Momofuku You!

Momofuku (meaning "lucky peach") is a family of restaurants owned and operated by David Chang, a Korean-American chef that studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York. After graduation, he realized he did not have the financial backing or skill to create a multi-starred restaurant. So, he did something perhaps even more daring. He opened up a small place called Momofuku Noodle Bar in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, an area more known for its pubs and hipster NYU students than for its cuisine. However, because he was in a less picturesque neighborhood, his rent was low and he was able to afford great ingredients from local farms. The decor is minimalist and there is no dress code. Waiters don't even have uniforms. Due to all this, he is able to present you great food at an affordable price, compared to other "fine dining" places in the city. It's simple food prepared expertly.

Shortly after, he opened up his other places, including Ssam Bar, Ko, Milk Bar, and most recently Ma Peche. Ko, the most formal of his places, only has a dozen bar stools, and reservations are nearly impossible to get because you have to go through an online process to get the seat. The food is incredible though, and it has won awards for best new restaurant. I've had the privilege of visiting Noodle Bar twice and Ssam Bar once.


Chang is a big fanatic of pork, so vegetarians beware. His signature dish is his steamed pork belly buns. He takes a freshly made bun, and fills it with hoisin sauce, two slices of steamed pork belly, scallions, and cucumber. That's it. It's very simple, but the ingredients are so good and blend so well, that it is absolutely delicious. There is a perfect amount of fat on the belly that fills your mouth with a rich pork taste. The fat goes great with the sweet hoisin, and the textures of the bun and cucumbers go great. You can get the pork buns at just about any of his places.

His other signature dish (he's got several) is the pork ramen noodle bowl. It's a bowl filled with freshly made noodles, pork shoulder, pork belly, scallions, a poached egg, fish cake, bamboo shoots, nori (sushi wrapping), and a flavorful broth. This is one of the best soups you will ever have, and it is incredibly filling. This dish is only available at Noodle Bar, I believe.

At Ssam bar, I enjoyed Crispy Pig's Ears, Pork Shoulder Steak, and Spicy Pork Sausage. I didn't have my camera with me then, so there are no pictures. But they were delicious! He changes the menu weekly, so these dishes are either no longer on there, or have been altered slightly.


Chang is also famous for two other gastronomic feats. At Noodle Bar, you can reserve a fried chicken meal, while at Ssam Bar you can reserve a "Bo Ssam," a whole 10 pound pork shoulder served alongside oysters and other accompaniments. I was able to try the chicken meal with some friends this past weekend and it was phenomenal.

You are given two chickens, one served Southern style with old bay batter, and the other served Korean style in a spicy glaze. 

To accompany the chicken are 4 sauces, an herb basket which included purple bay leaf, bibb lettuce, peppermint, baby carrots, red ball radishes, and a few other things I didn't catch. The sauces included a hoisin, soy-jalapeno-garlic, the spicy red sauce, and another I can't recall right now. Not pictured are mushu pancakes, which are flour-based tortillas. You would take some chicken, herbs, and sauce and wrap them with the pancake and enjoy. 

The herbs, sauces, and vegetables were so fresh and well made that you could taste each component as you bit into the wrap. It was fun to compose each wrap differently than the previous to taste new things. Everything was delicious and the five of us were able to finish the platter. 

I highly recommend any of the Momofukus if you're ever around the Manhattan East Side and in the mood for some delicious, filling, and affordable food.