Stick a Fork In It...

Hey Lil Guys...

Just a little reminder of summer...I took this picture in August. And I'll tell you something right now- if these lil guys were still around they would be lovingly swaddled in the center of a figgy pudding. Whatever that actually is.

Fork It Over: Momofuku Noodle Bar

 

For the past few years I've had my eye on David Chang (who hasn't?), beginning with this article about him in the New Yorker. He's got one sassy attitude, but it seems to me, a good one. And when I read that he pals around with Alice Waters, I developed a bit more of an interest. After all, I have admired Ms. Waters since childhood, when I began cooking the recipes out of her children's book Fanny at Chez Panisse. If she has befriended this guy, then he surely has something going on.

Since the aforementioned article was published (2008), Chang has continued to rocket to chef celeb status and opened several more enterprises. This past weekend I had the pleasure of dining at his first restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar. There are so many places in NYC that need to be crossed off the damn list already, and this one has been lurking around forever. After a week full of turkey and all that jazz, I needed something to excite the t-buds.

When we arrived, Momofuku Noodle Bar (MNB) was hustling and bustling. Yet while everyone in there was loudly consuming noodles and the staff was darting about to accommodate them, nothing felt chaotic or out of control. My dining companion and I waited a few minutes and were seated at the noodle bar. Deciding against the lunchtime prixe fixe (which looked delicious) we decided to order a handful of items a la carte. While we perused, S. ordered a Lagunitas IPA and I ordered the Apple Cider Shoju SLUSHIE. It was so refreshing- I ordered the small, which is a huge mistake. Only order the large, or you will live to regret it.

First we had a soy-poached egg. Um, hi. I'm going to need like 9 of these next time. It was the perfect texture, perfect saltiness, topped with scallions and some kind of crunchy onion garnish. My half was gone in two bites. Then we shared an order of steamed shiitake mushroom buns, smoked chicken wings and the Momofuku Ramen.

Everything was savory, and had several layers of flavor. The shiitake buns were plump and soft, filled with salty, shriveled mushrooms and god knows what. I just wanted to get it in my mouthal region as fast as possible. Then came the smoked chicken wings with pickled chili, garlic and scallions. These little guys were blazingly hot when they arrived, their crispy skin sizzling in a dark soy glaze. I snarfed these up in a timely fashion, scraping up the scallions and pickled chili with the wings themselves. Then I scraped up the sauce with my fingers. That I licked. They were finger-licking good, alright?!

Finally (and all of this was happening relatively swiftly, mind you), the ramen arrived. What a steamy bowl of goodness. And good lookin' as all get out. The pictures we snapped with the iPhone don't do it justice, but you get the general idea- awesome.The ramen had noodles, pork belly, pork shoulder, fish cakes, and a poached egg...oh the egg. It was just snuggled there in the ramen noodles like a diamond in the rough. Unfortunately I was forced to stab it with my chopsticks to release the creamy yolk into the broth, but it was quite lovely while it lasted. 

I had a great time. I wasn't expecting David Chang to be there performing acts of culinary magic or anything, but I did expect the orderly, positive experience I had there- oh, and the amazing food. The service was friendly and helpful and what little I spied of it, the kitchen seemed to be whirring along pleasantly. So, now that I've checked MNB off the list, Ko is on deck. CHOMP!