AlwaysInvestigating: New Buns on the Block

The Gluttoness — September 09, 2009

Until now, your best bet for pork buns (not counting Chinatown) was below 14th Street, the Goliaths being, Momofuku Ssäm and Noodle Bar. During the past few months Midtown has sprouted new restaurants that serve Chinese steamed pork buns (char siu bao).

Mantou Chinese Sandwiches, on the East Side (view site), is a sliver of a restaurant specializing in sandwiches on “sesame seed-studded, steamed mantou—a traditional Chinese steamed bread …a staple of Northern Chinese cuisine.” On the West Side is Xie Xie (restaurant page), which is Mandarin for “Thank you.” Xie Xie’s five-item Asian sandwich concept is helmed by Chef Angelo Sosa, who was executive sous-chef at Jean Georges for four years. Both places have a counter for ordering and seating, but these interpretations showcase two styles.

Mantou serves two buns, Spicy Pork or Braised Pork (each costs $3.95). Instead of buying them individually you can opt for the $9.95 Combo Box which includes any two sandwiches with a side salad and shrimp chips. The buns look like Big Mac’s but are soft and luscious like fluffy English muffins.

 

Mantou’s Braised Pork Bun.

Mantou’s spongy bun envelops thick, tender slices of braised fatty pork. It’s dressed with crunchy slivers of cucumber, cilantro, and hoisin, which ensure fresh well-rounded flavors and juicy sweetness that balance the rich flavor of the salty pork. The first taste (with a little Sambal) was the best. Unfortunately, the next bite included the chewy end of the roast.

 

Mantou’s Spicy Pork Bun.

Visually, Mantou’s Spicy Pork Bun looks exactly like the meat in a Philadelphia cheesesteak, thin soft slices speckled with clear bits of fat. The taste lives up to the name, so much so that spice overwhelms the pork. In contrast to the braised pork, this meat is almost too soft. Crisp, pickled daikon picks up some of the textural shortcomings while offering some solace to the heavy spice.

 

Sweet Glazed Pork Buns ($8.50).

Xie Xie’s funky space on 9th Avenue is dotted with white round tables and video game music sets the mood. Whereas they were once served deconstructed, Xie Xie’s Sweet Glazed Pork Buns ($8.50) are now daintily constructed and served three to a tray. The miniature buns are made in-house, and serve as soft, chewy beds for the slow-cooked, shredded pork shoulder.

The dish is like a fusion of Chinese and Southern cuisines. The stringy, pulled pork and the tangy “sweet and sour condiment” have flavors akin to North Carolina barbeque, but the bun and flavor profile (sweet hoisin glaze, soy, oyster sauce and sesame oil) are undeniably Asian. Crisp, pickled shallots, marinated in chili oil and rice wine vinegar, offer refreshing crispness, and a few fragrant cilantro leaves brighten the overall flavor. While these buns could have used a heavier hand with the chili oil, each multi-faceted bite was drool-worthy delicious— proof that Sosa is dishing up Midtown’s best pork buns.