Tuesday, December 2, 2008

NYC: Fatty Pork Buns and Pork Ramen at Momofuku

I didn't quite adjust to NY time so at 3 pm one day I found myself searching for a good "lunch" place that's open at least until 4 ... All the sushi places I wanted to try are out, and apparently so was Momofuku Ssam Bar. The noodle bar was open, though, so I decided to give that a try.

People seem to rave about the steamed pork buns at all the different Momofukus so I decided to give them a try here. $9 gets you two pork buns - expensive but since I was on vacation I didn't give it *too* much thought.These pork buns tasted like a super-fatty peking duck! Because of the bun and oyster sauce. The pork is a slice Berkshire pork with a fatty layer.Instead of green onions they put cucumbers instead, which adds a very nice crunchy texture and a cool, refreshing taste. Delicious. Are they worth the price though? Tough call - maybe not. Peking duck would be cheaper ...

I of course had to get the Momofuku Ramen (I was at the Momofuku noodle bar after all!). $16. Again, not cheap for a bowl of ramen.
Pork belly, shredded pork, bamboo shoots, green onions, and fish cake. And the egg - unlike typical ramen fare which uses a hard boiled egg, the egg in the Momofuku ramen is a poached egg that runs and soaks up the ramen when you break it.

It's a great bowl of ramen that really warmed me up in the 36F New York weather. On a vacation from LA I didn't mind spending the $16+tax+tips+cab ride for this delicious bowl of ramen. Whether or not I would go there on a regular basis were I to live in NY is a separate question. But I'm not doing hypotheticals right now, so I'll just say this was a nice late lunch for a November afternoon in New York!


Momofuku Noodle Bar

171 1st Ave (btw 10th and 11th)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 475-7899
www.momofuku.com

Momofuku Noodle Bar on Urbanspoon

5 comments:

mattatouille

doubt that bowl could compete against LA's best, especially for the price, but still, good food is still good food.

Joshua Lurie

Momofuku is good, but wouldn't stand out as much in L.A. Santouka's ramen is better for my taste. My friend and his brother just ate at Ippudo on the Lower East Side, said it's the best ramen and buns they've ever eaten, infinitely better than Momofuku. If you get a chance, it would be interesting to get your thoughts.

Aaron

The ramen even looks small. What a pricey bowl of noodles

gourmetpigs

Aaron: the ramen is actually pretty big (the buns were small though). But yes, still pricey, even for NY prices I think.

Josh: Yeah I originally wanted to go to Ippudo that day, but Ippudo closes at 4 pm and me being lazy, didn't leave the hotel til 3:30 PM :(
I had to settle this time, but next time I'll definitely hit Ippudo.

Jacqui.V

Ippudo's ramen AND pork buns are incredible

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