Elite Event at Bunsmith

I noticed Bunsmith a few months ago and inner squealed. I love, love, love a good bun so you can imagine how excited I was to receive an invitation to this event. Cause we got the buns going up, on a Sun-​day!
I tasted the jowl and Korean chicken buns and nearly ate my tongue off with these little bites of heaven. I especially loved the Jowls. If every animal’s jowls taste like this then I am so down to eat them. I also tried the kimchi shots which was a first (and most likely last) time.
Always a good time to catch up with old Unilocalers and meet new ones.
Thanks again Peter D et al for always killin’ the game.

It had been way too long since I’ve attended a Brooklyn Unilocal event, and Bunsmith was a great way to break that streak and get back in the groove. I haven’t really been to this part of Franklin Ave, so it was fun to explore a new part of BK while making new Unilocal friends and connecting with old ones. I already really enjoyed the delicious buns provided! I liked the pork but the spicy fried chicken was amazing — I wasn’t planning on finishing it, but famous last words… I also wasn’t really planning on a kimcheeback but I guess when in Rome… that was also pretty tasty. Thanks as always to Peter and Bunsmith for some delicious eats and a great Sunday! I can’t wait to go back and try more buns.

Unlike the Jets performance this past Sunday, this event was firing on all cylinders.
Bunsmith is a hip new restaurant that provides some delicious bites, and best of all its in my neighborhood.
Arrived early and was soon shooed outside by our CM Peter D. It was past one o’clock, and I needed to start watching the Jets game. Once I got inside I got the wifi password, put my phone down, and opened up some NFL mobile.
I’m not a Bloody Mary fan, but felt I should get one. I always feel you got to give things another shot. Still didn’t dig it, think it’s the horse radish. Switched the some Ommegang Wite (one of my favorites for the rest of the afternoon)
Was glad I was able to catch up with people after a busy September. Wish I could have chatted more around the event, but was stuck watch that dreadful game. The venue is great, love the space.
Now for the good stuff, those sweet juicy buns. Started off with the tofu and mushroom, which tasted great. Obviously each bun has something different, but how well the buns are themselves is crucial and my first taste did not disappoint. Up next was the artichoke, which was my least favorite, but that’s like season 2 of The Wire as I discussed with some of my fellow Unilocalers that day. It’s the worst of something amazing. Meaning it’s pretty great. Which was the best of the day? I don’t know. The Pork Jowl and Fried Chicken were both show stoppers. You couldn’t have gone wrong with either. Had it not been the same day of the Atlantic Antic, I would have gotten more than just one of each.
Near the end of the event we were offered some kimchi-​backs. Shot of kimchi to chase a shot of whiskey. Now I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand a pickle back. Why chase perfectly good whiskey with something that doesn’t taste as good?
I had an amazing time. The staff, bartenders, and owner, really brought their A game. I really appreciated that. I’ll be sure to be back. Big thanks to Peter D for organizing a great event, and forgetting to bring more swag.

That pork jowl bao was one for the books… Seriously the food was on point. I wasn’t that into the fried tofu, but it’s tofu, what do you want from me? The grilled artichoke was delicious! Smoky, savory and tender with some creamy aioli-​type-​business in there to take it over the top. KFC sweet bao was delightful. But the pork jowl. I love Ommegang so it was lovely to have their IPA on hand for this. And, I did my first (and probably last) kimchee-​back. It was a good day!

I was delighted to make it in to the Bunsmith event because I knew that it would seamlessly fit into my schedule between a morning race and an afternoon day drinking birthday party, all while being not that far from home.
I said hi to Peter and grabbed a beer (Ommegang Wit, always good) almost immediately, totally missing out on the stash of Unilocal swag (phone re-​chargers!). Fortunately, there were a few left later on. The staff was so well organized and made sure everybody present got a bun of every kind possible. And boy, did I. My kind tablemates allowed me to get TWO of the pork jowl, which was undoubtedly my favorite (thanks, bros). I appreciated the variety of vegetarian options and you bet I want to come back for the bulgogi and eel.
I wasn’t planning to try a kimchi-​back but couldn’t leave anyone else drinking these solo. I had a great time meeting new-​to-​me Brooklyn Unilocalers and catching up with the usuals. Oh, and there was wifi. I’m definitely planning on returning to bunsmith with some bao-​loving friends.

Just wanted to say what a fantastic event, it was my first and i met some great people. Chatted quite a few of them up and hope to attend many more social events.
The Buns I sampled were amazing! The ones I tried were
1. Crispy tofu shiitake
2. Artichoke
3. Pork jowl
4. Crispy fried chicken
The crispy tofu with shiitake was amazing. Lots of flavor bordering on the sweeter side. It was a delicious bun when paired with my ommegang witte.
The artichoke. Let me first say that I am a carnivore. Vegetarian dishes better have a wow factor because as a veracious meat eater I have a pretty high standard (must contain meat protein). Let me further say that this was my number two pick out of all the buns. Incredible flavor. Super savory with a hint of pickling. Fantastic bun, the sauce used seemed like a chipotle style aioli.
The pork jowl. Obviously this was the crème de la crème. Flavor. Smokiness, juicy, tender, simply amazing. I will be back for more of these. Hopefully this place is like White Castle and you can order a crave case of them.
Crispy fried chicken. While enticing I found the chicken a bit under seasoned. White meat dredged and fried lacked some seasoning other than the sauce and the toppings inside the bun. I would most certainly eat this again if placed in front of me but I wouldn’t make the hike just for this specific bun.
I tried the kimchi back. It’s a shot of Jameson followed by a chaser of kimchi juice. Don’t knock it. I know it sounds insane. But it was DELICIOUS!!! I’m not a Jameson fan by any means but this chaser made it incredibly smooth and I wanted another.
I didn’t get to sample the pork fat edamame sadly I thought they were plain edamame until it was too late. I can only imagine how delicious they were. All the more reason to return for a complete meal.
All together my experience was fantastic. A great neighborhood hideaway that you can easily miss unless you’re looking for it.
Come give this place a try. You’ll love the food and drink.

This is my first Brooklyn Unilocal event involving food as a Brooklyn Elite Unilocaler. Woohoo!
I love Franklin Ave and all the charms it has to offer, including this lovely little bar, Bunsmith. Delicious Korean-​inspired baos as bar food? Yes, please! I loved the insanely delectable pork jowl bao (the meat just melted in your mouth) and the fried tofu with shitake mushrooms bao.
Since I’m not a beer drinking kind of gal, I ordered a blood orange soju. Very refreshing and lovely to sip on as you’re munching away on the rich baos. The acidity and the brightness of the drink did a lot to cut the rich taste, so I enjoyed my food even more.
As always, it was super fun to see old friends, including people I hadn’t seen in a couple of years (Hi, Ming!) and make new friends.
Thanks, Bunsmith for having us! We’ll be back to visit and eat more baos.

Unilocal Elite Events are always a blast! And certainly this was no exception.
Bunsmith is located in Crown Heights, a bit of a distance away from me. It wasn’t in a bad location at all though, so it’s fairly easy to get to. (Only problem I had was the traffic getting here!)
But what’s really important at these Unilocal Elite Events?
People: BEST PEOPLE. That is what you are going to get when you stick a bunch of people who love food in a place that serves great food.
Venue: Bunsmith is very cute and quaint in my opinion. I really loved the vibe in it. Super cool and cozy.
Food: The all important food part! They have really delicious buns, but sadly I didn’t get to try all of them. Here are the ones I did try:
Tofu and Shiitake: MY FAVORITE. It was so hearty and meaty, I thought I was eating some kind of chicken. It wasn’t, just deliciously sauced Tofu.
Artichoke: I think there was a potato in here. It wasn’t bad tasting at all (i quite enjoyed it) but I was jonesing for some meaty bun. Still really great flavor.
Fried Chicken: Good, but not amazing. Still enjoyed it.
Pork Jowl: … Can I drool on a keyboard? DELICIOUS.
Not to mention, the drinks! They have a great wheat ale beer available and really wonderfully spicy (exactly how I like it) Bloody Mary.
But the best? Kimchi Back. I need more of this. I’m so surprised at how smooth it goes down.
Great place, wonderful people, definitely some awesome Unilocal swag and amazing food makes this such a great Unilocal Elite Event.

Nothing like spending a Sunday afternoon with handfuls of buns!
I have been passing by Bunsmith on recent forays to Crown Heights, so I was really excited to have a chance to check it out. This small event was great — there was plenty of food and drink for everyone and the service was excellent. It was nice to see some familiar faces and also meet some new Unilocalers.
I tried allof the buns and each one was awesome. I am hard pressed to pick a favorite — even the vegetarian ones were a delight. The artichoke was really cool since I don’t think I have ever had artichoke grilled before. Each kind had a different sauce and toppings paired with them so it didn’t seem like the same kind of bun over and over again
I stumbled off into the afternoon fat, buzzed and happy. And what more is there than that?

The BunSmith Elite event was the first Unilocal Elite event I’ve ever gone to, and as silly as this will sound, I felt kind of nervous about it on my bus and train rides to get there. Then I arrived, and the combined awesomeness of Unilocal and BunSmith resulted in a pretty fantastic ensuing two hours.
First, the location: BunSmith is cozy, kind of like a really great railroad apartment (instead of rooms, imagine the series leading to a seating space, then a lovely long bar, then another seating space, and then probably the bathroom but I was a little too enthralled to be able to confirm that last one for sure). Great lighting, and by the door in the front there’s a series of very detailed portraits done in chalk against a black wall: the Dalai Lama, Christopher Wallace (a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G.) and Steve Jobs. Not sure what the link was between them, but it was cool to look at.
The service: SO helpful and friendly. Besides the bartender there were women who brought food and drinks around to the tables and wherever people were standing, and they were very on top of keeping up with all the requests, especially given the size of our party.
The food and drinks: really really delicious, and I can’t wait to come back. The Bloody Mary was literally the best one I’ve ever had, the vegetarian buns (tofu and artichoke) were both delectable and very filling, and the surprise? I’ve never even dared to try a pickle-​back, so when we were told that one of the other featured drinks here was a kimchi-​back (kimchi juice) I quietly decided that was the one drink I would avoid. But soon before the end of the event, a platter with shots of Jameson and shots of berry-​colored kimchi juice were brought around. At the moment I was with an enthusiastic group, and an Ommegang beer had followed the Bloody Mary, so that’s exactly the time that I’m likely to make bad decisions.* Lucky for me, the kimchi juice chaser for the whiskey worked astonishingly well, so it turned out to be a delish decision after all.
This was my first time meeting Peter D., who was super nice (and a fellow fan of the properly done Bloody Mary), and whose geniality got me to overcome my nervousness within minutes of stepping inside the restaurant. Kudos to Peter on organizing a great event, I can’t wait for the next one.
*Bad decisions were made following the event.

Buns everywhere!
This was such a great event and because I woke up just in time to get ready and head over, I ended up having breakfast, lunch and dinner at Bunsmith, which was completely unexpected. I was surprised at how full I was even hours later ! *food coma*
As for the buns, I am a Korean fried chicken fanatic so I automatically thought that the fried chicken bun would be my favorite but I am now a lover of Tofu (who knew) and the artichoke bun was also really tasty as well. I am not a vegetarian but I love knowing I can take my vegetarian friends here and they will have options.
Now for those who are down with the swine, kudos to you if you can grab and take a bite without any pork coming off of the pork bun. They really give you a nice serving, and I myself had to eat a few bites of the pork alone due to the generous pork overflow.
As for drinks, I’ll try anything once, (except for a bloody mary lol) so I had my first kimchi back which made me appreciate kimchi juice very much lol
Thank you Peter, this was such a great event! Also thank you Bunsmith, as we will meet again!

When Unilocal gives you an invitation to an event you just don’t ever want to miss it…
A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with fellow Unilocalers, beer, bloody marys, amazing buns, delicious edamame, and lets not forget that refreshing crisp WATER! I came a little on the hungover side because I decided to have too much fun the night before, so what better way to cure that than to fill your tummy up with liquor, water, and BUNS… IDK if i was dehydrated but that water was EVERYTHING… was it from the garden of Eden?
Let’s start with the crowd… friendly and social as always. Whenever I make it to a Unilocal event I never question the outcome. I just know I’ll be around tons of people, who like me, enjoy Unilocal and what it brings. We all mingle, we all eat, we all have a great time. The ambiance was delightful with the beautiful wall murals, the wooden flavor, and the petite yet vertically spread size. Crown heights is really doing it’s thanggg!
Greeted by the wonderful Peter and some delicious edamame covered in turkey fat (remember I technically don’t eat pork so let’s call it turkey for my sake). That edamame was delicious though, like I almost caught myself picking up the empty shells hoping I could find something in there (totally kidding I THINK). Then I patiently waited as the buns came out. Personally my favorite was the tofu with shiitake mushrooms… like I had to ask the wonderful host if I could get another one before I departed and her sweet and kind self definitely made that happen. The artichoke bun had one hell of a taste to it as well (a taste I enjoyed at that). I’m happy I made it to this event because the staff impressed me to a point that I’d definitely come back to visit with a friend. The food is straight forward, the staff is so welcoming, and the joint is so comfortable you feel right at home.
By the way… about that kimchi back… I WISH someone would’ve warned me to take the kimchi after the Jameson (or maybe I should’ve been a better listener) but DAMNNN the reverse sequence definitely had me close to death :-(. Thanks again Peter and the great staff at Bunsmith! :-*

Bunsmith is a great new addition to the dining scene of Franklin Avenue. Located where Dockland once was, I wish Bunsmith better luck than their short-​lived predecessor.
For sure Bunsmith has something different to offer compared to the other restaurants on Franklin and Washington: delicious Korean-​inspired steamed buns.
I had the opportunity to try three buns:
— Fried tofu and shiitake mushrooms with soy glaze and scallions
— Grilled artichoke with homemade gochugaru aioli
— Pork jowl with shichimi soy and scallions
They were all delicious, but I particularly enjoyed the artichoke one: that aioli sauce was phenomenal!
For drinks, I stuck with beer, as both the IPA and Witte by Ommegang paired really well with the food.
Finally, the shots of Jameson with kimchi back were… as tasty as they were deadly!
Thank you Peter D. and all the people at Bunsmith for a really enjoyable (and super-​tasty!) event.
Nice to see some new swag too: the portable charger is a great (and useful) new addition to the Unilocal collection. And great to have a YEE on a Sunday afternoon again! We should have more of them.

Hours later and I’m still full.
Super duper shout out to Peter for allowing us to grace this fine establishment with room to spare! The tiny storefront is deceiving, because once you step in to Bunsmith, with its lovely dark wood interior and Korean accouterments placed about.
The first stop, the bar was a fun one. I got my first ever bottle of «real» beer the Ommegang beer, which was quite tasty, I must say. I almost finished the whole bottle, which is an accomplishment (rather than tasting someone else’s and making a face).
Then I sat down with Shakira to become our introverted selves… sitting by the kitchen. From then on out it was a bun fiasco! First came the tofu buns with shitake mushrooms. I had a few of these and they were by far my favorite. Oh, lemme interject by saying that the selection of vegetarian buns was really great and not an afterthought. The artichoke bun was really yummy as well. Both went down very easily.
By the look on my fellow Unilocaler’s faces I can say the fried chicken bun with daikon radish was the favorite of the table, (but I could be wrong!). The pork seemed to be flowing out of the buns, with fellow Unilocalers eating half and saving the rest to devour a little later.
All in all a good time, albiet I never really moved from my introvert’s chair in the back!

I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than with good food and good company, and Bunsmith/​Yelp certainly delivered on both.
Bunsmith was perfect for our small group and provided plenty of libations to make sure we had a great time. I unfortunately didn’t drink (alas, went too hard the night before), but their drink options sounded fantastic: bloody marys, plenty of beer, and even kimchibacks. I’m not a huge fan of kimchi so I’m glad I passed on that anyways, but everyone who tried it seemed to love the combination.
Luckily, I still had plenty of food options. The wonderful staff brought out 4 different types of their buns to try, and each one was better than the last. I ended up with a food baby, but it was certainly worth it to try:
Fried tofu and shitake mushroom: definitely would make any vegetarian happy!
Artichoke: unexpected filling for a bun, but this was really delicious. The artichoke was super tender and came with a very flavorful aioli.
Fried chicken: the chicken itself was very crisp but didn’t have a lot of seasoning. Also very spicy sauce on top!
Pork jowl: probably the best thing I’ve eaten all week. Really crisp but melt-​in-​your mouth pieces of pork; kind of tasted like eating pure bacon with some points in the best way possible.
There was also plenty of delicious pork fat edamame going around, which probably cancelled out the health benefits of eating edamame. Oh well; I don’t come to Unilocal events to count calories.
Many thanks again to the amazing staff of Bunsmith and Peter D for putting on such a great event! I’ll definitely be back for that amazing pork bun.

My anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns, hon.
Suffice to say, my anaconda was satisfied by this great event at Bunsmith. Am I allowed to say things like that on Unilocal?Oh well, I guess we’ll just mark this review as PG-​13.
Bunsmith was a cool little place, and true to its name, they kept the buns coming out of the kitchen. The staff was all super nice and made sure that everyone got to try everything, which was no easy feat!
The tofu and shiitake bun was really good, especially with how crispy the tofu was. The artichoke was unique, and was not something I’ve had before. The pork jowl was divine. And the Korean fried chicken was great, but at that point, I was so full of buns that I was just stuffing them down (am I allowed to say that?).
Of course, can’t have a Sunday Funday Bunday event without booze. I was sipping on Korean style Bloody Mary’s, and finished the afternoon with a kimchi back. Yes, it was a shot of Jame-​o with a kimchi juice chaser. It was… interesting. Nice and spicy, and I left the place with kimchi breath. I don’t think it’s contagious though.
All told, it was a great event and I had tons of fun. Also got my hands on some new Unilocal swag in the form of portable phone chargers! Moving on up in the world!
Thanks to Pete for organizing and for the kind folks at Bunsmith for hosting us and serving up great food and tons of booze!

Great event!!!
I was going to start this review off with lyrics from Sir Mix a Lot/​Nicki Minaj about buns and what not but I’m not going to go there… yea, no…
Anywhoo, this was a great cozy event for Sunday afternoon. A small intimate crowd. I started off with a drink, Bloody Mary… the other choice was an IPA but I’m not a fan of beer… I’ve only had a Bloody Mary once before (elsewhere) and I wasn’t a big fan of it. I decided to give it a try and glad I did. It was very tasty. Not too spicy either. At the bar, the staff brought out edamame for us to snack on.
I was able to try 3 buns. Tofu, artichoke and pork jowl*. Out of the three, the artichoke may have been my favorite one, although the pork one came close as well. There was a fried chicken one that a waitress brought by to my table but I was full from the three buns.
This was a great event, I wished I could have stayed until the end. Many thanks to Peter D., Bunsmith and the whole team. Until next time.
*My deaf ears heard pork chop. oops…*