At the top of my list was Momofuku Noodle Bar. The ramen noodle phenomenon has really exploded in the last couple years in New York, particularly in the east village. Momofuku is probably the most popular and makes the best use of fresh, locally grown ingredients. As well as adding contemporary twists to what is a very traditional (some ramen broth recipes date back thousands of years) meal.
The wait on a Tuesday night at about 9pm.
Seasonal Pickles
I started with the seasonal pickled vegetables. They were ridiculous! Think basically the set up you would get before your meal at a Korean restaurant. There's the kimchi, the cucumbers, but then it gets really interesting with the pickled fennel, celery, carrot and even pickled mushroom which I was skeptical of, but they were really really good. It's a very mild pickling with just a bit of the chili that you would get with kimchi.
The Momofuku Ramen
I wish I had taken this photo before mixing in the poached egg that rests on top because it is something to behold when it arrives at your table with all the ingredients compartmentalized and this egg floating on top. It's a work of art. I used to order my ramen sans egg but you really don't notice it. It adds more of a body to the soup then a strong eggy taste. The Berkshire pork in this is the best pork I've ever had in my life. There's two types of pork in this dish. There's the shredded pork that you see in the forground and then the more meaty pork belly that you see peaking out under the bit of nori wrapper. This could easily have been split by two people which many around me were doing that night*
The tiny kitchen at Momofuku.
*I was eating alone and it's a very cramped space - just two long bars, one of which has double sided seating. So I'm seated at the end of the bar that has four seats facing the diners across from you. Next to me on the very end - as if you were at the head of the table - is one gentleman and next to him (directly across from me) is his girlfriend. When the waitress arives she takes their order and looks at me and I say, "Oh no, I'm seperate" and she says that's fine and asks me what I'd like. So I order the same appetizer as the "couple" and the waitress says, "So two orders of the pickles for the three of you?" And the couple sort of awkwardly laugh and I say, "Nope. I'm not with them. I'm eating alone." So remember that if you go and you are dining solo, try to sit on the end of the bar facing the wall or the kitchen. Otherwise you are staring at a stranger as you loudly slurp noodles into your face. Listening as he tells his date that his mom's greatest dream in life was to have a floor-to-cealing ladder in her library.
