To the uninitiated, roujiamo simply consists of slow-braised pork in a crispy unleavened bun, but in common with many street food dishes, vendors like to put their own spin on this classic. Mama Wang's Chairman Mo (£5 for a large one) is a generously filled sandwich full of red-braised pork cheeks (think of a pot bubbling away with star anise, cassia bark, cardamom amongst other aromatics), tiger salad and pork scratchings.
The pork cheeks are a great idea, as the tender meaty strands soak up the fragrant braising liquor. However, I would've liked to see some extra pork fat as well as more punch from the star anise. I'd also ditch the tiger salad; it was a good salad but the coriander was fine on its own and the julienned carrot and cucumber felt surplus to requirements. On the plus side, the pork scratchings are a welcome addition giving a contrast in texture as well as injecting some naughtiness to the sarnie.
As purveyors of traditional Shaanxi-style flatbreads are a bit thin on the ground in north London, Mama Wang's use English muffins. I'm not sure the muffin really works in the same way as the flatbread does in the original version, but there aren't too many alternatives. The only one I can think of is pitta bread, but then again that's probably too thin for roujiamo. Some of you may be thinking steamed Chinese mantou could be the answer. This would no doubt make a great sandwich, but it wouldn't be a roujiamo. If any of you can think of a solution to this conundrum, do let Mama Wang's know.
I fear I'm coming across as a bit of a grumpy bollocks in this review. I don't mean to. All told, Mama Wang's roujiamo is a more than welcome addition to London's street food scene. Yes, they could tweak it more to my tastes, but then again not everyone is a salad dodging, pork fat loving, star anise worshipper. So if you do find yourself down on the Holloway Road on a Saturday, give the Chairman Mo a try.
Mama Wang's Kitchen - stall outside Budgens on Holloway Road
Open Saturdays 10am-4pm
Nearest stations: Archway, Upper Holloway
I'm liking the look of that - is it me, or is that a Far Eastern version of pulled pork - and if I ever find my way that far North i'd give it a go, particularly as street food options are not plentiful up there. Did the salad add anything in the way of crunch to the proceedings? If not, then you're right, not much point.
ReplyDeleteI reckon soda farls (or at least a riff on them) would be a good carbohydrate envelope for the Rou Jia.
ReplyDeleteWould it be easy to make their own bun?
ReplyDeleteThese look lovely. Archway though, SO FAR
Gworm - the salad did add crunch. It's just that my tastes have been conditioned by the Ribman where I just demand MEAT!
ReplyDeleteVinosity - novel idea!
Lizzie - if they had a shop they could have a fair stab at making their own flatbreads, but I think it might be a stretch to do so at a street stall. And yes, Archway is SO FAR (it took me three tubes to get there!)
It's funny as I've been obsessed with this sandwich recently! I'm going to have to go to Archway. Christ.
ReplyDeleteArchway's still in Zone 2 - and it's not so far, it's just outside my flat! ;)
ReplyDeleteI grabbed one of these two weeks ago on my way home from the supermarket, not knowing anything other than 'pork in bun, plus spices' and I thought it was fab. I liked the crunch of the carrots, although I agree flavour-wise it wasn't really necessary.
Thank you Mr Noodles for opening this up to the knowledgable floor after your own epic Journey to the West (or North in this case).
ReplyDeleteSo yes, suggestions very welcome as we continue our quest for the perfect mo. Soda farls ... interesting - will look into it, thanks!. Another possibility is some kind of mini naan/flatbread to mimic China Poblano in Las Vegas.
We made our own 'mo' when testing out the dish but quickly realised it would be a logistical nightmare at this stage to produce them in large quantities - plus longer term we'll be making our own hand-ripped Biang Biang Noodles too. Hopefully one day ... BTW Lizzie we're supporting the relaunch of Catford Broadway Market (round the corner from me) on March 3 - nearer than Archway!
Chris - my pleasure. How about some kind of Turkish bread? Or maybe something smaller so that you sell 2 mo's in a portion. Thinking aloud here; I'm sure you'll work something out in the end.
DeleteCatford? Right by my hood! This is good to know. And I've been meaning to want to try one of these but again, Archway! Had a similar version at Chang's Noodle in Bloomsbury (they have a few Western Chinese dishes on their menu) - the bread felt pretty spot on but the filling was so greasy (like, oil running down my arm greasy) that it was a bit off putting.
DeleteSharmila - still gotta try Chang's Noodles. And while I like a little fat, the filling in their roujiamo sounds a little gross.
DeleteHelen - definitely one for the London Review of Sandwiches
ReplyDeleteKerry - lucky you, having it on your doorstep. BTW it's the boundary of Zone 2/3 ;)
Had this sandwich a couple of times now - once with the pork, once with the tofu. I find it a nice idea, but quite lacking in flavour. It feels like it has been dumbed down for the dull British tastebuds. Kinda crying out for some heat and spice, and yep, yer star anise or ginger. Even some bleedin soy sauce would help.
ReplyDeleteA lovely idea and cheap as chips, but not something I'd go back for right now. Shame.
Bruno's cakes, however... Phwoar!
Anon - not sure what you mean by 'dumbed down for the dull British tastebuds'. It's not as if roujiamo is meant to be particularly spicy or anything. If the point you're trying to make is that it's underseasoned then say so.
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