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Foumami

February 10, 2012 by Jennifer Che 12 Comments

Foumami chicken cutlet
You know it was bound to happen right?

It’s an ingenious concept that was just waiting for someone to pick up.

First, start with the Chinese shao bing, a flaky, savory pastry that the Chinese have been eating for centuries as a outer “shell” to wrap you tiao (Chinese fried crullers) or beef and scallions.

Next, fill it with all sorts of different creative, non traditional but tasty Asian meats and vegetables.

Finally, open up a trendy sandwich shop where people can pick and choose what they want.

It’s like a creative Bao Haus, but applied to shao bing sandwiches. Imagine a shao bing sandwich with Korean bulgolgi inside, or maybe filled with a Japanese pork cutlet (tonkatsu)?   The possibilities are endless.

If executed right, it’s a clear winner, no doubt.

Guess what? Michael Wang, a son of restaurant owners in China and an MBA from Harvard, has done just that in Foumami.

Foumami is just a single shop right now, though Michael Wang has grand plans. He hopes it will become the next Chipotle or the next Pinkberry, a high quality, popular concept that takes the nation by the storm.

After graduating from Harvard, Wang decided to open his first Foumami in downtown Boston.

Foumami is a combination of two words. The word “Fo” sounds like Buddha in Mandarin Chinese, and “umami” is a Japanese derived word that refers to the fifth sense of savory goodness.

At Foumami, the interior decor is modern, clean, and colorful. You enter and you feel relaxed and cheerful. The menu is witten on a chalkboard behind the counter, with various specials hanging below on random sheets of paper.

If you’re an Asian snack junkie (like I am!), you’ll be tempted by the random assortment of snacks up front, everything from standards like Koala Yummies or Pocky to unusual offerings like Sriracha Peas.
Foumami
The place definitely caters to the business lunch crowd, and is packed between 12 and 1pm. You can easily order various shao bing sandwiches to go, or get a variety of salads.
Foumami Tonkatsu
I was so intrigued by the menu, it was hard to choose just one. The chicken katsu sandwich ($7.35) uses the same breading and sauce as a tonkatsu (Japanese pork cutlet) sandwich.  Of course, it differs from a Japanese sandwich because it uses Chinese shao bing as the bread.

I thought the sandwich was very flavorful. All the ingredients were freshly prepared, and the overall flavors were quite addictive.
Foumami Spicy Pork Bahn Mi
The Spicy Pork Sandwich ($7.95) was equally tasty but quite messy to eat. Seriously, unless if you have the whole thing wrapped up and you’re eating it on the go, the sauces will spill out as you bite into these sandwiches!

The flavors reminded me of kalbi, although Michael told me he was more inspired by a Vietnamese Banh mi when designing this sandwich. It’s true, it’s filled with pickled vegetables like a traditional Banh mi. I guess that’s what Asian fusion is all about, borrowing flavor profiles from various cuisines and putting them all together into one big sandwich.
Foumami scallion pancake
All sandwiches come with the house scallion pancake, which was a bit crispier, less oily, but also less flaky than a traditional scallion pancake.Foumami glass noodle salad
They had a wide variety of salads as well, such as this glass noodle salad ($7.55). The glass noodles (undoubtedly inspired by the Korean glass noodles chap chae), were addictively spicy with tons of umami. I thought the salad part underneath was only average and seemed more like a vehicle in which to serve the glass noodles than something worth eating on its own.

Foumami Michael Wang and Jen Che
Michael Wang and me

I really think Foumami is onto a neat concept. I have always loved Asian flavors, whether it be Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Taiwanese. The Chinese shao bing is an excellent vehicle on which to enjoy any of these flavors.

I personally hope it takes off. I’ve already tried convincing him to open his next one in Cambridge. He was totally mum about any details, but he seemed to imply that it was definitely a possibility.

Foumami
225 Franklin
 Boston, MA 02110
Foumami on Urbanspoon

Disclaimer: I did not pay for my meal at Foumami. It was provided by Foumami.

©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Boston, Restaurant, Review Tagged With: Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Sandwiches

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Comments

  1. Meemsnyc says

    February 10, 2012 at 3:43 am

    oh my gosh, i so have to go there and try it!

    Reply
  2. Bianca Garcia says

    February 10, 2012 at 11:37 am

    This sounds great! I’ve never heard of Fourmami before but definitely want to check it out.

    Reply
  3. scrapper al says

    February 10, 2012 at 8:45 pm

    You make me want to move to Boston! The food looks delish! What are the prices like compared to other mid/high-end take out?

    Reply
  4. Alvina says

    February 11, 2012 at 12:13 am

    Running… there….  Okay, maybe Monday at work for lunch!!!  SO EXCITED.  The katsu looked SO GOOD.

    Reply
  5. jentinyurbankitchen says

    February 11, 2012 at 12:44 am

    Great question! I just updated the post to add prices. Most items hover around $8, so if you get a sandwich and a drink, expect to pay around $10 for lunch.

    Reply
  6. jentinyurbankitchen says

    February 11, 2012 at 12:44 am

    Yes! It was really, really good!

    Reply
  7. Sophia says

    February 11, 2012 at 3:36 am

    I love reading the story behind an establishment. You look so cute next to him, Jen! 🙂
    The menu and concept sounds super interesting. I would love to try them. I wish him success…so he can build a branch in LA!

    Reply
  8. Mimi Wan says

    February 11, 2012 at 11:38 am

    It is completely inspired to use shao bings as a sandwich wrapper of sorts! I always thought it was too much as a wrapper for you tiao. I think this is the start of something really wonderful and so much better than the Vietnamese banh mi. I no longer work downtown but will make it a point to go. Thanks so much for posting!

    Reply
  9. jentinyurbankitchen says

    February 11, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy the sandwiches as much as I did. 

    Reply
  10. jentinyurbankitchen says

    February 11, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    Ha ha, you guys have SO MUCH good food in LA!

    Reply
  11. Carolyn Jung says

    February 11, 2012 at 8:49 pm

    I predict a food truck in every city is going to start churning these out. I sure hope so, because I could definitely go for one right now. 😉

    Reply
  12. Tiffany Wang says

    February 12, 2012 at 7:49 pm

    Thanks for the post. I hope he’ll open one around Kendall Sq. 😀

    Reply

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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