Momofuku Ko
163 First Avenue (Bet. 10th and 11th Streets)
No Phone – Make Reservations Here
David Chang is a genius.
Let me repeat that. David Chang is a genius.
I was worried after I posted my review of Momofuku Ssam Bar that I had exaggerated Chang’s talents or that I was rhapsodizing about something that I had really only had limited exposure to. The answers to those concerns are: I didn’t and I was, but I was right anyway, so who cares.
Last night, as a belated birthday surprise, Zachary, my wonderful gourmand of a friend, told me to meet him at Union Square. Indeed, I met him there and after the customary hugs and kisses, he linked my arm and suggested we take a stroll around the neighborhood and see what could be scrounged up for dinner.
We began walking east, which fueled my belief that somehow Zack had procured reservations at Momofuku Ko. How did I know Zack was going to take me to Momofuku Ko? Well, for one, Momofuku Ko has been all over the place this week as it just opened to the public on Wednesday, March 12, so it had already been on my mind. Secondly, I went to Momofuku Ssam Bar for the first time with Zack at Zack’s suggestion. Thirdly, he’s amazingly fabulous and has wonderful taste in food. Fourth of all, I’m psychic.
To make a long story short, he turned us around in circles a few times all over the East Village until I didn’t know what to think and then finally after a 1/2 hr of wandering we wound up at, you guessed it, MOMOFUKU KO!
When I realized, I shrieked, hit Zack on the shoulder, grinned like a murderous clown, shrieked some more and then composed myself as we walked into the tiny space that was once Momofuku Noodle Bar, now transplanted down the block. The atmosphere was as you’d expect from Chang and a 14-stool counter: fun and simple with funky selections playing from an (probably a chef’s) iPod, creating a Zen-like ambiance.
I could not believe we were actually sitting here one day after it had opened. I continued grinning as the hostess/waitress put a small, black moleskine notebook in front of us. Zack thought we got to keep it, but we didn’t; although that didn’t stop someone from stealing one later in the evening (overheard from the hostesses/waitresses). Inside the first few pages of the notebook was the wine selection, the only selecting you’ll be doing at Momofuku Ko, unless, like us, you opt for the wine pairing, in which case the only decisions you’ll be making are how quickly you inhale the food and when you visit the bathroom.
Our 11 course (if you include the two amuse-bouches) meal began with a piece of crispy, thin pork rind sprinkled with some Japanese dried spice.
Quick Side Note: The acoustics in the place are horrendous, so listen hard when the chefs plunk the plates in front of you and don’t hesitate to ask them to repeat it. Same goes for the waitress/hostess/sommelier ladies (only 2 of them). This will help explain why there are some things that I’ll have to just describe as “yummy, salty, brown paste-y stuff.”
We were served a Rose Lambrusco first. I’ve had plenty of Lambrusco in my day and appreciate it for various reasons, the main ones being that it’s fruity and bubbly, but this was drier and more crisp than the cheap, 5 euro bottles I had back in Italy. Therefore, the Rose version made it a perfect wine for me.
The pork rinds, of course, tasted like the best pork rinds you’ve ever eaten and thought never could even exist in the realm of fried pork skin. It actually managed to be…dainty and delicate. But, I mean, it’s a pork rind, so I was thinking, let’s move on to the main show.
The second dish dropped in front of us was a housemade English muffin with whipped pork fat. This was very comforting, toasted, spongy bread soaked with yummy grease. But again, just bread and butter essentially.
The third course consisted of slices of raw fluke from Long Island with whipped (they like to whip things here) buttermilk and poppy seeds. The buttermilk was light with a faint tartness that elevated the richness of the fish. The poppy seeds gave it an unexpected peppery pop. A delicious, beautifully simple, clean dish.
This lovely plate was served with a Sancerre from the Loire Valley. “100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes” as the waitress continually reminded us. It was light and crisp and went well with the clean flavors of the fish. I might end up confusing the order of some of the wines. Pardon my blunders.
The next dish was slices of Berkshire pork belly and two raw Beau Soleil oysters over Napa cabbage in a kimchee consomme. Now this, this is what I was expecting from Chang; and, yet, it was still entirely unexpected. Throughout the pork rinds and English muffins, this creative dish is what I was waiting for, but I could have never known it would be this good. The consomme was dark and deeply flavorful. The oysters were briny and slippery. The pork meat was savory and hearty, but the real highlight of the dish for me was the pork fat. I, like many, have generally tried to avoid eating large hunks of pure pork fat. I find it not only mentally unappetizing, but also physically unappetizing with its glossy, opaque chewiness. When I got to that part, after I had sliced off and eaten the meat, I shrugged, grinned, and bore it. With the price tag of this meal, I was leaving nothing on the plate.
These pieces of pork fat literally melted in my mouth. As soon as it touched your tongue, it was halfway out the door. It had the consistency of denser whipped cream and broke down just as smoothly as a mouthful of whipped cream would. It was unbelievable.
This was served alongside Okuden sake, a sweet sake that did that neat disappearing trick good sake always does.
Next up: hen egg over onions garnished with potato chips and an obscene mountain of (what I assume was) Osetra caviar. This dish was the star of the entire evening. Hell, it was the star of the month. The egg is sliced open with the silky, lusty yolk flowing out and under the salty, fishy caviar. These ultra rich flavors are tempered by the sweet, sweet onions and the starchy potato chips. Each bite worked with every element being on the spoon and even with only individual parts of the dish sitting on the spoon. Achieving that is pure genius and pure madness.
I think that was served with the “indie” (as the sommelier described it), 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes wine from California, but I can’t swear to that.
Ooh, boy. This is gonna be a long post.
Moving on. Next came scallops and manila clams over fennel and red wine vinegar garnished with sea beans alongside a pile of crisp nori and a streak of aforementioned “yummy, salty, brown paste-y stuff.” The relative simplicity of this plate was a pleasant break from the culinary acrobatics of the pork belly and the egg dishes. You can’t go on for too many dishes like that, you’ll just keel over and die. The scallops and clams were tender and the nori brought out the salty sea taste in them.
I think this dish was served with a Crozes-Hermitage. A dry wine the sommelier described as “funky” to my and Zack’s amusement. We were also glad she didn’t call this one “indie” as well.
The next dish blew and CONTINUES, even now as I write this in the comfort of my own living room, to blow my mind. This dish is the best demonstration of David Chang’s talents. He takes ingredients and puts them together in a way that makes you think it could never work. This man is insane. This is absurd. THIS CAN’T BE.
But it can and it is. It be. So sit down and wrap your head around this. A bed of lychees, a Riesling gelee, and pine nut brittle covered in snow cone-like shavings of…foie gras. Yes, you heard me lychee and foie gras. Of course, foie gras is often served with fruit, but usually some assertive ones like cherries or cranberries, not the mild mannered, laid back lychee.
Whyyyyyyy does this taste good? It SHOULDN’T. But it is at this point in the meal when you learn to surrender yourself to Chang and just say, “alright, alright, fine, I trust you, I get it, you’re fab, what’s next, man.”
The brittle is pine nut, not peanut, so it’s sweet, but not overpoweringly strong in flavor. The gelee contributes more texturally than flavor-wise. The foie is salty and, similar to some of the other elements of this meal, dissolves on your tongue like the snowflakes that it imitates.
This dish was served with a lychee tasting Kamekome sake that I would gladly drink with any light Japanese dish.
From this delicate dish, we were taken to a heavier meat dish of braised and fried short ribs with pickled carrots, grilled scallions, daikon, and a mustard sauce. Here comes the only minor, minor, minor, minorrrrrr complaint of the night. The dish overall was delicious and my appreciation of it grew over the course of my eating the dish; however, my short ribs were a touch dry, justttt a touch. Zack said his were fine, so who knows. It was still delish, especially with the pickled carrots.
The beef was served with a Rioja that I enjoyed a surprising amount considering I don’t typically like Rioja at all.
Come on, stay with me now. Almost done. Let us trudge on with curious stomachs and brave hearts!
The miso soup with pickled vegetables and a grilled roll of rice was a clever, clean way of easing the transition between heavy, savory meat and sweet dessert. Not too much to report on with this dish except that I loved the not too sour pickled veggies with the not too salty miso soup and the comforting saltiness and smokiness of the grilled rice. It was a soft, smooth landing from the previous culinary flights of fancy.
I don’t remember what wine this was served with. It’s very difficult to keep track of, plus, I was getting just a wee bit hazy at this point (not just from all the wines, but the long day too).
Leading us into dessertwas a sorbet of very, very ripe pineapple atop a pile of candied pineapples, a very nice palate cleanser.
The very last course was a fried apple pie with sour ice cream and miso paste. Again, this dish emphasizes Chang’s trademark balance of flavors and textures. The sweet, sweet apple filling (with very low acidity, the way I like it) with the salty, earthy miso and the tangy, milky ice cream. The pie was hot and crisp with a thin coating of crunchy cinnamon sugar. The filling was warm and oozing. The ice cream was cold. A wonderful apple pie reminiscent of, and I mean no offense whatsoever, a McDonald’s apple pie; well, like a McDonald’s apple pie that went to finishing school and came back to its hometown in piles of pearls, a pair of expensive jeans, and a funky cardigan.
This was paired with a carbonated Banyuls from the Catalan region. It doesn’t come carbonated, so Chang, the bad ass, adds his own carbonation. Its bubbly apple cider-like appearance belies its very strong alcohol flavor.
That’s it. I think I’ve sufficiently done my duty as a food blogger here. I had planned this whole wrap up paragraph about why I love Chang so much, how I greatly appreciate his crazy contrasting ways because of growing up on Thai food, how my favorite dishes in the world combine different flavor elements and different textures, but I’m spent.
And I really need to get to bed to catch my 7:30am flight to Tampa, FL tomorrow. Why am I going to Tampa, you ask? You’ll just have to wait for my next post for the answer to that one.
Dinner for Two:
- Wine Pairing ($50 x 2) = $100
- Tasting Menu ($85 x 2) = $170
- Total (excluding tax and tip) = $270
And worth every penny.
I’m not a fan of MOMO. I went when they first opened their doors and they did make a good effort. There are about 20 different noodle places in the city that I would rather eat.
In closing, I really did like your review. Keep up the good work.
You shouldn’t be thinking of wine in terms of grape variety. It shows a lack of understanding, and if the person at Ko felt the need to remind you of the varietal percentages, well, shame on them. It’s a lame way to drink.
Hi Anon.-
I don’t think of wines in terms of grape variety, except for calling a Riesling a Riesling and a Pinot Noir a Pinot Noir. The woman at MK kept emphasizing the Sauvignon Blanc grapes. I thought it was a little strange, but was too giddy over the meal to give it a second thought.
Thanks for reading!,
Sherry
[…] I mentioned at the end of my Momofuku Ko post (let’s see how many times I can link to that before it gets lame and obscure), I recently […]
nice entry, i’m the guy in the blue shirt. my coworkers linked it to me.
I love your blog, and was actually impressed with your photographic documentation. I write a column for a rural northern coastal California weekly, and I like to show people that there is life beyond the “Redwood Curtain.” Would you allow me to use your photo of the coddled egg/caviar dish as an illustration?
If so, please tell me how to credit you. Also give me an email address to send the column when it is published.
Thanks, and my compliments on a very helpful description of your visit.
Joseph