David Chang dinner at Lotus
Like his string of New York restaurants, David Chang's honorary dinner at Sydney's Lotus was hard to get in to, and full of foodies and hot young things.
They were there to celebrate all things Chang, and what better way to do it than by having Lotus chef Dan Hong re-create Momofuku's famously addictive pork buns, along with six other Chang dishes.
Chang's restaurants have garnered attention from chefs, media and food-lovers worldwide, and punters were keen to get close to the man Anthony Bourdain dubbed "the guy all chefs have got to measure themselves by these days". Chang seemed unfazed, if slightly bemused, by the attention. He talked easily with guests, chefs and critics as he kicked back to the R & B tunes and enjoyed wines matched by Est's Franck Moreau.
I asked him if it was weird having his own food cooked for him. "Man, everything about this situation is weird."
There was nothing weird, however, about the Ko kimchi consommé with pork belly, the Sydney rock oysters and Chinese cabbage, or the sashimi of Hiramasa kingfish and scallops with buttermilk dressing, soy and poppy seeds.
Chang's Korean heritage had a presence, though subtle, in each course, but the food's real distinguishing factor was its sense of fun and accessibility.
When the marinated char-grilled wagyu steak ssäm appeared - tender strips of beef wrapped in lettuce cups with rice, chilli, garlic and ginger - the sharing aspect caused some friction, and elbows were up in the scramble for the last pieces. But perhaps the best indicator of the success of Hong's re-creations was that, after every course, Chang's plate was completely clean.
The "crack pie" is possibly the most aptly named dish ever. "You watch," Chang said knowingly, "in about 15 minutes the whole room will go a little crazy." A sugar high never tasted so good. The "cereal milk" ice-cream awoke memories of childhood, but was given an adult twist by being matched with Petr Dvoracek's dessert-style cocktail. Like everything Chang creates, it just worked.
WORDS MONIQUE LANE PHOTOGRAPH CHRIS CHEN
This online exclusive was published in May 2010.