I had lunch with my friend and colleague Sarah at Momofuku on 3-22-2017. The food was good, the space was open and airy, and the waiter was super nice.
Atmosphere: 4 out of 5
Food & Drink: 4 out of 5
When I arrived a little before noon we were one of the first tables, but it filled quickly. However the soaring ceilings and well spaced tables meant it never felt cramped. The decor had a very minimalist vibe, including light wood everything and the geometric chairs that were more like stools.
The server was really friendly and didn’t mind answering a million questions. He was also good about pointing out the menu items that were most popular or most well-known.
My poor Michelin guide is getting so worn! We’ll call it “well-loved”.
Sparkling water on tap and my very own bottle of it! I finally asked the waiter about this, as it’s something that’s been cropping up in restaurants all over town. Apparently they have machines for it, like a normal restaurant water dispenser, only carbonated. He pointed theirs out in the corner of the dining room. It’s like the SodaStream mother ship. Whatever the company is that makes those, thank you from the bottom of my heart and also can I buy one?
Yuzu lemonade. This was my first yuzu experience and it was delicious! It was very lemony without being tart but it also wasn’t overly sweetened either. I want to try more yuzu things asap.
Kimchi. This was less sour than I would have liked and Sarah surmised it was likely due to being less fermented than normal. It was also a little on the salty side.
Pork bun (hoisin, scallion, cucumber). That there is a sh*t-ton of pork belly. These were good, savory, and a little sweet. You could definitely taste the hoisin. Adding a little kimchi took them to another level.
This is where the waiter changed out our share plates. You know I always notice that because it kind of ruins your later flavors when they don’t do it. We didn’t even need them for our next course but it made me happy nonetheless.
Pork ramen (pork belly, pork shoulder, poached egg). This was really good and the pork shoulder was delicious. Back to back pork belly dishes was a little glutenous but oh well. The poached egg seemed like it might turn me off but it ended up being really good. I couldn’t finish all my broth but I definitely ate all the delicious things inside of it.
Crack pie with cereal milk ice cream. This was the best part of the meal for sure.The waiter described this as “like the inside of pecan pie” and that’s exactly what it tasted like. The pie itself was really dense, to the point it was hard to cut, but it was worth the effort. The cereal milk ice cream never really tastes like cereal milk to me, mainly because it’s not that sweet, but it’s still really good. Also I could eat a pound of that cornflake topping.
Overall this was a solid meal. I feel like a lot of restaurants let you down when you come outside of normal dinner hours, but this was great. It also didn’t take an inordinate amount of time, which was perfect during the week. And it inspired me to start thinking about which ramen restaurants in the guide to hit up next!
MissionMichelin 