New York Roundup VIII: Perfectly Charred Pizza at Roberta's, Excellent Pork Belly Buns at Baohaus and Watermelon Soju with Spam Stew at Pocha 32

I learned about Roberta's thanks to my habit of borrowing mother loads of cookbooks from the local library -- there was a cookbook called Roberta's about an eponymous pizza joint in Brooklyn that allegedly got a cult following despite the owners not being formally trained in pizza-making or even restaurant-management, for that matter. I was intrigued. After some on-the-ground investigation, I decided it was time to see for myself whether the hype was warranted. It was, with a twist though.

My go-to is always the margherita and this one had a very thin crust that was blistered perfectly in the scorching hot wood fire oven. The crust was thin but could hold up to the beautifully simple toppings including tomato sauce, cheese and fresh basil leaves. As a starter, we went for the kale and garden herb salad. It had us at poached egg. It also included gorgeous vegetables like radishes, carrots and other greens that seemed to have been just harvested in the adjacent garden. The buckwheat powder was odd but the dressing was light and citrusy, which was perfect for a hot, summer day. 

We also had a pizza with speck, taleggio, greens and pickled shallots. There was a lot going on but the speck was delightfully crispy and the greens, while layered with a heavy hand were a nice complement to the cheesiness. Solid. I wished I could try a sampler of all their pizzas but alas, only got to try two. 

The desserts were highly disappointing. The brioche ice cream sandwich was made with very fresh bread but there's something about bread and ice cream that just doesn't gel. 

The ice cream scoops were also not to my liking. However, I liked the pizza a lot and would definitely return. Yes, it is a decidedly hipster joint but many good restaurants are and that hasn't deterred me.

It was entirely serendipitous that I ran into Baohaus, the pork bun spot owned by Eddie Huang of Fresh Off the Boat fame. I wasn't sure what to expect and got the classic pork belly bun with some taro fries. That pork was soft and perfectly seasoned. The sauce and peanuts added a crunchy texture and the fresh cilantro helped to cut the fattiness of the meat. I liked David Chang's version at Momofuku way back when but these were a great alternative in a more casual setting for much less money. Thumbs up. 

The taro fries, on the other hand, were mixed. Some of the fries were nicely fried but many had been fried many times and were old, so had hardened to the point of not being edible. The peanut-y sauce was good but maybe I'm a spice fiend but a dipping sauce with some kick would have been good. 

I guess they may drink it that way in Taiwan but I was somewhat appalled that the green tea served had sugar added. They should still have the classic cold green tea brands available -- with no sugar added, please. 

Also, his memoir was turned into a TV show that is in about to go into its third season. I haven't seen it but rallying for Asian American representative on network TV!

Last but certainly not least, I fell in love with this massive bowl of watermelon soju at Pocha 32. I haven't seen it in LA but will definitely be on the lookout for the sweet and delicious watermelon soju we had there.

The best late-night joint to go as a group, we naturally ordered the budaejjigae, a spicy soup with spam, sausage and in this version, shredded mozzarella cheese said to have originated from the US military presence in Korea. A bit of background on this dish: destitute Koreans post-Korean War used to scavenge the food waste from the army bases that included spam and other canned foods. They threw it into the pot, brought it to a boil and added Korean spices and kimchi and today it is popular among the younger generation. This budaejjigae was different from the classic ones served in LA and even in Uejeongbu in Korea where the soup allegedly originated. This one had a lot of vegetables like mushrooms, a lot of cheese and fresh watercress. It even had farfalle ribbon pasta, which was so random but also so fitting. The broth was solid, as was the rest of the stew. It was good yet purists may consider it too different from the classic to fully endorse it. I usually don't like Korean food doused in melted cheese because it usually ruins the original dish but this one was successful. The cheese did sweeten the overall stew for my taste but otherwise a very interesting new take on the good ol' budaejjigae. I would definitely have it again. Late at night, of course.

We had to get another staple late night snack perfect after drinks -- ttukbokki. This was really a hybrid between ttukbokki and rabokki, which is essentially one, huge carb fest smothered in a spicy sauce and once again, sprinkled with cheese. Think rice cakes and ramen noodles (don't forget the farfalle ribbons) in a spicy sauce with a hard boiled egg and lots of cheese. It could virtually be breakfast. I once went on a rant about the lack of decent ttubokki and rabokki in LA, that which is so easy to find pretty much anywhere in Seoul. Not sure if it was the late night revelry or the mood that swayed me, but I daresay this version was better than any I had had in LA. Come on, LA. That's outrageous!

The tangsooyook, or sweet and sour pork, was good but a tad sweet with all the fruit it came topped with. Again, this was a different take on the classic Korean-Chinese dish that is usually paired with jjajangmyun, or black bean noodles. All washed down with some serious watermelon soju. Did I mention LA should adopt this drink like now? If you know of any place that serves it here, holla. 

800 Degress Pizzeria: Is the Wait Worth It? Yes, and the Line Moves Fast

I had always been deterred from going to 800 Degrees by the perpetual long lines outside and the bad parking. I'm glad I finally went and it's true that the line does move fast. Is it better than Mozza or Olio? Not sure if I'd be able to tell from a blind test but in my bias, I liked Mozza's better. It's definitely on par with Olio, though, if not better.

We had the Margherita and Capricciosa. The basic Margherita was as it should be -- simple and light, with a thin, perfectly charred, blistery crust bubbles straight out of the giant oven. The basil leaves were fresh and the tomato sauce was seasoned right. The Capricciosa had artichokes, mushrooms, olives and ham. I usually hate meat on pizzas but this ham worked. If I venture away from a Margherita, my fave toppings are artichokes and mushrooms. The squash blossom pie I had at Mozza also comes to mind. The Capricciosa was a good mix of salty with different textures. But what made it truly glorious was our opting for a fried egg on top. That just brought the whole pie together. I could have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The gooey egg just added a ton of goodness to the whole dish. Combined with the ham, it was indeed like having breakfast, only better. I loved that it had Lambrusco among its wines -- bubbly red was perfect for a hot day. The interior was roomier than I thought, with many tables so one wouldn't have to fight for a table with the next person. I'll definitely return.

Stella Barra Pizza Bar: Solid Margherita Pizza, Salad and Service

It's been hard finding a good pizza joint in LA so I was happy to run into Stella Barra Pizza Bar in Santa Monica. It wasn't hard to find a table like at Pizzeria Mozza, which is good but I don't like to go through so much hassle for a simple slice of Margherita Pizza. And the slice was far more satisfying than that at Olio Pizzeria, which wasn't half bad but somehow I haven't returned for its pies and I suspect it's because I'm still in my quest for a slice reminiscent of those thin, super light beauties I had in Naples and as a matter fact, any old pizzeria in Bologna.

I've always confused the name of this place as Stella Rossa, which is a cheap winery that plasters its name on freeway billboards. Apparently I'm not alone because some message boards still called it Stella Rossa -- further compounding the confusion. We sat at the bar as we didn't have reservations.

The Margherita pizza was thin and light with just the right amount of cheese and tomato s it wasn't too heavy. What I liked most was the crust -- crunchy and soft at the same time with the right amount of saltiness upon every bite and bubbles formed on the edges. I usually leave the edges of crust on my plate but I ended up eating all of it (albeit there being another reason for it -- more on that later).

We started with the spinach and purple kale salad that came with Pecorino Romano cheese, dates and radishes in a light dressing. It was just what we needed before diving into the less healthy main course. My only complaint is that I wish the greens had been cut smaller so we wouldn't have to open our mouths as wide as when we visit the dentist. It was unwieldy, as refreshing as it was.

For our second pie, we got the prosciutto with three different cheeses (Mozarella, Pecorino Romano and Gruyere) and an egg. Needless to say, this pizza had me at egg. I can never resist having an egg oozing out of anything, especially pizzas. We tried it in thin crust and immediately regretted it when we took a bite. It was beyond thin crust. It wasn't a pizza anymore. It was a flat bread. And when the egg yolk didn't complement the ham and cheeses, the entire pie was far too salty. That's where the crust from the other pizza came in and helped to temper the sodium overload. I wouldn't get it extra thin again.

It's my dream breakfast -- just add a nice cappuccino and I'm set.

Service was good. We later moved to a table when the room had somewhat cleared. Our server was  attentive and friendly. She was all great except for the fact that she gave us the check before we asked for it. We first thought it was because she had to leave but in fact she didn't as she was around when we walked out.

Parking is a bit tight. You have to park at the very limited retail spots in the lot below as most of them are reserved for apartment dwellers that's part of the same complex.

I was stoked to see a Hollywood one recently opened. Will have to try that out soon.