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Review of Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC, Chef David Chang

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Executive chef: David Chang

Location: 171 1st Ave, (between 10th St & 11th St), New York, NY 10003 (East Village) (Map)

Phone: 212.777.7773 Menu: click

Website: www.momofuku.com Yelp reviews: click

Resident Foodies say: The lines may be long, but this restaurant is definitely worth the wait! Chef David Chang is probably the hottest chef on the planet. In 6 short years, he has ascended from relative obscurity to the most talked about chef in NYC. “Momofuku” means lucky peach in Japanese, but Chang reportedly liked the name given its similarity in sound to “mother f–er” and its tie to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen noodles. This month, his Momofuku Cookbook hits the book shelves and is likely to bring even more fame to Chang. Momofuku Noodle Bar was Chang’s first restaurant, which opened in 2003. Now he has 4 “Momofuku” restaurants, going on 5. Momofuku Noodle Bar remains the most affordable in price.

Chang’s philosophy is cooking first. True to his word, Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar is all about the food. To some, the service and decor may fall a distant second and third. The ambience exudes busy noodle bar–which is, after all, what it is. The food, though, is an innovative mix of Asian influenced dishes, many with an unabashed use of pork. Chang pushes the boundaries of Japanese, Korean, and French cooking–with results that are distinctively American or Chang’s own. The most famous noodle dish–Momofuku ramen–has pork belly and pork shoulder, topped with a poached egg! And, of course, the steamed pork buns are just as famous–and delicious. The dishes were very comforting and so amazingly tasty, but perhaps might be too much pork in one night for some people. We made ourselves feel less guilty by ordering the delightful (and light) pear salad to start. Although a few vegetarian options have crept onto the menu, they’re not the reason to go to Momofuku.

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Review of Boka in Chicago

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Executive chef: Giuseppe Tentori Pastry chef: Elizabeth Dahl

Location: 1729 North Halsted, Chicago, IL 60614 (Lincoln Park) (map)

Phone: 312.357.6070

Website: www.bokachicago.com Yelp reviews: click

Resident Foodies say: There’s good reason why Food & Wine named Chef Guiseppe Tentori as one of the best new chefs in 2008. His food is a visual and culinary delight, with stunning displays of colors and surprising mixtures of ingredients. Salad is not an appetizer at Boka, it is true artwork consisting of greens, fruit, and cheeses. The salad is just as, if not more, memorable than the entrees! But the entrees continue the dazzling mixture of subtle ingredients.

We sampled (1) the braised short rib ravioli (with prawn and sweet corn ragout, and goat milk foam), (2) the herb crusted white fish (with wild rice, brussel sprout leaves, pickled cockscomb, and winter squash sauce), (3) the lake trout (with salt cod croquette, fennel sauce, orange segments, and sauteed spinach), and (4) the vegeterian herbed risotto tart (with roasted portobello, baby turnips, ricotta, beet puree). The dishes are sophisticated and complex, yet also very comforting and downright delicious. The portions are generous, some may find too generous. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Pastry Chef Elizabeth Dahl continues Boka’s impressive concoction of interesting ingredients with desserts that are different from anything we’ve encountered, yet so delicious.

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Wall St. Journal review of Momofuku cookbook + f-bombs

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This month, Chef David Chang of Momufuku’s heavily anticipated cookbook–aptly called The Momofuku Cookbook–hits the bookstores. Katy McLaughlin has a great review of the Momofuku cookbook, including video interviewing David Chang.

McLaughlin reveals: “The 303-page book, coming out Oct. 27 and priced at $40, aims to replicate Mr. Chang’s natural voice, which means occasional use of the word “like” to punctuate Mr. Chang’s thoughts, and liberal use of profanity. Readers are instructed not to ‘f— it up’ when handling a pricey piece of foie gras, for instance.”

For those not familiar with Chef David Chang, he’s probably the hottest chef on the planet right now, having ascended to the height of the food world in 5 years. He’s a Korean American who studied both French and Japanese cooking, not to mention his own native Korean. He also is now known for his potty mouth and the profanity (and profusion of F-bombs) that laces his cookbook and conversation. In fact, he said he likes that “Momofuku” kind of sounds like “mother f–er.”

Wow, now that’s bold!