David Chang, Momofuku’s colorful chef owner, had a book signing junket through the Bay Area. I saw him at Kepler’s, a great independent bookstore in Menlo Park. I got there extra early since I was sure the event would be packed. But at 10 minutes before his appearance, only a few people in chairs – so I got a great 2nd row seat. More people did eventually show, but it was not a sell-out crowd. David talked about starting up Momofuku Noodle Bar, and it is so unbelievable the restaurant even survived, let alone become such a success. It was a tiny, 600 sq ft space, and hardly any room to walk behind diners. In the summer the hoods sucked up all the air conditioning, so they had to figure out how to keep the diners from sweating to death. David said he stuck to his vision – creating great…
