. It's like, if you don't know the chefs or the restaurants, then catch up. It's not gonna be shirked or spelled out for you. And maybe it goes without saying that the food in here looks experimental, incredible, and delicious. I cannot wait to make a trip to this place and try it out first-hand.
What do You think about Momofuku (2009)?
Outstanding book on David Chang and his Momofuku empire. Lots of interesting info and recipes!
—Tuningnina
An interesting read but don't buy this if you're looking for practical homecooking recipes.
—Katie
Another great cookbook read. This one follows the rise of David Chang.
—bookworm13
Good voice and interesting recipes. Pork-centric and in-your-face.
—niyum
