By Jonah Turner
I first heard about Momofuku Noodle bar while watching Ugly Delicious, a food show starring David Chang who is a world-renowned restaurant entrepreneur. He is most known for the Noodle bar that he started in 2004.
For Hanukkah, my parents gave me a trip to New York City, the mecca of cultural diversity exemplified via its people, food, art, and music. I quickly created a list of restaurants in NYC that I wanted to visit. At the top of the list: Momofuku Noodle Bar.
Poorly planned, I started looking for a reservation the day prior. Nothing. The restaurant opens at 11:30. We decided to get there at 11 to see if we could get a seat before anyone came. Using google maps, I walked to Columbus Circle where the restaurant is located. To my surprise, it is in a shopping mall. I was a little confused, as it is tucked away in a small corner on the third floor of a building, not the usual location for a well-known NYC restaurant. Luckily, we got there around 11 and were the first in line. Nonetheless, the only seats available were at the counter, which is situated in front of an open kitchen, an interesting and creative feature of the restaurant.
On the opposite side of the restaurant was the bar. Uniquely, above the liquor stood a sign for the specials similar to a train station flipboard showing arrivals and departures.
Before we knew it, the restaurant was completely packed.
The menu consisted of a pamphlet of items for which you mark the desired quantity. This was a unique way to order for a fast casual restaurant with very high quality food. We ordered pork belly buns, garlic chicken ramen, and ginger scallion noodles with shrimp.
Pork Belly Buns
The first thing to come out was the pork belly buns. It contained pork belly, hoisin sauce, scallion, and quick-pickled cucumber. As seen below, it was plated very simply, yet the color contrast of white, pink, brown, and green was very appealing. The pork had a crunchy exterior with a sweet and juicy center. I was very suspicious of the cucumbers. Normally, I am not a big fan of cucumbers, but it just worked. Something about the flavor of the cucumbers paired so well with the pork belly. In addition, they added a nice crunch and cut the sweetness of the hoisin sauce. All of this was placed in a steamed bun. The soft fluffy and crunchy textural contrast was on point. Personally, I thought it was a little too sweet and needed a sharper salt flavor to complement the sweetness.
Garlic Chicken Ramen
The second thing to come out was the garlic chicken ramen. It contained chicken, chicken broth, spinach, scallions, ramen noodles, and a poached egg on top. Similar to the pork buns, the contrast of dull brown to fluorescent green really brightened-up the dish. The boiled chicken and broth was really warm and inviting. It reminded me of my mom’s chicken soup during winter months. Scallions, a major part of many Asian cuisines, went well with the soup. On the other hand, the spinach was raw and really didn’t add anything to the dish. It tasted as though a salad was put on top of the soup. However, the noodles were perfectly cooked and very good. I enjoyed the poached egg on top. Adding an egg to soup is one of my favorite things and I believe it should be done more in other cuisines. Overall, the dish was good, but the spinach was completely unnecessary.
Ginger Scallion Noodles with Shrimp
The third dish was ginger scallion noodles with shrimp. It contained cucumbers, pickled shiitake mushrooms, wakame, ginger, scallions, ramen noodles, and a shrimp cake. When the noodles first came out, I realized I had forgotten to add the chicken broth. I also noticed that it was plated with everything separated. I had thought the shrimp were going to be whole but as it turns out, they were cut up and cooked into a cake. The shrimp cake was not that good and very oily. In addition, the noodles were very oily as well. This felt very unbalanced and overpowering. Luckily, cucumbers were there to, again, save the day. Surprisingly, the cucumbers, in addition to the other vegetables, brightened the overall flavor of the dish and gave it a natural taste. Still, the dish was very oily and made me a bit nauseous. I would not order it again unless I added broth.
Horchata Ice Cream
For dessert we ordered the Horchata ice cream. The dish was based on a Mexican rice drink known as Horchata. The ice cream contained classic vanilla ice cream, toasted pumpkin, sunflower, and white and black sesame seeds. It was dusted with cinnamon, sugar, and salt. First of all, you can never go wrong with vanilla and cinnamon. Second, it was fantastic! The seeds gave the ice cream a great texture and flavor. There was a natural crunch similar to sprinkles. What a great idea. I would definitely get this next time.
Shit That Doesn’t Really Matter
The service was really fast and the staff were well mannered. We were immediately asked about allergies. The glassed were quickly filled with water without asking and the servers were quite educated about the dishes. It was definitely fast casual dining and would be a great place to stop by for lunch. A solid 7/10.
Comentarios