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Category: Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: East Village1st Ave-14th St (L)
Astor Place (6)
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Recently - as far as a few months ago - I had found myself floating in this heavy atmosphere of David Chang accolades with his Lucky Peach chain of restaurants known as "Momofuku".
What an extraordinarily effective and catchy name, not to mention completely befitting of Mr. Chang, what with his restaurateur's golden touch; most all his endeavors have paid off swimmingly.
But, is it hype over substance? I think it is...... a bit of both.
A group of eight of us went to Noodle Bar for their famed FRIED CHICKEN DINNER (menu description from their website: two whole fried chickens, one southern style and one Korean style - mu shu pancakes, bibb lettuce, four sauces and an assortment of seasonal vegetables). It made for a fun and interactive meal, and the presentation was beautiful. A huge plate full of fried chicken? That's artwork!
The Southern fried chicken, in my opinion edged out over the Korean only b/c I can't quite take too much spice. I also enjoyed the crumbly yet crispy skin on the southern, which gave it nice texture and bite. The four sauces definitely added different dimensions of taste to the chicken as well. My favorite was the darker and thicker, hoisin based sauce which paired amazingly well with the bibb lettuce. The other sauces were great too, especially the scallion-ginger. Lathered on anything, that sauce could make rubber taste outstanding!
What was most noticeable however, was the fresh accompanying veggies. Although the mu shu pancakes were soft, pliable, and tasty in its own right, my heart sang with the colorful assortment of produce. The bibb lettuce, baby carrots, and radish slices were incredibly refreshing and provided that much needed element to slightly undercut the grease from the fried poultry.
Overall, there was a mixture of opposing opinions from my fellow diners. Some said it was an expensive knockoff of age-old Korean fried chicken made better by mom (and could be found cheaper in K-town), others agreed they would want to go for the experience all over again at some point in the future. Yet one point was unanimous across our entire table, that being, this wasn't the best the fried chicken any of us had ever had!
I admit, I definitely had fun eating with my hands and trying to fool my stomach that I was having a salad (fried chicken wrapped in lettuce? Hey, that works for me!), but to say that Momofuku's fried chicken recipe beat out all other versions? Let's not get carried away. I'd say it deserves it's place on all those "top-spot" lists but, I would not be at all surprised to find better fried chicken elsewhere, sans the David Chang smokescreen. (Though, I do want to come back to try the restaurant's namesake, some noodles! But I digress...)
To end, it is fun to experience a fried chicken dinner at a relatively nice and cozy restaurant, and being easy enough on the wallet, I'd say make your reservation and mangia! BUT, do not expect to be blown away.
3.5 stars.
Congratulations, David Chang. You've done it again. You got me creaming my pants over another meal of yours: the fried chicken dinner.[1]
In case you don't read the food sections of the NY Times, NY Magazine, or any food blogs, this platter of clucker parts is served two ways: Korean-style and Southern-style. It arrived with the day's ssam accoutrements: bibb lettuce, mu shu wraps, radishes, baby carrots, mint sprigs, and Momofuku's signature sauces: ginger-scallion, hoisin, bibim kochujang, and jalapeno-garlic soy sauce.
The Korean-style chicken is mostly wings which allow for a higher skin-to-meat ratio for the sticky-sweet-spicy coating of sauce. My first bite produced a crunch of a thousand Christmas baubles shattering. This chicken was perfectly delicious on its own and didn't need anything else.
The Southern-style chicken had bigger portions of mostly breast. Somehow, the skin managed to be super-crisp but not greasy at all--almost like a haute version of Shake 'n Bake. The white meat needed a flavor boost so it was ideal for wrapping with condiments. My favorite combo: crispy skin and white meat with ginger-scallion sauce and kochujang in a lettuce wrap with mint leaves.
Bonus points for the soju slushies. I don't even like soju but the gingeriness of the Dark & Stormy flavor helped mask the nail-polish-remover aftertaste that I normally associate with soju.
The servers rocked the house, too. Always refilling our water glasses and carrying over more baskets of lettuce and bowls of ginger-scallion sauce when we asked for them.
So, kudos, David Chang, on creating a clever play on Korean and American comfort food that is finger-lickin' amazing. I'll be sending you a dry-cleaning bill for the pants.
(And just to bring the whole Oprah/Art Smith thing full-circle...my friend Grace brought her friend Irene to dinner that night. Irene looks at me and says, "I know you from somewhere..." When it hits me, "OMG, you're the producer from Jacques Torres!"[2] Crazy, isn't it?)
================================
[1] $100 for a max of 8 people; by limited reservation only
[2] See http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I ate.
The amuse bouche of fluke was light, citrusy and pleasant.
The congee was delicious, but needed more sauce.
The ramen was solid, but honestly nothing special.
The pork buns weren't the best I've ever had, but they were easily the most enjoyable part of the meal. Delicious.
I laughed.
One of the cooks dropped a shrimp ball and screamed some of the more inventive curses I've been privy to.
My dining companion likes to stick chopsticks in her nose. That's always hilarious.
I cried.
The bill was steeper than a ramen dinner should really be.
OK, perhaps I didn't actually weep over the cost of my meal, but I was unimpressed with my first Momofuku experience.
Noodles were so spicy I only ate 2 bites. Inedible.
Before my first bite the waft from my shirt sleeve (as I was bringing the noodles toward my face) caused my eyes to water and me to cough. Also, the pork taco things were fatty and gross.
Though seemingly a total fail, I would go back to try some other noodle dish. The waitress did mention it was pretty spicy, so I guess that's my fault but I don't see how anyone could eat that and enjoy the experience.
I already had a feeling that this was going to be a miss. but after a friendhyped this place up, I came here so he can have a chance to prove me wrong.
Chicken came on a Giant platter, with half old bay seasoning and half korean style.
The korean style was much lilke Bon Chon
The old bay seasoning was pretty salty and meh
Lesson of the day: always trust your instincts, esp when it comes to food !!
$16 for a bowl of momofuku ramen?!?!!?!! are you kidding me? That's even more that Ipuddo! :0!!!
Yes they have 2 different types of pork and the soft boiled egg...but still, anyone who has a temperature controlled pot can produce a soft-boiled egg like that, no need to hype it up like crazy! $16 is waaaay too hefty for 1 SMALL BOWL OF RAMEN I don't care if David Chang made that bowl of ramen himself! ....I say small even when it comes in a big bowl cause it's made to look big but in reality it's smaller than it looks :0
....the soup was OK, the noodles were OK, the pork was OK, and oden was OK, the menma was OK and the egg was a little better than OK....which leads to my verdict of overall = A-OK!!!! @_^
Oh and the pork buns...they were A-OK, but + a little dab of sriracha made it = A+ OK ! :)
As an answer to the question of: Ippudo v. Momofuku?
This is pretty much a wash, and it will usually come down to the common denominator on two factors: Ramen and Pork Buns.
When it comes to Ramen, there is no question that Ippudo rocks the house. Great flavoring, Great sides to accompany it. The accouterments really add a nice texture to the experience. Unparalleled in my opinion. Momofuku is a tad bit on the salty side, and is only saved by a hefty portion of their pork. Their broth is nothing to write home about, and if I did, my mother would ask me why I'm writing about such crappy Ramen.
BUT, it can never be mentioned enough how incredible the Pork Buns are at Momofuku, which places them leaps and bounds in front on this end. (I realize that I've capitalized "Pork Buns" here, and when you make something this good, you give it the due respect.) It has a great layered taste, lingering after you've bitten trough the thick piece of pork belly seasoned to perfection. Ippudo's pork buns are puny in comparison and smothered with sauce. In my not-so-humble opinion, sauce smothering is the lazy man's seasoning. (I remember an old Schoolhouse Rock bit on not drowning your food, and I believe that it has profoundly affected me to this day.)
Sadly, or in my opinion, not so sadly, I recommend you check both these places out, and love that you live in a city with such incredible dining. If you're still up in the air about which is better, well then, I guess you'll have to just flip back and forth and eat at both locations over and over and over and over and over and over . . .
After hearing about the Momofuku Noodle Bar, I had to see what the hype was about. I've been a fan… Read more »
It was a dark and drizzly night...
My friend decided it was time to check out Momofuku Noodle Bar, and since he drove further than I did to get to the city, he gets to pick.
Not knowing who or what Momofuku was, the place was not what I expected. It was small, busy and crowded.
At first I was even afraid to enter the place (to get a number). I'd rather wait outside in the rain. When we finally got called (10 minutes later) we were seated towards the back.
The waiter was quick and to the point, and within 4.5 minutes we had our orders of pork buns... followed by chicken buns... followed by chicken wings ... followed by the noodles ... followed by pie crust soft serve.
I really love how they don't rush you out of your seats, and they give you your space. Everyone is so attentive and fast paced, yet service was not jeopardized.
I would love to go back soon, and hopefully have the same luck with a 10m wait time. I def won't be coming here with a group. No one should dare delay a meeting of me and my food!
So much hype, not undeserved, but it really can mess with your experience.
That said, I really liked it at Momofuku. Killer vibe, bf thought it felt very Portland, which always makes us happy (there's nothing like home). Sujo slushy, Dark & Stormy flavor, started me off on a happy, gingery note. Then kimchi, HEAVY on the salt, but it's kimchi, so I'm not allowed to really say much about that.
Pork buns, super hyped, deservedly so.
Momofuku Ramen-- $16, tasty but not a revelation, which I feel sad about. Back to that kimchi that I thought was so salty... Full and happy. Could happily sit all night at that bar.
Hotttttt dang! After seeing all the positive reviews, I had to check out this place for the ramen. With a fellow Seattlite, we went on a wet Saturday afternoon, waited about 15-20 minutes for seats and got some deeeelish ramen! I ordered the Momofuku ramen - LOVED IT. The pork felt like it was melting in my mouth, so soft and tasty. The ramen was cooked just right (I don't like overcooked noodles), the couple slices of dry seaweed was good in mix. The egg was perfect in the noodles & broth. *drooool* The only reason I deducted a star was the price. Eek it was steep! I didn't check the price before going. My poor, unemployed wallet took a hit.
My friend ordered the cold spicy noodles - he let me try it and DANGGGG it was SPICY. And this comes from someone who loves tabasco or chili pepper in anything/everything. The noodles were quite oily too.
Once I'm happily employed, I will have to head back! The buns looked SOOO good.
I vaguely remember the last time I was at the Momofuku Noodle Bar several years ago. Maybe because I was just as disappointed then and probably vowed never to return. Oh well - my husband talked me into it and so we met up with a friend for dinner.
We ordered several small plates to share - brussel sprouts, Japanese turnips, chicken wings, pork buns, the fluke with an apple puree, and a bowl of the ramen. By far the best thing was the fluke. All the other items were just okay.
Maybe we were hoping for too much, but I'll have to disagree with others who think that Momofuku's ramen is better or equal to Ippudo. Ippudo's ramen is by far better and so are their pork buns.
Love the creativity of Chef David Chang, but now that I've yelped it, I'm sure I won't go back again.
me: what was the name of the place we went to last?
she: what place?
me: we had noodles
she: i dont remember where we went. oh. momofuku.
I am a sad, miserable, wretch of a person completely unable and unwilling to acknowledge that I might experience any joy from someone else's work, much less give anybody any praise for any talent that they may have. So you must understand how much it pains me to write the following review, in which I basically fall all over myself fawning over Momofuku Noodle Bar. *heavy sigh*
For me to talk with too much specificity about the menu would be pointless, as there are seasonal dishes that rotate in and out (As they should), but let's just talk about some of the perennial favorites, shall we?
The pork buns are a must-order, as they are sort of a calling card of the momofuku empire. Much has been written about these soft pockets of porky goodness, so I won't waste my breath, but really, you must order them. (I totally prefer these to the Ippudo pork buns, but they are a close second)
As MNB is a noodle bar, you cannot go wrong with the Ramen. Masaharu Morimoto thinks it's the best in the city. (I happen to prefer the Akamaru Modern at Ippudo, but that was after going back and forth between the two for months). Not in a brothy mood? The chllled spicy noodles are cold, sweet, and SPICY. They don't mess around when they say SPICY. See how I capitialize SPICY? There, i did it three times.
Finish your meal off with one of their soft serve ice creams. I've had such unique flavors as pie crust, and cereal milk, they never disappoint.
Sounds great, right? This was my 5 star experience with Noodle Bar til last night, when I got to partake in the Fried Chicken Dinner. It took months of trying to get a reservation (especially in what appears to be a period of Fried Chicken MANIA going on right now in the city), but it was well worth it. If I could give another star, I would.
from the website: "the fried chicken dinner includes two whole fried chickens, one southern style and one korean style. the dinner comes with mu shu pancakes, long spicy peppers, baby carrots, red ball radishes, shiso leaves, bibb lettuce, four sauces and an herb basket."
Our reservation of 7 turned out to be just a party of four by the time we got to sit down, which meant A LOT of food. It's hard for me to choose between the two styles, I think the combination of the two work brilliantly together. You put together one with the pancake, lettuce, jalapeno-garlic sauce and the southern chicken, then the next with the korean style chicken in lettuce and the scallion ginger sauce, then another one with both pancake and lettuce and radishes and both styles of chicken, the combinations are endless and endlessly satisfying.
Service is always really helpful and knowledgable, food is always great. *sigh*
OK, way overrated, had chicken buns, pork belly buns are gross, way to fat. Tried the pork noodle bowl, just ok, pulled out all the fat, just ok, I would never go out of my way again to eat at David Changs resturants
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!! I scored one of the coveted spots for Momofuku's Fried Chicken Dinner and last night was a month in waiting.
My friend had warned me about the massive amount of chicken they serve so my party of 6 did not order any other dishes off their regular menu. You can always order off the regular menu if you are still hungry after the chicken dinner but it's doubtful you will.
The chicken (southern fried and Korean style) came with mushu pancakes, 4 types of dipping sauces (jalapeno and scallion/ginger were my favorite) and a bowl of vegetables for your wrap (carrots, peppers, lettuce, parsley and radishes) - these are all refillable. Basically, there are about 4719479 different combinations to eat your chicken and all 4719479 combinations taste lips smackin, finger lickin good. Your hands will get oily. If they don't, you are not eating the right way.
The dinner is fun for groups and the chicken is good (since you really can't mess up fried chicken!) but I can't commit myself to say that this was the best fried chicken I ever had (take a trip down south). I do have to give David Chang credit for creating another hype with his annoying online reservation system. That is definitely one love/hate relationship I want to but don't want get out of.
Had I never been to Ippudo before going here, I might've given this place 3 stars. But only because… Read more »
This is for the fried chicken dinner... the overly-hyped (like anything else David Chang related) fried chicken dinner.
For $100, you get a large, heaping platter of fried chicken (~2 whole chickens)--half Korean style (spicy but not too spicy), half Southern style. You also get a bounty bowl of butter lettuce, radishes, carrots, and basil/mint along with some mooshoo-style pancakes and an assortment of sauces (hoisin, bibim, ginger scallion, and a light soy vinaigrette). Really, my favorite part of the meal was the carrot. The veggies were pretty fresh. But I didn't come here to eat a carrot. I came here expecting some really great chicken. The chicken wasn't bad, but honestly nothing to rave about... let alone have a special reservation system just for it. I thought the meat itself was pretty tender and juicy, but didn't really like the texture of the fried skin... thought the Southern version was pretty tasteless without the sauces. They say it's made with Old Bay but I couldn't really tell. Korean version was okay... was a little sticky and messy to eat. However, I did have fun trying the different sauces and making little lettuce or pancake wraps with the meat. Putting pieces of the Southern fried chicken in the pancake wrap with hoisin sauce was actually pretty good... but again, nothing special. For 8 people, the bill came out to be about $25/p with the addition of two small apps. In hindsight, I would choose to go to ktown any day to get better, tastier fried chicken.
Wow. Not much needs to be said more than what the reviews say.
My first "bite of the Big Apple" was sinking my teeth into a heavenly porkbun at Momofuku.
Truly a memorable experience.
Just wow.
I am surprised to see a 3.5 star rating for this restaurant! The ramen here is fantastic (if all you know of ramen is the $1 package in the supermarket, then you will be amazed).
I love the shitake buns too.
So while I really do like the food, the noise levels, communal tables, and price definitely scale things back. Granted when I go I know about the noise and the tables, so I can't take points off for these things since they are subjective. However, the prices are definitely way too high.
I don't eat at Momofuku Ssam because everything there seems to have pork which I don't eat... but if you haven't tried one of these, I'd say make the trip.
Couldn't quite make myself drop 9 bucks for the pork belly sandwich, but saw tourists next to me get 4 of them and 2 more to go. It looked good, but the cucumber was the nail in the coffin for trying those. In addition to the price tag. And aggressive dinner fooding plans.
So's my friend and I both ordered the scallion sauce ramen. It was delicious, but too salty. Could have been perfect, despite realizing too late that they weren't soup noodles. Comes with seasonal vegetables, cucumber, and menma (bamboo shoots). Ramen noodles were chewy, and my friend saw the chefs testing the noodles frequently in the kitchen. Our appetizer of raw fluke with pear and apple puree (with celery and furikake) was excellent.
But most excellent...
wait for it...
was the SOY SAUCE EGG.
Good googly moogly, that's the best boiled egg I've ever had. The yolk was perfectly cooked, just set. There's fried onions and chives on top. Quite possibly the most delicious egg on the planet. I'm going to try making this at home.
Other info: We got there around 6 or 7, I think. We were seated at the counter after a few minutes. Decor is simple but atmospheric with the open kitchen and the people slurping noodles around you. Menu is not too long, and there are only a few noodle options. You are free to order the snacks at the bar, too. If you're really hungry there's a prix fixe menu. There are larger tables further in, and if you bring enough people and make a reservation, there's fried chicken. As crowded as this place gets, naturally a line at the bathroom forms.
At around 8 or so there was a line. A long line. Go earlier to avoid it.
I would definitely come back and try their other dishes. Their soft serve desserts come from the milk bar.
Re: Fried Chicken Dinner, Tuesday, 10:00PM Party of 8.
The single most asked question regarding David Chang's version of the fried chicken is - "Is it better than Bon Chon?" And my answer is, yes, but still not the best. I don't even know if I have a best fried chicken place defined by my palette. Fried chicken is either good or it's not. And for all of the games this establishment has played with their highly coveted 10:00AM online reservations... it should definitely be factored into its final review.
In the game of dating, there are women who are prude and plays hard to get.... and in the same game of fried chicken, this dinner definitely plays the same blue ball kind of a game. And the result? Good!
Overall the brown paper communal table top setting is key to any interactively fun group dinner filled with well drinks, delicious foodie food mixed with pork fat, bacon, and runny egg. If that's not a good Tuesday night, I don't know what is.
What happend to you... Noodle Bar??
I took one quick look at your yelp reviews earlier today before…
Read more »
I really want to give this place a 3.5 instead of a 3 or a 4.
There was no wait for the 3 of us when we came here on a Sunday around 2pm; we sat at the bar. The waiter/waitress service was very good, kept refilling our drinks and taking away used napkins every few minutes. But the wait for the food took forever. Not sure if it was because they were waiting for all of us to get our appetizers before any of us got our ramen (my appetizer - roasted rice cakes, took the longest, other people had been done w/ their pork buns for 15+ minutes).
The momofuku ramen was amazing, had so much meat in it. Rice cakes were really good as well, not too spicy, just right.
The price was pretty expensive for ramen though, i think it was 15+ for just the bowl of ramen.
We also saw jim halpert here.
Good: food
Bad: slow with the food, price (for what we're eating)
When a friend presented me with an invite to a Momofuku fried chicken dinner, I thought, hmmm. I usually don't eat chicken. Then I thought again. David Chang is a culinary genius, and I decided I'd be stupid to miss the chance to experience one of his most popular creations.
We had a reservation for 6 on a Saturday night at 10pm, and were seated promptly. There was no making us wait by the door until our whole party arrived. There was no making us wait until 10:20 to sit down even though we had a 10:00 reservation. None of that nonsense. We had a 10:00 reservation at one of the busiest restaurants in town, and when we arrived at 10, we were seated.
While we were waiting for the last two people in our party to arrive, several friendly wait staff came by to get our drink order and ask if we wanted appetizers. We had taken a look at the "snacks" listed on the chalk boards on the wall, and were also eyeing the small plates menu. Not fully understanding how humongous the fried chicken dinner would be, we ordered one plate of brussels sprouts, 2 plates of shitake steamed buns and a small jar of kimchi, along with a $40 bottle of some fancy Spanish white wine I can't remember the name of. The wine and our appetizers began arriving at the table within 5 minutes of our order, and perfectly timed too. Our wine came immediately. Next were the brussels sprouts and the kimchi, which we were allowed to savor and appreciate on their own. When the waiter saw that we were almost done with the brussels sprouts, he brought out the steamed buns. I was impressed that we were getting such perfect service when the place was teeming with people and packed to capacity the entire time we were there.
The brussels sprouts were flavored with a light sauce that tasted of bacon, but the menu also said a little kimchi flavor had been thrown in. They were steamed to perfection and had a pleasant crunch that balanced the smoky spiciness of the sauce. The steamed buns were also delicious -- tasty grilled shitake mushrooms enclosed in impossibly smooth, perfect bun wraps that had just the right texture of chewiness and sponginess.
My favorite appetizer, however, was the kimchi. I loved how it came in a little jar, because it reminded me of how my mom makes kimchi and puts it in glass jars. When we popped open the jar and started eating, mmm! Not as good as mom's of course, but interesting in its own way. It tasted fresh, but also had the right amount of sour to it, as if it had been aged a few days. There was also a lot of sugar in it, so it was a nice sweet variety. I could have eaten two jars of it all by myself.
After a brief break, on came the fried chicken dinner. Four sauces: ginger-scallion in a nice rich oil, bibim (packed with Korean gochujang -- yay!), garlic-jalapeno (with BIG chunks of garlic and jalapeno, in a soy-flavored sauce) and hoisin. The platter of fried chicken that was the centerpiece of the meal was, I kid you not, enough food for 8 people! At least! There was a traditional southern-style fried chicken with Old Bay seasoning, and a spicier Korean-style fried chicken that came in smaller pieces. Also accompanying the meal were unlimited homemade moo-shu wrappers (served up in those flat plastic tortilla containers with the lids like a taqueria) and unlimited big bowls of fresh veggies -- buttery lettuce leaves, baby carrots, radish pieces and sesame leaves. I loved all of the traditional Korean touches and flavors that came with the meal, and of course I took a big lettuce leaf and dipped it in the bibim sauce. Mmmm!
The chicken was great too. I appreciated it for its textures and flavors -- the meat was tender and never overcooked, and somehow managed to retain its juiciness as well. It paired perfectly with the moo-shu wrappers and fresh, crispy raw veggies. The sauces were unlimited too, so we ordered more of the ginger scallion sauce and poured generous spoonfuls of it onto our plates. We were loving it. The American, Korean and Chinese aspects of the meal blended so seamlessly and perfectly, and we appreciated it all so much!
The whole time, our waiter was so great about refilling our moo-shu wrappers and veggies before we ran out. And because he took such good care of us, we never ran out. I really loved the perfectly timed, friendly, no-bullshit service at Momofuku. And we were allowed to take as long as we wanted. The bill? Just $30 each. A great bargain for a gourmet meal!
What else can I say? This was a wonderfully unique food experience created by someone who so clearly loves the unlimited possibilities that the world's cuisines represent. I am so glad the Momofuku restaurants are a part of the East Village, and I look forward to trying all the wonderful creations they have yet to make!
Damn.. I don't know what to say about this place.. I mean. Yeah..its hyped up chinese food.. So what?
Maybe it was the 1hr wait to get in... or maybe they lace their food with MSG and crack.. haha..
Can't lie.. The pork buns were on another level of taste and flavor.. The bun was soft and creamy.. and the pork belly... juicy, and well-seasoned..
This place definitely had the NYC vibe and why did me n wifey actually go back the next day.. (damn.. it was packed at 1230, and it opened at 1200!!)
Remember that Simpsons episode with Homer and the scalding stove?
Touches flame
"Doh!"
Retouches flame
"Doh!!"
(Repeats 46 times)
Replace flame with Momofuku Noodle Bar ramen.
Orders ramen
"Too Salty!"
Reorders ramen
"Still Salty!"
(Repeats 46 times)
When my dinner companion (WWF appetite for greaser MSG Chinese) complains of Momo's sodium issues, you know it's a problem. My tongue also remains numb 17 hours later. Note to D Chang: knock it off!
Lesson learned: Stick with the 4-star $30 prix fixe. Not only did our neighbors' 5 courses look enviously delicious, they were also comped a towering mountain bowl of spicy chicken. "These are the best wings we've ever had.." Did I mention foie was one of their courses? Doh!
We skipped the over-salted noodles and went for the seasonal but questionable $30 prix fixe. But… Read more »
I have heard a lot of hype about Momofuku Noodle Bar, and being a big fan of Ramen, I had to check it out even though I know that it was not a true Ramen place. For those of you who is not aware, Momofuku is a fusion restaurant mixing cuisines of different culture.
My friends and I went last night during a pouring raining, thinking that the wait would be shorter, we still waited 55 minutes. When we saw the menu, we almost walked away. The Momofuku ramen is $16, a jar of pickle is $8 and an orion bear is $16 as well. I bought the same beer at Sun Raise Mart (Japanese supermarket) a few streets away for $2.99!!
We had the pork buns, which was good, but very fatty and a little too much sauce for my tastes. I can see why a lot of people love the bun, but having been to China, Taiwan and HK so many times and tried the original version, I am definitely not impressed. The folks at the next table ordered Ddeokbokee (rice cake with hot sauce), which is a Korean dish. I did not try, but they did not seem to be impressed either.
Then there was the long wait. Our noodles took 45 minutes. I thought it was just us, but for at least 25 minutes, no one on the counter had anything to eat. It is 8 pm and there is a long line for heaven's sake. I even called another ramen place and was about to just pay for the buns and walk away.
The famed noodle (which is supposed to be so good that they put their names with the food) was soy sauce based ramen. The fatty pork that came with the bun is not chyasu pork, but I did not care. The broth, however, was way too salty. The flavor was nothing but soy sauce and salt.
All in all, I am not impressed. There are way too many good ramen places in the city, this is just not worth the money and definitely not worth the wait. I have to say, I will never come again.
The only thing worth getting here is the ramen -- the noodles are perfectly cooked with just the perfect amount of give and tooth. Is it, however, worth the 1000% RDA of sodium that comes with it, the 60 minute wait, the funky smell that permeates your clothes, the headache the next AM from the aforementioned salt, or last but not least the amazingly bitchy hostess??
I say no. And no to the pork buns, too.
Not too bad of a wait, but a party of 3 is surely the suckiest number. I watched with jealousy and growing irritation as group of two after group of two were seated before we were, by dint of their two-ness alone.
The food is awesome. I haven't had buns quite like these before but they were ALL amazing - yeah that's right, we tried the chicken, shiitake, AND the pork. The chicken was the surprising dark horse winner for us - give it a try and tell me the crispy skin isn't something you dream about the rest of the night. I even snuck a bite of the pork bun. Holy fatness.
The other items on the seasonal menu did not disappoint. The rice cakes are incredible, and not at all what I expected - think sticky rice, a little like bibingka for the Filipino folks. The tea-smoked chicken wings are also little fatty bites of goodness. The ramen was supa-tasty too - I'm not sure if this is common knowledge, but it's possible to get chicken instead of pork.
Totally solid joint. I'd love to go back next time I'm in town.
I must describe the joy of Momofuku by explaining the void it has created.
I have a simple palette. If it's good, I eat it. I don't understand this stuff about texture and complimenting flavors. If it's good, I eat it. And I never thought of congee as good. It's what my mom makes for me when I'm sick and don't want to or can't eat anything. Congee was bland, reliable and a duty of the ill stricken child to consume. It was purity for the taste buds, completely devoid of personality, depth or taste. And then Momofuku had to take that away from me. I now have such high standards for congee.
Go to momofuku. Order their congee. Dine cafeteria style, it will force you to say hello to the diners next to you because you'll need them to pass the food down to you. You also get to peek at what they're eating to help you decide what to order next.
I ordered the fixed price menu with specialty items not found on the menu and only available for that day. The hostess recommends it because it 'challenges' the chef's skills. I'm thinking: that's great, the chef's trial and error will be with me, I am a nameless, faceless member of his sample group; and in return I get to pay a neat and tidy price for 4 different dishes. I don't remember what the other three dishes were because the Momofuku congee overcame me.
I'm from Los Angeles. This place came recommended by a few sources as a place thats getting a lot of hype and worth checking out.
COMPLETELY, UTTERLY OVERPRICED.
$16 for the Momofuku Ramen, which was good, but not the best I've had. Wife complained it was too salty.
See Shinsengumi in LA for half the price. Yes, LA and NYC are different, but $16 for ramen is still $16 for ramen.
$9 for 2 steamed pork buns, $4.50 each for something fairly tasty but come on, $4.50 for 3 bites for something you can get elsewhere for 1/4 the cost for the same quality?
All in all, decent food, overpriced. I prefer the more authentic ramen of the west coast.
Took the red-eye from the left coast just to eat here. Not really, but having just eaten the pork buns, I happily would book another flight just to consume them again. Got two seats at the bar right away, tried the delicious soju icee, skipped the ramen which was a mistake (duh), but also enjoyed the garlic noodles. Had the chicken wings and the famous brussel sprouts (I had just seen David Chang make them with Martha on her show), which were both pretty good. Ate the pie crust and sweet potato soft serve, not that impressive, but overall just an amazing NYC dining experience.
Since I couldn't secure a prized seat at Momofuku Ko for the same day, we came to Momofuku Noodle Bar, and obviously was not disappointed.
I had heard of the famed steamed pork buns and could not wait to sink my teeth into some of the rich fatty goodness that would later drip down the side of my mouth.
It was a packed night, and after about a 15 min wait, we secured seats at the bar, in full view of the fireworks that take place in the kitchen. We ordered the Momofuku ramen, the nugget potatoes, and steamed pork buns.
Ramen - noodles were cooked perfectly. Still chewy and flavorful, garnished complimented the broth and noodles. Only complaint was that the broth was a tad bit salty, but nothing to cry over.
Potatoes - decided to give this a shot, and although good and tasty, it's not a must. Diced potatoes, with scallions, chopped bacon, and a poached egg. The potatoes were still a big too big to fully absorb the egg yolk and flavors. If they chopped it up smaller, the dish would be tasiter.
Steamed pork buns - 2 fatty pieces of 3-layered-pork stuffed inside a steamed bun used for peking duck, this piece was quite epic. First bite you crack through the perfectly charred layer of skin, then the thick layer of delicious fat spreads apart like the red sea, giving way to your moses teeth, before cleansing your tastebuds from all the grease with the lean meat, you begin chewing with a greasy smile on your face.
Perfection.
Everybody needs a little KFC.
...Korean Fried Chicken that is.
I had set a reminder in my outlook Calendar for 9:58 AM. Every morning I was reminded me to login to Momofuku's reservation system to fight for 1 of 4 available weeknight reservations for Momo fried chicken - for a MONTH out. My tenacity paid off and I scored a resy 4 weeks out. I had a month to read tweets, blogs and articles about David Chang's now-famous fried chicken dinner. My appetite was sufficiently teased and whetted for a whole month.
Last night was my big momo-effin night. It was time to take on Colonel David Chang. My party of 6 was seated at our reserved table and munched on some of the 7-spice chips. Not long after did our server bring 4 different types of sauces, a bowl of fresh crudites and spices and moo shu pancakes. And then came the most gorgeous plate of fried indiscretions I had ever seen. A huge plate (see photo) of Southern-style and Korean fried chicken was placed in front of me.
This was probably the first time in many, many years that I was excited to get all up in some breasts. Wasting no time, I grabbed a pancake, threw on a bunch of sauces (the hoisin is especially good), fresh herbs and veggies and laid a huge piece of Korean Fried Chicken in there. With one big bite I felt all sorts of wonderful things going on in my oral and pelvic regions. This was love.
Between the 6 of us we managed to eat most (not all) of this gorgeous plate of delicious fried poultry. Consensus was that the Korean recipe was the best but that southern-fried was also very good. Hell, I don't give a shit which one you put in front of me. I will eat all of that tender fried deliciousness at the drop of a dime. Most notable was that though it was fried chicken it was not greasy at ALL and the chicken was moist, tender and fell right off the bone.
The fried chicken dinner, while ridiculously difficult to get a reservation, is totally worth the $100 it costs. So between 6 people, it's like $20 per person with tax and tip for the dinner. I am Josh A and I approve of this message.
Oh Momofuku, I wish you were here in the bay area. We made reservations for the fried chicken meal for lunch and it was oh so good. 2 styles of fried chicken, korean style and regular style. Veggie fixings on the side with 4 different dipping sauces. The 4 of us killed all the korean style fried chicken. By far the best fried chicken i've ever had. The regular style was crispy and juicy, but the flavor was nothing special. We ordered the pork buns as well and it was pretty good.
We were staring at a couple sitting at the bar eating their ramen, and they for sure looked like they were enjoying it. I must come back and try the ramen one day.
Oh yea, Mario Batali walked in with a group and sat at the table next too us. They too ordered the fried chicken meal. C'mon, if Mario Batali is eating that fried chicken, you know it's good!
Best pork buns in the city
The space was beautiful, and the staff was friendly enough. I enjoyed the tasting menu (skate wing was my favorite). I have gripes about the dessert. Pie crust ice cream? Really?
Great stop for a late lunch on Sunday. It was wet and cold and my wife was cravin' some soup.
We started with the soy egg. A bit salty but nonetheless a good start.
Ooops...I forgot that the steamed pork buns come two per serving. I ordered two servings. I ended up eating 2.5 of them. I need to remember that mistake in the future.
Next we received an order of the nugget potatoes. Small white potatoes cut in half with Bento's bacon, scallions and a poached egg in the middle. I added a bit of hot sauce to really put it over the top.
My wife had the Momofuku Ramen. She thought it was "delicious".
It certainly smelled good.
While she was eating her soup I had a culinary first...pig tail. Officially, it was roasted pig tails served with pickled Asian pears. It was fantastic. Not a great deal of meat on the tail but lots of flavor.
Last, we enjoyed a small bowl of the sweet potato/pie crust twist. It was served with toasted marshmallows. Fantastic.
I can't wait to go back.
Wife and I went for lunch on Sunday.
We got there around 12:30 and there was no wait. We sat at the…
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Everything I had in this place was great! I had the pre fixe menu which consisted of tartare meat, raw scallops, noodle in miso soup, sirloin steak, and ice cream as dessert.
First off, I have a hard time eating raw foods. But eating the tartare and scallops was an exquisite experience. The tartare came in a bite size shape in a chinese soup spoon. It had the right amount of saltiness that awakened your taste buds.
I then had the scallops. Initially, I thought they would come out cooked but it came in sashimi style. The scallop was extremely tender along with a smear of light oils and salts. It also came with this spicy paste on the side which was really good.
The noodles were al dente but I didn't like the miso soup as much. The soup's temperature was warm which I didn't like as much. But it was good nonetheless.
The highlight was the small steak piece that came with a celery puree which was sooo sooo good.
And lastly, the pre fixe came along with a sweet potato and some other flavor ice cream. It had this sweet/salty taste which was different from your regular ice cream. The texture was smooth and it almost reminded me a bit of butterscotch. Really good.
Minus one star because I think the cooks could use a little bit of less salt. I tried my friend's spicy noodles which came with friend ground pork. The meat was really good but salty. We also shared a potato appetizer and, again, they could have used a tad less bit of salt to make the taste just right. After all, you don't want to be bloated by the next day.
It's definitely an experience so I say definitely go try it out.
My lazy ass would never have gotten seated at Momofuku if Arnold and Christel hadn't decided to come to town and planned a chicken dinner. I am glad they did. They should come to NY more often as variety in my eating has decidedly suffered since moving across the continent from their admirably nonstop fooding.
$100 for two kinds of chicken: Korean style and American style. It's a very large platter of chicken. There were eight of us and, even then, three pieces left. The chicken comes with a bowl of ssam, carrots, radish and a few different kinds of sauces (two that looked like they were made with the Korean hot sauce, go chu jang...one with vinegar and one without). I only tried one sauce, the scallion one, as that was the first one I tried and immediately became enamoured of it. Possibly, I could have eaten the whole little container of the scallion sauce all by my lonesome if others weren't there (but then, I would never have bothered to make the effort to reserve the chicken dinner...so there).
As for the ssam concept, I am not sure about that with the fried chicken. I just couldn't get into it. Instead, I used the wrap (not sure if it was rice flour or not) for just the greens with shiso and the scallion sauce. Very refreshing.
Part of the reason why I couldn't get into the chicken ssam is that I like to just eat the fried chicken with my hand right off the bone and not deal with utensils. Surprisingly, I liked the American version better. The Korean fried chicken wasn't hot enough. But the American version had a great peppery taste...and something else I couldn't place...maybe cumin?
The soy sauce egg was wonderful with the crunchy bits of fleur de sel. The pork buns were a terrific bite, but I had to wonder: $9?! I recommend eating the pork buns with some hot sauce. We also had the ddok buk i. I like the roasting concept for the rice cakes...but again, not hot enough for my Korean palate that's used to having the zing hit the tongue right away.
While I like some subtle with my French food...not with my Korean food. My Korean palate is all about the peasant stuff. I am a pochangmacha girl who likes the dduk bok i with strips of fish cake, some odang soup, and a little styrofoam plate of soondae. In other words, this might be the perfect meal for someone who's not as much off a peasant as me.
4 stars for the fried chicken dinner.
I'd been here ages ago for the ramen. I never had a reason to come back - the noodles were like the store bought noodles that you buy in a huge red/white box at the Chinese store. Texture was lacking. Sure, the pork buns are good but they have it at the Ssam Bar and Milk Bar which I frequent much more often.
My friend got a res at 10pm on a weekday for the fried chicken dinner. The food came pretty quickly. Some fresh, raw veggies and sauces. I started with the Southern Style chicken. Omg I have never seen such huge breast pieces or ever had such succulent chicken breast. I wrapped them in the mooshu wraps with some dark sauce as if it was Peking duck. The Korean was less spicy than I expected. Both were good. I was afraid that the Korean would ruin my tastebuds but it didn't. As with most Momofuku dishes, it was pretty salty. You can have up to 8 people - we had 6 and we were all stuffed. I would come again in a month or so after I recover from eating AYCE Bon Chon at Boka and Momofuku in the same week.
Oh, and if you're going to the fried chicken dinner, please make sure you come here and not the Ssam Bar, like I did.
But soft! What taste through yonder my tongue tastes?
It is the ramen, and David Chang is the sun.
Arise, fair noodles, and kill the envious pork buns,
Who are already sick and pale with grief,
That thou her chicken wings art far more fair than she:
Be not her nugget potatoes, since she is envious;
Her pear salad is but delicious and green
And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.
It is my ramen, O, it is my love!
O, that she knew she were!
She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?
Her braised pork discourses; I will answer it.
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:
Two of the the most delicious stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.
What if her pork shoulders were there, they in her head?
The brightness of her noodles would shame those stars,
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright
That birds would sing and think it were not night.
See, how she leans her poached egg upon her ramen!
O, that I were a chopstick upon those noodles,
That I might touch that ramen!
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