So who hasn't heard of the Momofuku brand in New York? Chef David Chang's extremely popular Momofuku Ssam Bar, Milk Bar, and Noodle Bars are well known in the city and out of state. Before coming to New York, most people told me not to waste my time here and that it was overrated. A few people did mention to come here for the buns but nothing else. Let's see if I agree with their reviews.
Dr. Fuku - A really light tasting but strong drink.
($6) BRT buns- crispy pork belly, heirloom tomato, smoked mayo. The BRT bun was pretty good. It's not really outstanding and I don't know if I would come back for it but at the time, it was good.
($10) Steamed buns - pork belly, hoisin, cucumbers, scallions. These were excellent. They're a bit smaller than the BRT bun but Peking duck style buns are so delicious. The pork belly was soft and fatty as it should be and the cucumbers added a nice crunch. Well balanced flavors and texture, I like!
($18) Chanterelles: pickled quail egg, bone marrow, green juniper. This was disappointing. I was excited about all the ingredients but had no idea portion size would be about 2 bites. The contents pictured above fit into a dipping sauce plate but was presented in a pho noodle sized bowl. Although the quail eggs were (pickled?) perfection and the chanterelles were very interesting, I ask, "Where is the bone marrow and where is the rest of the food?"
($17) Pickled P.E.I mussels. Yes, pickled seafood. How interesting. We ordered this because it was new and exotic. It's not too bad but kind of plain. I was expecting a lot more because of the rarity of this find. It's also a bit oily, even after mixing the contents around the jar. It's eaten on slices of bruschetta and is jarred with kohlrabi, wild spinach (which was yummy), and shishito peppers.
($26) Roasted lamb loin and belly with bulgur, snap peas, and egg yolk. We more or less hated this lamb dish. The lamb belly had the consistency of delicious pork belly but the gameyness expected of lamb. The lamb loin, pictured like a steak, is particularly gamey and foul tasting. It's like the closer you get to the crotch area of the animal, the more it starts tasting how you would expect it to smell.
Happy to have tried it. Not happy to have paid the bill. Thinking of what to eat for our second dinner. In summary, everything I was told about Momofuku was right. If you come here, only have the buns and don't bother waiting in line if there is one. It's kinda good but not that good, and way over priced for itty bitty portions. Very much a tourist trap. Darn that David Chang, he tricked me!
I would not have been happy with those portions.
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