Momofuku Noodle Bar (2004–2009)

[weinoo]

Had lunch yesterday at the new Noodle Bar.

A: Food was as good as ever - brussels w/bacon, roasted rice cakes, pork buns, fried sweetbreads, pickles, and the NEW soft serve ice cream were all A-1.

B: Place was slammed - I mean slammed, from when we got there (20 minute wait) at 1:45, until we left at around 3:30.

C: Damn, they have a lot of cooks working there. And a huge line compared to the old Noodle Bar.

[kathryn]

Please describe the new soft serve ice cream!

[weinoo]

Well, they had two flavors - espresso and cream, I believe...I shared a cone with my wife. So, you can order one flavor or a twist - comes out of a classic soft-serve machine. The ice cream was delicious - perfectly smooth and creamy, not too sweet. And, in the bottom of the cone, is a little brownie - what a treat. Next time, I get my own, but I was trying to be good after putting away all that food.

[Greystreet]

Somebody start taking some pictures, I want to see.

[spaetzle_maker]

I went on opening night. At least 11 cooks in the kitchen, and they were all moving around comfortably. The place is beautiful, the kitchen is so shiny and new The menu was the same (except for the addition of the soft serve) and the quality of the cooking was as great as it always is.

[donbert]

Somebody start taking some pictures, I want to see.

ask and ye shall receive:

(or were you asking for pictures of the interior?)

Edited November 12, 2007 by donbert (log)

[Greystreet]

(or were you asking for pictures of the interior?)

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Food. Just food. I need my food porn!

[donbert]

New soft-serve flavors: Pumpkin and Cream Cheese

New crumble: Carrot Cake

[flinflon28]

Went on Saturday at 5:00 and noticed they didn't open till 5:30. Came back a 5:29 and the line was a half a block long. We were able to get in as soon as they opened the doors.

For being slammed so quickly and it was obvious that it wasn't going to slow down service was very friendly and helpful.

We both had the kimchee stew and the dish hasn't missed a step from the last location. I almost wish they would take it off the menu so I can finally order something else but as long as it's there I will always order it.

Ice cream was delicious.

Pumpkin flavor.

[HOLLY_L]

I had lunch here today (rather than Ssam Bar, thanks to the wise advice in the Ssam Bar thread re the abbreviated lunch menu there). As a data point, it was a Saturday, and I got there sometime between 12:30 and 1:00. I was a single diner and was seated right away. While I was there, there were often a few people waiting, but never the same people for very long.

I was seated at the bar near the front, and I did notice a (single) seat open up at the bar in the back where you can see the kitchen. I asked one of the waiters if I could switch, and he said he would check, but in the interim, my first dish came and I started eating, and no one ever came to tell me whether I could move, and eventually there was someone else seated there. (Once my food came, I was pretty focused on that!)

I told the waiter that I had never eaten there and was open to suggestion, but that I was thinking of the sweetbreads. He said they were very good, but deep-fried and rich for one person, but I went ahead with the order anyway. I said I was also thinking about the spicy tripe, but I was hesitating a bit, so he suggested he would put in the sweetbreads order, and then I could decide if I wanted more.

The sweetbreads were indeed very good and very rich, but somehow I struggled through to finish them. They came with a sweet chili sauce, which was nice as well.

After I finished, I decided I did have room to try the tripe. It was pretty spicy (a bit spicier than I expected after reading that some of the dishes at Ssam Bar were labeled spicy, but were not). I liked the spice level (i.e, it was not too high), although it was spicy enough to make my nose run. The waiter offered some rice with it, which helped cut the spiciness a bit. The dish was very flavorful.

Unfortunately, that was all I could handle, so I was not able to taste either the ice cream or any of the other dishes I was considering. E-gulleters, thanks for your advice as always!

Edited to add: Also, the server asked whether I didn't want to order one of the ramen dishes, but I pooh-poohed that notion thanks to all your advice. I'm glad, because I wouldn't want to have filled up on noodles.

Edited December 15, 2007 by HOLLY_L (log)

[weinoo]

Lunch today and got to try the great, new(ish) smoked duck breast salad...with a quince chutney and sour cream with cinnamon - a slightly strange sounding combo, but it worked. There's also a noodle dish with the braised duck leg that we did not have - this time. Place was packed, even at 3.

[OliverN]

Just hit up the new momofuku today, and had the steamed shitake buns (I know the pork ones are to die for, but I wanted to branch out a little) and they were AMAZING. Does anybody have any idea what goes in these things? Is it just the hoisin sauce that's the secret ingredient or is there something else???

[Nathan]

that smoked duck breast dish is amazing. really the epitome of a Momofuku dish. it just works.

the smoked whitefish was blah.

I love baby bok choy and I love bacon. there's a dish combining both, plus ricecakes...what could be the problem? unbelievably, it was boring. the broth needed kick...maybe even just a healthy dose of sriracha.

duck confit with grits was very good. hearty and simple. not a fan of grits but these were well-seasoned.

off-menu special of foie over bitter greens with lychee was an excellent dish. simple in conception, well executed. good ingredients.

[spaetzle_maker]

that smoked duck breast dish is amazing.  really the epitome of a Momofuku dish.  it just works.

the smoked whitefish was blah.

I love baby bok choy and I love bacon.  there's a dish combining both, plus ricecakes...what could be the problem?  unbelievably, it was boring.  the broth needed kick...maybe even just a healthy dose of sriracha.

duck confit with grits was very good.  hearty and simple.  not a fan of grits but these were well-seasoned.

off-menu special of foie over bitter greens with lychee was an excellent dish. simple in conception, well executed.  good ingredients.

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Why didn't you add some sriracha to the bok choy? There are small squeeze tubes full of it all over the restaurant. It could just be some variance in the kitchen but when I had it the other day the broth was perfect: not too salty, not too sweet, just very flavorful.

Also, are you sure the duck confit was with grits? I've had it twice and unless they've changed the dish in the past day, it's a very loosely scrambled egg. Almost like a savory zabaglione. It does kind of look like grits. A little bit more yellow though.

Edited February 22, 2008 by spaetzle_maker (log)

[Nathan]

confit was served with Anson Mills grits. no egg.

no sriracha bottle at my table.

[spaetzle_maker]

confit was served with Anson Mills grits.  no egg.

no sriracha bottle at my table.

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That's funny - I went on Wednesday and it was eggs. guess they changed it.

[Nathan]

confit was served with Anson Mills grits.  no egg.

no sriracha bottle at my table.

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That's funny - I went on Wednesday and it was eggs. guess they changed it.

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I was there on Wednesday! and it even says grits on the menu....

[spaetzle_maker]

What? Are you kidding?! Maybe I was there on Tuesday?

Edit to add: I didn't really look closely at the menu - I saw duck confit and ordered. The first time I had this dish a few weeks ago, it was definitely egg. The dish that I had the other night was so similar, the only difference was that the "egg" part was less foamy than the first time and, um, a little bit more gritty. I thought that maybe it waited at the pass a few seconds too long and the "egg" had deflated, but you may have explained the reason why the texture was different.

Anyway, the first time I had the dish, it had a fois vinaigrette. That may have been what the seasoning was that made you like the gritty egg.

Edited February 22, 2008 by spaetzle_maker (log)

[alwang]

What?  Are you kidding?!  Maybe I was there on Tuesday?

Edit to add:  I didn't really look closely at the menu - I saw duck confit and ordered.  The first time I had this dish a few weeks ago, it was definitely egg.  The dish that I had the other night was so similar, the only difference was that the "egg" part was less foamy than the first time and, um, a little bit more gritty.  I thought that maybe it waited at the pass a few seconds too long and the "egg" had deflated, but you may have explained the reason why the texture was different. 

Anyway, the first time I had the dish, it had a fois vinaigrette.  That may have been what the seasoning was that made you like the gritty egg. 

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I was there last night, and this time, the duck confit was definitely paired with egg on the menu. The grits were paired with the roast quail. Perhaps they're just juggling these around.

[spaetzle_maker]

What?  Are you kidding?!  Maybe I was there on Tuesday?

Edit to add:  I didn't really look closely at the menu - I saw duck confit and ordered.  The first time I had this dish a few weeks ago, it was definitely egg.  The dish that I had the other night was so similar, the only difference was that the "egg" part was less foamy than the first time and, um, a little bit more gritty.  I thought that maybe it waited at the pass a few seconds too long and the "egg" had deflated, but you may have explained the reason why the texture was different. 

Anyway, the first time I had the dish, it had a fois vinaigrette.  That may have been what the seasoning was that made you like the gritty egg. 

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I was there last night, and this time, the duck confit was definitely paired with egg on the menu. The grits were paired with the roast quail. Perhaps they're just juggling these around.

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Maybe. When I was there, the woman sitting next to me had the quail and the fact that it was served with grits was plain as day.

The texture of what I had the other day was a little bit different from what I had the first time, but only to a minor degree and not enough for me to double check the menu- I thought it either deflated slightly or that the curds were just a little bit more pronounced. In terms of taste, the duck confit was very dominant when compared with other components of the dish. I love duck.

[Nathan]

I'm an idiot. I think I had the quail.

[spaetzle_maker]

I'm an idiot.  I think I had the quail.

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Now that is funny! Your insistance that it said grits on the menu had me totally doubting myself! Now I'm just going to have to fight you more vehemently in the future, Nathan!! Lesson learned!

[adamru]

I have to say I've only been to Ko once and my dining at Ssam has been sporadic at best so I never get to enjoy the perks I read about in these forums of being a loyal Momofuku customer or attest to a superior level of service.

But last night after a few drinks at Terroir (and because I eat dessert before dinner, unexpectedly good chocolate pudding) I didn't feel like venturing so far in the rain and made my first visit to Noodle Bar. Prime-time, 830, I was told it was only a twenty-five minute wait which seemed too good to be true so I stood outside with my date, going back in to check when a host stopped coming outside to call names. I was moving up the list so I moved inside, learned I was next, then every time I turned my back another party was seated. The hostess consistently overlooked my name on her list and it got to the point where I stood right beside her and the other hostess started seating parties of two. I pointed this out to the first hostess who asked again what my name was who now told me she already seated me a few parties back, or at least she thought she did. It was just bizarre more than frustrating I think.

Still I hoped it would be worth the wait. And once seated it was. The manager offered and comped us rounds of sake, a plate of pickled vegetables and our cannoli-pistachio cones. I assume it's that same behavior frequent diners receive for their loyalty, but as a first-timer and after the frustration I have to admit, it certainly breeds loyalty too.

[Mazzer]

I'm a Ssam Bar guy, but I've been slipping into Noodle Bar lately. I'd previously only been once, in the old space. Had some ramen and liked it, but once Ssam Bar opened I never went back until recently.

I have to say, I've been really impressed. Noodle Bar holds up really well to Ssam Bar, which I wasn't expecting. The flatiron steak with miso butter, at $20, seemed like an indulgence at first, but turned out to be a bargain. One of the best steaks I've had in a long time.

[Fat Guy]

Ever since the first time we did back-to-back comparisons of Ssam Bar and Noodle Bar, my wife has been of the opinion that Noodle Bar is the better restaurant. I think that position grows more compelling with each passing day.

My take is that Ssam Bar peaked some time this past summer or fall. I have enjoyed my last several meals at Ssam Bar a bit less than the best meals I've had there, in part because the service has slipped, in part because the kitchen has been less consistently excellent at execution, and in part because I keep seeing new preparations that aren't as good as the old preparations (something one has to expect in the name of innovation, but it seems to be happening more lately).

Meanwhile, Noodle Bar has steadily improved and, in its new location, has taken a substantial step forward. The big, beautiful kitchen has raised the standard of execution and the cooks' abilities to be ambitious. And service at Noodle Bar today is very engaging and informed -- reminiscent of the way Ssam Bar service was when I fell in love with the place (whereas lately I've found it to border on inattentive).

The overall style of food at Noodle Bar is more rustic than at Ssam Bar -- I guess I'd say the center of gravity is more rustic -- however if you examine the full range then much of the cooking at Noodle Bar reveals itself as being fully as sophisticated as the best cooking at Ssam Bar.

Tonight, for example, we tried the cured Arctic char with dill tofu and rye "flatbread." This is a whimsical, haute take on lox with cream cheese, or maybe smoked salmon with Russian-style black bread. The thin slices of Arctic char are lox-like in appearance, except they have the beautiful orange-ish color of char rather than the deep pink of smoked salmon. The whipped tofu with dill is a vivid avocado green. And the rye "flatbreads" are more like bread puffs. I thought it was a visually arresting presentation, and more importantly it was delicious.

It had been awhile since I had the grits at Noodle Bar. The current preparation comes with two huge Mayan prawns, an egg and country ham. It's a triumph. The friends we had with us are food people from the South (one of them a chef), and they were shocked -- they wouldn't come right out and say the grits preparation they were eating in New York City was better than any they'd encountered in the South, but it was clearly what they were thinking.

The sweetbreads with sweet chili sauce are abundant and irresistible. The kimchi stew is just an amazing dish, one I could repeat frequently (some people do -- apparently there's a customer who has it several times a week). The steamed buns with shiitakes are so good it's almost tempting to order them instead of the pork buns. But ordering both works too. The pickles are great (though as I pointed out on another topic the pickle plate at Kampuchea is, I think, even better).

The current ice cream is Cracker Jack, but they'd run out. Somebody else please taste it and report back.

Given the way the trend has been playing out, I can't help but think that Noodle Bar is still improving -- that its cooks have even more up their sleeves. I'm going to be keeping a closer eye on Noodle Bar because I think I'll be choosing it over Ssam Bar more than I have in the past.