Baby Lamb

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
September 29, 2008

BUN
143 Grand Street
(Crosby & Lafayette Sts)
New York, NY 10013
212-431-7999

Bun is a pleasant surprise. I am consistently wowed by the delicious flavors of owner Executive Chef Tony Lam’s Vietnamese cuisine. The perfectly balanced ingredients bring out the natural vibrancy of the aromas, juices and flavors in his food. Much of the Vietnamese cuisine in the City either relies on MSG or is too dull in its repetitive use of seasoning. That is not the case here. The herbs, spices and sauces are not an afterthought just to embellish but are carefully orchestrated to match the ingredients in each dish.

Bun focuses on small plates for sharing, in addition to the signature bun (rice vermicelli with or without soup). And with so many fabulous dishes, the small plates are ideal, so you can try more.

For a starter, one of the most memorable dishes is the baby lamb. Tied together by a banana leaf, three pieces of the tenderest, most succulent baby lamb chops sit atop a bed of warm, soft eggplant, pear chutney and anise sauce. The chutney and sauce may make this dish sound “exotic” and overdressed in “fusion,” but believe me it’s not. The pure and simple flavors are subtle, home-style and satisfying.

Two other not-to-be-missed meat dishes are the short ribs and pork ribs (photo above). Served in the same style, they look like large lollipops. The thinly sliced short ribs are wrapped around lemongrass skewers, while the pork ribs are wrapped around sugar cane sticks. And once you bite into one, the meat almost melts in your mouth. My ribs were so tender and juicy that I kept asking Tony how he does it. But that remained a mystery as he told me to just enjoy them.

The Soho shrimp is another dish I crave. It’s tiger shrimp sautéed in coconut green curry accompanied by bun. I’m a sucker for green curry and shrimp, so the combination is ideal, and the bun soaks up all the sweetness and spices from the curry. Yum.

The spring rolls are ironically the only thing I did not love. I’m a stickler for the traditional crisp rice paper-wrapped spring rolls, but the rolls here feel thick and the sauces heavy. They seem to betray themselves by trying to be too creative.

On the lighter side, Bun vegetables is a lovely rendition of the typical Chinese vegetarian dish called Buddha’s delight, which is also on the menu, but instead of the stir fried Buddha’s delight, Bun vegetables is a cold dish. It’s a combination of king and shiitake mushrooms with tofu and herbs. Unlike the sad medley of sautéed vegetables at many Asian restaurants — barely a notch better than chop sui — this dish focuses on flavor and texture. The creamy and meaty mix of mushrooms and springy tofu skins is lightly dressed in a soy sauce and accented with fresh herbs. If there were ever a dish that could convert me to vegetarianism, this would be it.

In addition to the wonderful food, Tony also concocts fun cocktails. My favorite is the Bun Piña Colada. It’s a frozen drink with fresh mint, coconut milk, pineapple juice, organic protein drink, and vodka. The fresh crushed mint emanates throughout this blended drink enhancing the tropical flavors of coconut milk and pineapple juice. Drinks like these that taste like dessert are always dangerous since one hardly detects the alcohol, but it’s definitely there.

Speaking of desserts, I welcomed a change of pace with a hard-to-come-by dessert: durian panna cotta. Durian is the “stinky fruit” revered in Southeast Asia, and it’s definitely an acquired taste. As this exotic fruit is both uncommon in the U.S. and extremely expensive, Bun’s panna cotta may be a good introduction as the cream tames the durian flavor while still giving a feel for the pungent fruit.

As of last month, Bun is open around the clock for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so it’s now a place you can count on getting something delicious at every meal.

Also in Lamb, Meat, SoHo, Vietnamese