Momofuku Noodle Bar (2004–2009)

[Bond Girl]

I spent months watching this place go up, and now it's finally opened. It's still fairly new, so the menu is kind of limited with mostly Ramen and some selection of seasonal vegetables, pork buns and chicken and eggs. There is also a Daiginjo sake for those wanting alcohol. Along with Minca, this is the latest noodle bar to join the scene previously dominated by Rairaiken and Sobaya. Hey pretty soon there will be enough places for us to start the Ramen Club.

Momofuku

163 First Ave

212-475-7899

[Transparent]

I'm interested. What kind of restaurant is it? Casual? How are the prices?

[Pan]

Soba-Ya of course specializes in soba, though, much more than ramen. I was going to check their menu on menupages.com, but there's no entry for them there. I do believe some ramen selections are available there.

[Bond Girl]

It's very casual. I believe the prices are comparable to all the noodle bars jin the area. The Ramens are $7-9, depending on what you have. And other dishes are in the similar range. The place even does take outs and delivery.

[juuceman]

there's another ramen joint that's just opened up on bowery around third.. what annoys me about this place is that ny magazine published a short piece on it last week.. prior to it's opening.. same thing they did with the dumpling man, over on st. marks.. i'm not against publicity.. i AM against a publication putting out a piece on a place that hasn't opened..

[madziast]

there's another ramen joint that's just opened up on bowery around third.. what annoys me about this place is that ny magazine published a short piece on it last week.. prior to it's opening.. same thing they did with the dumpling man, over on st. marks.. i'm not against publicity.. i AM against a publication putting out a piece on a place that hasn't opened..

the obsession with getting the scoop first...

i understand your frustration completely, my pet peeve is when magazines publish something about a (usually) high profile place that's supposed to be open by the time the mag comes out and write about it as if it were already open and then the places open months later or not at all...

[bpearis]

I went to Momofuku on Friday afternoon and got the Momofuku Ramen which has Berkshire pork,a poached egg, bamboo shoots, that coin-sized white thing with the pink swirl (what is that?) and three big sheets of nori jutting out of the back of the bowl.

First off, the pork was off the hook. You get a nice ammount of shredded shoulder meat plus three slices of the belly. Delicious, as was the just-poached egg that added a luscious touch. The noodles were good but not great, a bit overcooked. But the broth was too salty. It was a case where the first sip was fantastic but as you worked your way down the enormous bowl (seriously enough for two people) you get the sodium overload. The Momofuku ramen is the most expensive thing on the menu at $13; most everything else is ten bucks or less. I got some kimchi as a side (they just call them "spicy pickles") that I thought were excellent. It's not the normal cabbage kimchee, it's cubed daikon and halved pickles.

I will definitely go back, though I probably won't order the Momofuku ramen again unless someone else wants to split it with me. Too big. It's a nice addition to the EV. I'm anxious to try Minca for comparison.

Edited September 7, 2004 by bpearis (log)

[MumonA]

that coin-sized white thing with the pink swirl (what is that?)

It's called naruto, a fish cake made from processed cod, haddock, pollack or other similar mild-fleshed variety. The pink is just food coloring and I'd even say that the main purpose of naruto is the visual effect.

Thanks for the review. Were the noodles egg-based or the more typical plain flour version? And was the broth pork-chicken or something else? That sneaking saltiness is never a good sign though.

Edited September 7, 2004 by MumonA (log)

[bpearis]

Thanks for the review.  Were the noodles egg-based or the more typical plain flour version?  And was the broth pork-chicken or something else?  That sneaking saltiness is never a good sign though.

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I'm not sure about the noodles, but the broth was pork/chicken (I'm told).

[bronihk]

went there a few weeks ago and agree that the pork is wonderful. i also want to point out that you should try the pork 'buns'. they're served sorta taco style (the bun part folded like a taco and stuffed w. that delicious pork). the dough is slightly sweet and the texture just right...soft, a wee sticky, just dense enough. its how i remember the best pork bun ever in SF's chinatown tasting. delicious. and its all very affordable.

[bpearis]

The Underground Gourmet digs Momofuku:

This is Japanese ramen by way of a Carolina whole-hog barbecue, with more than a soupçon of French technique, deriving its super-porky flavor as much from hot, fatty slabs of succulent Berkshire pork belly and deep-pink shredded shoulder as from the long-simmered stock (made from 70 pounds of chicken legs, roasted pork bones, ham hocks, and bacon).

[snausages2000]

The cooking at Momofuku is done under your nose at the noodle bar. Every detail of the kitchen's operation is easily appreciated. Last night, the presentation was wildly inappropriate. The culprit was the restaurant's owner, David Chang.

About two minutes after sitting at my stool, I was distracted from reading the menu as Mr. Chang reprimanded his dishwasher, ordering him to speak-up when he passed through the kitchen, to say more loudly, "Behind!" I felt bad for the dishwasher, whose English was broken, and spoke with little confidence, let alone volume. But, fair enough, in a narrow cooking space the staff needs to be vocal to avoid the danger of collision.

After placing our order, the sole line cook began preparing the ramen. Almost immediately Mr. Chang, a large, physically intimidating guy, began to scold the cook, leaning over his shoulder, ordering him to be more on top of things, more efficient, essentially telling him everything he was doing was wrong. Chang was not yelling, but in such a small space every word was audible. Rattled by the public humiliation, the cook went more and more into a shell, and the more he tensed up, the more Chang rode him. Regardless of whether or not Chang's criticisms were valid (we hadn't noticed anything wrong with what the cook was doing and our food was served within 5 minutes of ordering), he brought his cook to the verge of tears, told him he was going to be fired, and thus made it impossible for me or my girlfriend to enjoy ourselves, or the food, the quality of which, ironically, so concerned Chang.

I respect Chang's obsession with his product, and his CIA and Craft background were evident in the kind of attention-to-detail, always-prepared kitchen philosophy he was dictating, but he demonstrated complete ignorance in one culinary aspect: the customer's experience.

Chewing out a sub-standard cook may be a necessary instructional tool in a kitchen, but when diners are sitting a foot away, and the owner never even acknowledges the situation, or apologizes to the diners for the ugly scene, he is showing utter lack of respect for anyone eating in his restaurant.

We left a bit traumatized, and I was angry at myself for not having said anything to Chang, but then remembered that it'd be better to let you, a potential customer, know.

[gus_tatory]

they have a review for this place at nymetro.com:

review--click here...

it sounds amazing and tasty--read the details about how they make their ramen broth!

[snausages2000]

Gus, that NY Metro review was posted here a week ago. The ramen I was served was solid, as the review heralds, but my experience at Momofuku was awful, as detailed a couple posts ago...

[jogoode]

I've had only positive experiences thusfar at Momofuku. The soups, while much different from the ramen I've had, have been excellent. And that pork! Last time I was there I ordered the Berkshire pork buns, an appetizer. I was a little disappointed when I saw that $7 bought me only two mini pork sandwiches. But they were outstanding little buns, stuffed with good quality pork, pickles, and a sauce reminiscent of hoisin. These were like a superior version of the Peking duck on crustless white bread that I ate as a kid in NJ. (The "buns", I should mention, were made from a dense white bread that I've seen at Chinese restaurants before. I don't know what it's called. A little help, Pan? )

There were a few new appetizers that I wasn't able to try: braised tripe, salt and pepper dayboat sweet shrimp, and another that I can't recall now.

[Brooklyn]

Momofuku is a very special place... the food really is delicious. The fried pork dumplings are the best I have ever had, and the pork buns are something I would travel across town for if a craving struck. I hope the menu here evolves and changes, so there are always new treats to try! I am a loyal follower...

[fauxtarga]

I really enjoy the food at momofuku - any kind of salty broth featuring a poached egg wins my vote. Have to agree though - the ramen is too huge and you can't eat it by yourself if you plan on eating other things. We got two small plates (pork buns and salt shrimp) plus two ramen and beer (for two people) and that was simply overwhelming. I'd rather pay 8 or 9 bucks for a portion that was around 2/3 the size of the momofuku ramen.

I'm doing a blind asian noodle soup broth comparison tonight and Momofuku was happy to provide a quart of their stuff plain for a couple bucks. I have a feeling they are going to come out on top.

[juuceman]

I really enjoy the food at momofuku - any kind of salty broth featuring a poached egg wins my vote. Have to agree though - the ramen is too huge and you can't eat it by yourself if you plan on eating other things. We got two small plates (pork buns and salt shrimp) plus two ramen and beer (for two people) and that was simply overwhelming. I'd rather pay 8 or 9 bucks for a portion that was around 2/3 the size of the momofuku ramen.

I'm doing a blind asian noodle soup broth comparison tonight and Momofuku was happy to provide a quart of their stuff plain for a couple bucks. I have a feeling they are going to come out on top.

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how'd it do??

did you get broth from Minca?? if you appreciate thr thicker brother that Minca makes, i think the winner is an easy call for me..

[fauxtarga]

did you get broth from Minca??  if you appreciate thr thicker brother that Minca makes, i think the winner is an easy call for me..

We really liked the noodle soup bases that had substance to them, like the one at Minca, though we found the Momofuku broth to have a very clean pork-quality to it that we liked. Some of the lighter ones, and ones that had more pronounced bonito flavor we thought might be better in different applications.

This was pretty un-scientific and not rigorous at all - we missed some of the major uptown noodle places (we eat this kind of stuff quite a bit and are just trying to find a place to agree on). I was responsible for Menkuitei, Momofuku, and Minca because they are all convenient for me, and I also got some from that Tokyo La-Men place on University to throw into the mix. So it was pretty unscientific, no numbers or anything, though we did use black coffee mugs.

[greenwich st]

Just tried this place (on the strength of this thread) and had a wonderful lunch. The ramen was okay, but the least impressive part of the meal. What we loved were (really fantastic) ramps with bacon and egg, sauteed pea greens, little fried soft-shell crab sandwiches with hoisin sauce and even the smoky chicken wings -- not normally my favorite chicken part, but the smoke-infusion elevated these. Even my 5-year-old pigged out here. It was fun for her to watch the cooking action from her counter seat, and the service was very child-friendly.

Re Snausages' unpleasant experience: we were aware of the owner training someone in knife skills right behind the counter when we were there. The lesson was quite detailed, insistant, and audible, however, we all agreed after, there was nothing mean or disrespectful about it. (Compared to some behavior I've witnessed in professional kitchens, it was a picture of civility.) So our experience was great, all around.

[larousse]

On momofuko

I love that place. The pork buns are sick! The texture of the bun itself is unreal. The ramen is definately solid but its Daves daily or weekly extras that are show stoppers. Szechwan style crawfish for example.

On the open "scolding" of the diswasher: NOT saying 'behind' or 'back' in a kitchen is just not an option. Everyone there is either playing with knives, hot oil, boiling water or a customers plate. Someone will get hurt if you turn quickly or back up into someone. English speaking or not it's a must and a pet peeve of cooks.

On the reprimand of the cook: Joakin was probably the guy Dave was yelling at and he's basically in charge of the kitchen. He's reseved all the time anyways and getting yelled at in an open kitchen is tame compared to what goes on behind closed doors. He can handle it. It is unfortunate and unprofessional that you had to witness that.

On another note: Momofuko has become a late night hang out for some of the kitchen crews around town particularly the Daniel group.

[gaf]

Restaurant 101 New York City Entry #52

In Adam Platt's list of the 101 Best New York Restaurants 2005 in New York magazine, Momofuku concludes the list. Chef David Chang may well have breathed a sigh of relief that a line cook didn't put a little too much salt in Mr. Platt's ramen. Being #102 counts for nothing (being #97 might be almost as bad).

In truth, finding additional customers is not Momofuku's problem, indeed a few more customers might bring the entire enterprise to its knees. I had called to inquire when the restaurant begins to fill up, knowing that reservations were not accepted. I was told (correctly) that we should arrive by 6:30. By 7:00 the doorway was filled, by 7:30 there were clumps of diners milling outside. And this was a weeknight in January.

In the law of supply and demand, a certain equilibrium should develop. At some point these extra customers should decide that the restaurant - as worthy as the food is - is not worth the hassle, and in time, economists suggest - the number of diners should equal the number of seats, unless some queuing system is launched (read: reservations).

A nouveau noodle bar, Momofuku is translated Lucky Peach, although that the name hints at another expression more widely heard on East Village streets. If some restaurants cater to blue-hairs, this is a restaurant that caters to purple and pink-hairs. We were the most seasoned customers by a generation.

As we ate - and we wanted to eat deliberately to appreciate Chang's serious cuisine - I was awash in guilt, noticing the starving, if trendoid, young masses hungrily eying my seat. Granted Momofuku has been designed as a neighborhood noodle bar, but Chang is too large for his current space.

Momofuku may currently be the best value of any restaurant in New York in its ratio of culinary creativity to cost. If the setting lacks the Orientalist fantasy of Spice Market, the cooking at Momofuku transcends their crosstown rival. Despite the conceit of serving original street-food, Chef Chang is ready for a larger canvas. If Chef Chang is still toiling at Momofuku in five years, we will all be the losers. Perhaps his moment is not here yet, but he should be preparing for his culinary bar mitzvah. He should have no reservations about a restaurant with reservations.

Still, one takes restaurants as one gets them - in the case of Momofuku as a cramped space that makes airline seating seem positively spacious. This is a restaurant that could never hire an overweight server and barely could contain an overweight diner. The setting is striking with white oak walls and tables covered; one feels one is dining in a cross between a submarine and a casket.

We began with sauteed baby tat-choi, a bok-choy relative. It was presented in a miso broth perfumed with garlic, onions, and dried chili pepper. As a vegetarian soup it was exquisite. Sheer, but with a sharp punch of chili. Seemingly modest, it was highly satisfying.

We followed this with Momofuku's signature steamed buns with Berkshire pork. As an artistic creation these pork buns outshown any rival in Chinatown; as a matter of taste, they equal the best that Chinatown could offer. My only complaint was an overgenerous smear of its hoisin-like sauce. However, so satisfying was the construction that a chain of bun vendors wandering city streets would surely increase the sum total of the culinary happiness of New Yorkers.

Through the vagaries of ordering, our three main courses turned out to be more similar than expected - each heavy on salt pork and each built on a poached egg. Had we selected better, the saltiness would have been less noticeable, but it is clear that Chef Chang is having a "fling" with smoked meats. Of the three, the most stellar was Yellow Grits and Ruby Red Shrimp with Bacon, Poached Egg, and Scallions. Chef Chang serves grits that are rather watery by Atlanta standards, something of a breakfast stew - but a dish that can be served throughout the day; it is timeless. Neither Southern nor Asian, these grits are a lucky peach of a dish.

The Aged Country Ham and Masa Cakes with Red-Eye Gravy, Poached Egg, and Scallions, also works within - and against - a Southern breakfast grammar. We were tempted to label this South Korean Cuisine. Country ham with red-eye gravy (coffee with bacon grease) is not to everyone's taste. I love it in small doses, but it worked less well after tasting the bacon and grits, even if the masa cakes (a slightly heavier blini) and scallion supplies a quite inscrutable quality.

We selected the Momofuku ramen - noodles, Berkshire pork belly and shoulder, poached egg, and scallions. I admired the broth, although this seemed the least creative of the three dishes. Ramen are such subtle threads that they can be hard to compare. I found these well-made, but not transfomative, and by this time the pork and egg combo was becoming same old, same old. As comfort food, the Momofuku ramen would cure East Village reveling, but I didn't feel that it amounted to destination dining.

As dessert we ordered Kaffir Angel Food Cupcakes, served with nigori and dried cherry jam (the only dessert offered). The angel food was not as ethereal as some specimens, but the combination was good enough in a restaurant where desserts are an afterthought.

The bill for these dishes (with barley tea, nigori sake, and tip) was $37/person, less than the cost of many lesser Manhattan entrees. What's not to like? Chef Chang is master of his domain. But he deserves a change to fly or fall in a restaurant that tests his mettle to produce dishes that will amaze and transfix - a restaurant with aisles. His deft touch with tat-choy, grits, and pork pork pork suggests a chef whose time may be near.

Like the inspired novelist writing successful genre fiction, Chef Chang must decide his next move. Will we look back on these heady Momofuku days as the crucible of a master or a hint of what might have been? In the culinary countdown is Chef Chang satisfied at 101 - Adam Platt's worst best chef - or does he dream of an electric life among the single digits?

Momofuku Noodle Bar

163 First Avenue (at 10th Street)

Manhattan (East Village)

212-475-7899

My Webpage: Vealcheeks

[AzianBrewer]

I ventured out to this place last week in search of a better bowl of ramen. I ordered a shredded Berkshire pork ramen. The soup was surprisingly bland, ramen is actually soba and surrounded with pulled pork or pernil. The pork buns I ordered were overflowed with hoisin sauce. The sweetness of the hoisin just overpowered the delicacy of "Berkshire".

Yes, the place is trendy and clean but I could have gone to other ramen joints (Rai Rai Ken, Minca and Men Kui Tei) around the EV hood and not buying into the hype.

[Nathan]

I enjoyed it quite a bit...but did think the buns and the saam were slightly too sweet (but then I have no sweet tooth)

[mascarpone]

I agree. This is not a serious ramen place (then again, maybe it was never intended to be a serious ramen place, but rather an EV pan-asian noodle bar. . .).

I ventured out to this place last week in search of a better bowl of ramen.  I ordered a shredded Berkshire pork ramen.  The soup was surprisingly bland, ramen is actually soba and surrounded with pulled pork or pernil.  The pork buns I ordered were overflowed with hoisin sauce.  The sweetness of the hoisin just overpowered the delicacy of "Berkshire".

Yes, the place is trendy and clean but I could have gone to other ramen joints (Rai Rai Ken, Minca and Men Kui Tei) around the EV hood and not buying into the hype.

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Edited January 18, 2006 by mascarpone (log)