8 Asians

I have discovered a new excuse to go to Australia. David Chang of the Momofuku restaurants recently opened up Momofuku Seiobo in Sydney, his first joint outside of New York City. And next year, he’ll be opening one in Toronto. In short, the man is going global.

I should tell you that I obsess over ramen, drool about it in my sleep, and crave it most every day (in every form from instant noodles to anything more elegant), so I’ve been keeping up with David Chang news. But if you don’t know about this guy, let me catch you up a bit.

Chang is maybe the least celebrity-like celeb chef I can think of (he himself says he’s not really into the idea either). The son of Korean immigrants and only thirty-something years old, his name is well-known among foodies and New York restaurant goers even if his face might not be. He’s got some of the most successful restaurants in NYC under his belt: the Momofuku Noodle Bar with its steamed pork buns that people swear by (I, of course, swear by the ramen) and the upscale near-impossible-to-get-a-seat-at Momofuku Ko (in case you’re wondering, we’re talking twelve seats a night hard), just to name a few. And just a few months ago, he co-created Lucky Peach, a new quarterly food magazine published by the brilliant people over at McSweeney’s. And the first issue is ALL ABOUT RAMEN.

But I digress. Soon, instead of only being able to get David Chang’s food masterpieces in New York City, you can go to Toronto or Sydney. Though Chang’s meteoric rise means he is of the not-sleeping, traveling-all-the-time ilk, he doesn’t seem to the hyper-self-involved-egotistical type. “He’s had this huge success, but if you ask Dave what he really wants, he’ll say it’s to create opportunities for people,” a food mag editor said of him. That’s kind of endearing amidst all the f-bombs he’s known for dropping in interviews. So I think I’ll just go ahead and book myself that ticket to Australia. His food is worth it. Trust me.

[h/t John]