Momofuku Noodle Bar (2004–2009)

[kathryn]

I actually didn't like the sweetness of the current rice cakes dish that much -- didn't dislike it, it was just kind of "there" for me.

But I heartily second spaetzle's recommendations of the arctic char, the fluke, the smoked duck breast, the tongue, and fried sweetbreads. If you've never had the steamed buns, they are also a must, but note that they come 2 to an order, and more filling than many of the other dishes. The steak is also great, and I loved the kimchi butter and creamed greens. Last time I was there, I believe my group of 3 only ordered one item from the right column of the menu (the mains), and no ramen whatsoever. No ramen! If your friends want ramen, let them get ramen, but I would try to dissuade them.

For the octopus dish, it's good but I prefer the squid salad at Ssam Bar more. Same for the Noodle Bar's asparagus vs. Ssam Bar's asparagus. Love the miso butter in Ssam Bar's version. The fried chicken is good (it's not battered and fried like normal American style fried chicken) but not as great as the steak.

[weinoo]

But I heartily second spaetzle's recommendations of the arctic char...

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Interestingly enough, that was our fourth dish and I didn't like it as much as I might have - loved the accompaniments, (if I recall - dilled tofu and rye "crisps"), but thought the char itself was the weak link in the dish.

[Fat Guy]

I happen to love the arctic char but I know enough to know that not everybody will love this dish. Well, there's going to be someone out there who won't like any given dish, but I think the idea when making recommendations to first timers is to come up with the short list of dishes that people are most likely going to love. Well, we have to define our audience: we're not always talking about dishes that will be pleasing to the general population (though the pork buns probably would be anyway); we're talking about food-knowledgeable people who are serious enough to discuss the matter online.

So, I still think the pork buns and pickles are must-orders.

If I had the authority to do so I'd overrule spaetzle_maker on the chicken. Not only do I think it's a great dish, and not only have I successfully used it to deflower several Momofuku virgins, but also I think it speaks loudly to what Momofuku is about: an amazing ingredient flawlessly prepared at a level higher than what even fancy restaurants are doing; bold flavors that nonetheless let the ingredient shine; an effortless casualness barely masking the underlying culinary virtuosity at play; a crowd-pleaser for a very high-level crowd.

For the same reason I'd include the fluke on the short list but not the char. Even though I personally might like the char better, I have more confidence in the fluke.

Prawns and grits are also a must-include. For most groups of two, we're already done now.

The steak, which I love, is so weighty I'd only recommend it for a group of 4+. Ditto the kimchi stew. Same with the sweetbreads. The dish is amazing, but that's a lot of sweetbreads.

[spaetzle_maker]

If I had the authority to do so I'd overrule spaetzle_maker on the chicken.

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you don't have the authority. The point is, I'm expressing my opinion - things that I like about a dish, things that I don't like about a dish. You can't "overrule" an opinion, because an opinion is not a statement of fact.

Edited June 22, 2008 by spaetzle_maker (log)

[Nathan]

there's an awesome dish (for like $12!!!!!) of mackerel over fried cauliflower and kimchee (kind of similar to Manchurian Cauliflower) on the menu right now.

also a fan of the beef tips with kimchee butter over creamed spinach.

[weinoo]

Last night at an early dinner (though they were fairly slammed) , we had our first semi-disappointing meal in a long time.

Service was discombobulated, if that's a word. Openers were fine, the chicken wings as always and the great Spanish mackerel dish, as Nathan described above. But the chilled somen dish was just a mess, noodles too cooked, fairly lacking flavor, hastily tossed together and not a lot of love going into this dish. It just needs more.

The special was a slab of baby backs, grilled, and served alongside were potato salad (fine) and 3 slices of pickled corn - which we've had before. My problem was with the ribs - served in 4 rib portions (2 on my plate) these are fairly impossible to eat without at least a knife to slice them - I suppose I could have asked for one. But I don't know that the treatment they're given adds anything to this heritage pork - at $30, I just kinda expected more...doesn't mean I wont be back 100 more times, but thought I'd share.

[Fat Guy]

I recently had three of the best dishes I've ever had at Noodle Bar:

- Eckerton Hill Farms heirloom cherry tomatoes with candied bacon, cucumber, thinly sliced onion and lettuce. Basically a BLT in a bowl but without mayo or bread. The candied bacon -- made by rendering bacon down to crispy chunks then sprinkling sugar on them while they're still cooking in the skillet -- was amazing, as were all the components.

- Roasted wild striped bass with beet jus, plums and pickled shisito. This is a gorgeous piece of bass in a deep red pool of beet jus. (This dish was comped.)

- A special of spare ribs from Bev Eggleston, with grilled donut peach chunks and a Momofuku riff on coleslaw. The high quality of the pork was evident despite long cooking and finishing on the grill with a sauce. Just about the best ribs I've ever tasted. A fine marriage with the "Cane and Ebel" red rye ale from Two Brothers.

[weinoo]

- A special of spare ribs from Bev Eggleston, with grilled donut peach chunks and a Momofuku riff on coleslaw. The high quality of the pork was evident despite long cooking and finishing on the grill with a sauce. Just about the best ribs I've ever tasted.

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Boy, they must've really changed the prep since mid-July when I had the ribs, which were not on my top ten at all.

[Sneakeater]

I went in for the ribs last night and they sent me to Ko instead.

Oh well.

(My waitress at Ko, when I told her how I came to end up there, said that she'd had the ribs the night before, and they were the best she'd ever had, too. "Go back soon for the ribs," she directed. "And don't let them send you here instead.")

[Andrew Fenton]

I'd never been to any of the Momofukus, so I was excited to have lunch at Momofuku Noodle on Friday, where I treated myself to a three-course porkstravaganza.

I started with the pork buns, which are as good as everybody says: it's a dish in which the quality of ingredients really shines.

That was even more true with the cherry tomato and candied bacon salad: simple and really extraordinary.

I was disappointed, however, by the rolled pork belly ramen. The pork itself was amazing, as good as I've ever had. It's both crispy and melting at once, just what you imagine when you think of good pork belly. But the rest of the dish fell flat: a greasy pork broth, supposedly with egg drops (but really just disintegrated egg) and noodles that were really only so-so. I think it'd be significantly improved if they just served the pork by itself, maybe with some vegetables.

[weinoo]

I'd never been to any of the Momofukus, so I was excited to have lunch at Momofuku Noodle on Friday, where I treated myself to a three-course porkstravaganza.

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Wish I had know, Andrew, as I had lunch there on Friday as well. An interesting note was that I'd never even seen more than 1/2 the cooks that were working there. The chef working the passe was definitely a veteran, but the bun person was a total newbie, as chef was watching her and showing her how to slather the buns with hoisin.

As the Momo empire expands and grows, it'll be interesting to see what happens to the quality and consistency of the food (as well as the creativity of new dishes).

[Fat Guy]

I think it'd be significantly improved if they just served the pork by itself, maybe with some vegetables.

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I haven't had a noodle dish at Noodle Bar in a long time for two reasons: 1- they're too filling, so they take away from my ability to order other stuff, and 2- what Andrew says (the soup and noodles themselves are mediocre; I just eat the other stuff, which is excellent). So maybe I'd modify Andrew's statement to say Noodle Bar would be significantly improved by eliminating noodle soups from the menu, just as Ssam Bar has been improved by marginalizing the ssam concept.

[weinoo]

I think it'd be significantly improved if they just served the pork by itself, maybe with some vegetables.

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I haven't had a noodle dish at Noodle Bar in a long time for two reasons: 1- they're too filling, so they take away from my ability to order other stuff, and 2- what Andrew says (the soup and noodles themselves are mediocre; I just eat the other stuff, which is excellent). So maybe I'd modify Andrew's statement to say Noodle Bar would be significantly improved by eliminating noodle soups from the menu, just as Ssam Bar has been improved by marginalizing the ssam concept.

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I had ramen (chicken) for lunch Friday and found the noodles on that day to be really good, but that's not always the case. I think the broth is, and pretty much always has been, too salty. But, I just basically think of the broth as a vehicle to flavor the noodles on the way to my mouth. I usually leave most of the actual broth in the bowl, while devouring everything else in same.

[BryanZ]

Was at Noodle last night for my first large meal here in a while. Usually, I go to Ssam for big meals and Noodle to snack. The place continues to run like a well-oiled machine. As a party of three that ordered multiple courses we were sitting for just under an hour. The people who get buns and ramen are out in 30 minutes. For all the attitude the staff sometimes shows, you can't say they're not efficient.

Chicken wings were as tasty as ever but less crisped on the grill than on previous visits. A minor quibble. The smoked duck salad--actually the first time I've had this dish--was probably my favorite of the night. It's laudable how they get the smoke to permeate the dish and cancel out any of the gaminess that some people find offensive with cold duck. Our final small plate was the much-lauded heirloom tomato salad with candied bacon. This was a very good dish but one, like the strawberry shortcake at Ssam, that depends heavily on the quality of the raw produce. The tomatoes on this salad were good but not bursting with that sweet, salty, acidic overload that is the mark of the best tomatoes. I'd say these were average farmers'-market-in-August quality.

In general the menu last night seemed more abbreviated than I've seen it in the past. There was, however, a new special, a take on lobster ravioli. This was chunks of lobster wrapped in a chili pasta sheet, served with tarragon and a creamy corn sauce. I also got some sweet-sour notes in this dish. I thought it was very good but very expensive at $34. At $28 I'd definitely order it again but not above the $30 plateau. The portion is large enough so that four people could share it and have a couple bites each, so it's not small, but it wasn't a mindblowing dish. To be honest, I could see this dish being scaled down and served at Ko, as it's already quite similar in composition to the snail pasta dish that's been served there.

Other mains included the fried chicken--great and something I'll try to duplicate at home--and the kimchi stew. The stew is a hearty dish but some of the shredded meat was a bit dry in places. Not offensively so, it just felt incongruous with the rest of the moist, unctuousness of the dish.

Couple of ice creams for dessert and all was good. Spent just shy of $60/person with one glass of wine, one sesame horchata, and one lychee soda.

Very, very solid meal. I continue to really like this place. I don't think it's better or worse than Ssam, just heartier.

Edited August 13, 2008 by BryanZ (log)

[weinoo]

Lunch today brought a bit of a surprise, as the menu seems to have been trimmed down even more, literally and figuratively. There are still 6 noodle dishes, six small plates (including oysters, pickles, buns, and the wings) and 3 dishes in the Etc. column.

Shrimp with grits is gone, as are the fried sweetbreads, and I may cry. FWIW, the roasted sea scallops over corn pudding that I had was a standout, albeit a healthier, not quite as decadent dish. And the chicken prep for the chicken ramen looks different...2 inch or so squares of pressed chicken (as opposed to the shredded chicken) are thrown onto the hot-top before being placed in the soup - getting a nice crispy char and smoky flavor on these intriguing blocks of meat.

Whatever - what we had food wise was as good as ever - pickles, buns, a ramen dish and the aforementioned scallops, and since the flavors they were offering on the soft serve weren't calling us, we stopped by Il Lab on the way home instead.

A little probing led me to find out that they are "tweaking" the concept a little bit, and that everyone's going to be really happy. And flipping the menu over you can see that there are 18 beers on it, broken down into categories like Stouts & Specialty Brews, Wheats, Ales, Lagers, etc. And there's a separate wine/sake list.

So what I'm wondering is if Momofuku Noodle Bar is looking to focus more on the Bar part, offering some some great, unique food to go along with a nice, eclectic beer and wine list? Certainly more profit in that. And maybe even a more easily replicated concept. But, I'd keep the sweetbreads...that's some good drinking food, Mr. Chang.

[spaetzle_maker]

I'm curious about what's going on too. I remember Kevin telling me that they were definitely going to be shaking things up in the menu - I wasn't sure when that was supposed to happen, but from the size of the menu, it seems that it'll probably be soon? Something about homemade rice cakes and pasta amongst some other things? I didn't get the feeling that they were going to be more of a bar with snacks though... I think that the food is just going to be a lot different.

I agree about those scallops - really delicious.

[flinflon28]

Ate there tonight and was about to post the same thing about the abbreviated menu but see you all beat me to it.

Kimchi stew was as good as ever. Some older couples near us ordered the scallops and while they seemed to enjoy it they were vocal about it being too small.

For the price ($18) it looked about right...MAYBE borderline on the smaller side but that's am guessing the ingrdients are top notch

[weinoo]

Ate there tonight and was about to post the same thing about the abbreviated menu but see you all beat me to it.

Kimchi stew was as good as ever.  Some older couples near us ordered the scallops and while they seemed to enjoy it they were vocal about it being too small.

For the price ($18) it looked about right...MAYBE borderline on the smaller side but that's am guessing the ingrdients are top notch

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Funny you say that about the scallops, as we were told by the person who took our order that it was a bit on the smallish side, so we shouldn't be surprised to see only 2 scallops. Which is actually perfect, because it lets you try a few other things...when I want a full plateful of diver scallops, I'll go to the farmer's market, buy them, and cook them myself, but in a restaurant, 2 or 3 big ones is just fine.

And spaetzle, I guess I don't really think it's going to be a bar, but they sure have expanded their beverage offerings over time.

And don't you agree - bring back the sweetbreads, please... !

[Fat Guy]

Maybe they're just using Labor Day weekend to implement a new menu, and taking care not to waste inventory at a time when business will be slow. The abbreviated menu is a time-honored Momofuku technique for keeping a restaurant open when demand is limited.

[weinoo]

Maybe they're just using Labor Day weekend to implement a new menu, and taking care not to waste inventory at a time when business will be slow. The abbreviated menu is a time-honored Momofuku technique for keeping a restaurant open when demand is limited.

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As well as to train what appeared to me to be a bunch of new-ish cooks...though it was far from slow at 2:30 on Friday afternoon.

[flinflon28]

Maybe they're just using Labor Day weekend to implement a new menu, and taking care not to waste inventory at a time when business will be slow. The abbreviated menu is a time-honored Momofuku technique for keeping a restaurant open when demand is limited.

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As well as to train what appeared to me to be a bunch of new-ish cooks...though it was far from slow at 2:30 on Friday afternoon.

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We got there about 7:45 and it was almost full but we got a seat right away....by 8:45 or so...CHAOS and a line out the door.

[weinoo]

Maybe they're just using Labor Day weekend to implement a new menu, and taking care not to waste inventory at a time when business will be slow. The abbreviated menu is a time-honored Momofuku technique for keeping a restaurant open when demand is limited.

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As well as to train what appeared to me to be a bunch of new-ish cooks...though it was far from slow at 2:30 on Friday afternoon.

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We got there about 7:45 and it was almost full but we got a seat right away....by 8:45 or so...CHAOS and a line out the door.

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Yes, I think this restaurant, along with any number of others, doesn't suffer from limited demand, no matter the day of the week, a holiday weekend, bad weather, or whatever.

They may suffer from limited experienced cooks on hand, however.

[Fat Guy]

Noodle Bar is open for 11-12 hours a day and demand has to be measured over the whole time. Ssam Bar is "always busy" but has on occasion had to limit or suspend late-night food service.

[weinoo]

Noodle Bar is open for 11-12 hours a day and demand has to be measured over the whole time. Ssam Bar is "always busy" but has on occasion had to limit or suspend late-night food service.

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As stated above, I believe the demand to be as strong this Labor Day weekend, if not stronger than any other holiday or regular weekend, based on both casual observation (i.e. when strolling by) and by eating there - this weekend. Late this past Friday afternoon...which is normally not a busy time, based on my actual experience, it was actually a bit of a frenzy.

If anything, there are more tourists and other non city based dwellers in the city, some of whom are probably dying to eat at Momo*** - whatever, based on the voluminous amount of publicity they've read & seen about Chang, Inc.

[spaetzle_maker]

And don't you agree - bring back the sweetbreads, please... !

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Definitely! Definitely! I feel like I caught onto those late in the game. They're delicious. Even when I'm not planning to order them, something is amiss in the world when they're not in the menu...