Momofuku Noodle Bar (#38)

My journey to eat at the other 94 restaurants Adam Platt had selected as NYC's best of 2011 began on Sunday, January 15. I had always wanted to go to Momofuku Noodle Bar (#38)but had never had the opportunity, so it was a no-brainer that this was my first stop. I called my friend Daphne and asked her if she wanted to join me. She said yes. So I checked out their website and saw that they do not accept reservations.  I called Daphne back and asked her if she minded having dinner at 6:30pm because who other than the elderly or people with kids has dinner at that time? Apparently most of New York has dinner at 6:30pm on Sundays because I walked into a packed dining room and waiting area. There were literally about 30 people waiting to be sat so I shimmied my way to the front to leave my name. I waited patiently behind a gentleman who was giving his name and when it was my turn I asked the hostess, who was about as pleasant as a pap-smear, how long the wait for 2 would be. She pointed to the gentleman who had just given her his name and asked if we were together. The problem was the way she asked me, as though I had just asked her to walk my dog. She was so put out by this so I told her that I was not with him.  She told me the wait would be about 40 minutes, so I gave her my name, Cassandra. I got to Cassan.....when she turned from me and said to the herd of people waiting for a table "can everyone move back". I wanted to make sure she got my name since she had cut me off and you can only imagine how annoyed she was. Not only had I asked her how long the wait was but now I was trying to give her my name....again!!!!. So I walked to the front door so as not to annoy the hostess anymore than I apparently had. I saw a couple waiting at the end of the communal table who were also waiting to be sat so I went and stood by them. They eventually sat at the end of the table, which was completely empty, with their Red Stripes. The hostess, wearing the same annoyed expression, told them they could not sit there. They replied that the gentleman behind the bar said it would be OK, the hostess rolled her eyes and said "you can't sit there". So the couple, and I, moved and we got into a conversation about this particular experience. They went on to tell me that she was rude to them as well when they walked in. It made me feel a little better that it was not personal, this woman just hated her job and could not hide it. Luckily the rest of my experience made up for the hostess' lack of personality and professionalism.

Daphne and I were sat about 30 minutes later at the bar. I asked our server what the must have dishes were and then ordered her recommendations. Daphne and I shared a jar of kimchi, which is honestly the best I have ever had. We also shared the pork bun and we each had the Momofuku Ramen which was a large bowl of ramen noodles with pork belly, pork shoulder and topped with a poached egg. Everything was amazing. The pork belly in both the bun and the ramen had the perfect ratio of fat-to-meat. The egg on top of the soup was perfectly cooked. The kimchi had the right amount of spice and garlic and the cabbage was not too pickled. For dessert I had the soft serve pretzel ice cream and Daphne had the soft serve pumpkin ale. We both loved each flavor. The pretzel tasted a little like salted caramel with a nice balance of sweet and salty. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals...until later that evening.  It may have been a combination of having spicy and fatty dishes but we both had stomachaches that night.

Overall I would definitely go back and just hope that the same hostess is not there.

 The belly rules the mind.  ~Spanish Proverb