Hot Yam!
THE FAIRY GODMOTHER of Sohos defunct Cendrillon has jiggled her wand and landed in a quaint space in the newest hot neighborhood in Brooklyn: Ditmas Park. But owner Amy Besa, with husband Romy Dorotan, didnt leave it all behind to open their latest venture, Purple Yam. They brought over many of the menu items from the last restaurant, as well as a legion of loyal customers.
On a recent Thursday, Besa held court in the packed space, greeting people like old friends. Even though my date and I had to wait 15 minutes for a table, we spent it comfortably at the sparse bar, sipping on a drinkable bottle of Masia de Bielsa garnacha ($25).
When we did finally manage to snag one of the small wooden tables, we were salivating from the rich smells wafting from the open kitchen across from us, and the sight of a mysterious array of foods on our neighbors table.
All the dishes are fairly small, so the best way to order is get a bunch and share. First on the list, homemade kimchi of the day ($3), which turned out to be baby radish. The nicely bundled lump of spicy, crunchy kimchi is the work of cook, waitress and decorating collaborator Haegeen Kim, who handles the Korean aspect of Purple Yams Filipino pan-Asian creations. She also cooks up the saucy Korean meatballs ($9), which come nestled on half of a tiny, elongated purple yam roll.The open face sandwich resembles a bahn mi, especially since on the other side of the roll are cucumber, shredded carrots, onion and lettuce. It also comes with a side of kimchi and a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce.
Everything on the menu sounds impressive, and I wish I had opted for the lechon kawali ($18), deep-fried pork belly with a tangy pickled papaya, instead of the dull tocino sliders ($6).The latter came with two sugar-achuete-cured pork and pickled persimmon stuffed rolls, and while the ingredients were good on their own, the thick and slightly sticky purple yam bread overpowered the sweet and peppery pork.
Hands down, the best part of the meal was the goat curry, a remnant from Cendrillon.The tiny, tender chunks of meat had a coating of smooth curry so fragrant that the taste hit my palate before the food landed in my mouth. Accompanying this dish was a side of spicy mango and tomatillo chutney that brought out the rich curry even more.
Although the plates were small, everything turned out surprisingly satiating. And even though we were full, I found myself planning my next meal before our dessert order of buko pie ($6) ever arrived.
When it did finally make it to our table, the warm, tiny pie looked too perfect to eat. We managed anyway. As the mild scoop of ice cream melted on top of the flaky crust, we each grabbed a fork and plunged into the young coconut-stuffed shell, which was lined with a layer of purple yam custard.The cool, creamy ice cream, made with macapuno, a Philippine variety of coconut palm that has a soft, jelly-like center, blended well with the warm dessert, which ended up being much lighter a dish then it appeared. Despite the size, we managed to finish each bite. Even though the thought of eating more was ridiculous, when the friendly waiter plopped down an aromatic dish of sisig ($12), made with chopped-up pig parts, lime and chilies, for the women next to us, I wanted to order my own. Instead I left, completely entranced and with a newfound love for this restaurant.
>Purple Yam
1314 Cortelyou Rd. (betw. Rugby & Argyle Rds.), Brooklyn, 718-940-8188.