A few springs ago I attended a panel session entitled "Food In Motion" at NYU, during which some of Asian Americans restauranteurs weighed in on the changing struggles and goals of Asian Americans in the business. Sitting among these panelists was a hot-headed and tense Jeremy Chang, who had instigated a heated argument with Baohaus's Emery Huang over something local suppliers, something something Berkshire pork. Anyway, Chang proceeded to share his philosophy on food, and the appeal of simplicity, quality, and affordability. He ended with boasting about his widely-popular bread pudding that earned him a personal visit from Bobby Flay and a bread-pudding throwdown.
Three years later, after a very salty Schezuan lunch, I'm desperately craving something chocolatey. I browse through several dessert articles and the mention of his bread pudding catch my eye. I was an hour bus ride through the relentless humidity away, but that didn't matter much.
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The molten chocolate cake was undeserving of its brutally plain paper cup (staying true to street food presentation). This unassuming dessert was incredibly balanced, with the most velvety center encapsulated by moist cake, a cool scoop of creamy vanilla, and candied hazelnuts for crunch.
The retired truck's famous bread pudding that I had put off tasting for over three years was drenched in vanilla cream sauce and topped with a dollop of unneeded whipped cream. Bread pudding, which can easily turn out soggy, was rich, dense, and satisfyingly sticky in this version. These portions, though seemingly small, are splittable; I didn't have room for the honey-rosemary ice cream nor the brioche donuts I had eagerly wanted to sample.
I managed to spot Jerome Chang in the back of house. He seemed much calmer this time, casually conversing with a co-worker.
Cathcart & Reddy6 Clinton Street
