I first heard of Chef David Chang from Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. It was a time during my impressionable years when I was already curious about culinary art, but could only afford to indulge myself visually. I later watched The Mind of a Chef , and he has since remained as one of my idols.
Naturally, dining at Momofuku Ko was on my must-do list when I planned my NYC trip. Reservations open 30 days prior, and I made my reservation exactly then.
I made notes throughout the dinner - something that I always do when I dine alone in fancy places - which explains the level of detail I am able to provide.
Pomme Soufflé filled with Chive Cream.
Lobster Paloise. A mini "lobster roll" with a mint sabayon filling.
Fried Chicken Oyster with Honey Mustard Powder.
I can't remember what this is.
Sea Urchin and Fermented Chickpea Mash. This was so, so good. The chickpea mash tasted like chickpea miso, which went really well with the uni.
Ko Egg: Soft-Cooked Eggs with White Sturgeon Cabiar, Buttered Onion Soubise, Potato Chips and Red Cabbage Vinegrette. This was my first ever egg in egg kind of dish, and it was so good. The onion was definitely the highlight of the dish for me. It was tangy and mushy but still with a bit of crunch. I remember telling the commis chef how much I liked the onion soubise, not caring if he judged me for missing the point. I suppose it's like telling the chicken rice auntie how much I love the cucumbers.
The whole dish, with all the different elements, came together like a firework of flavours with different textures that spiced things up.
Sourdough with Aged Butter. I've never had aged butter before, so I was excited to try it. It tasted gamey to me? Interesting.
9 Weeks Dry-Aged Sirloin with Hibiscus Tea Sauce. Don't you think this dish looks a little similar to Florilège's sustainable beef dish? But anyway, there was a tiny tingly spicy feeling when the beef touched my tongue, which then turned into a savoury tangy taste. How is the meat still that "raw" when it's warm? I wonder. This was my 3rd favourite dish after the egg and sea urchin.
Charred Razor Clams Soup with Pineapple Dashi, Basil Seeds and Basil Oil. It's a cold dish, which served as a palate cleanser too, I suppose. I call it a savoury pineapple juice.
Deep-Fried Skate. It was my first time having skate, and it's apparently very similar in appearance to a stingray, but without the tail/sting. The texture of the flesh is similar to stingray too. This was served with a cream sauce.
Cured Daikon and Jalepeno, wrapped in the skin from the skate in the earlier dish.
Porchetta. The skin was blasted with oil, and served with a side of brocolini with mustard oil.
Kumquat Sorbet. A palate cleanser with hidden pepper.
Lychee and Pine Nut Tart with Riesling Jelly topped with Shaved Frozen Foie Gras. There's a tart that's buried under all that foie gras soil, which was shaved right before me. Like literally a frozen slab of foie gras that's shaved in front of me. Talk about decadence.
The foie gras shavings melts in your mouth, leaving a hazelnut aftertaste.
The hostess wrote me a list of other restaurants that I should check out when I mentioned that I am a foodie. I did end up visiting The Modern a few nights later.
Wild Rice Ice Cream with Candied Seaweed.
Almond Tart with Custard Filling, topped with Sorrel Ice Cream with Cinnamon Sugar. The ice cream had that raw flavour that a raw vegetable has, but complemented the otherwise sweet custard tart.
The take-home gift was a blondie, which I had for breakfast the next day.
I was really stuffed when the last course came, but I couldn't leave without trying a couple more of David Chang's signature dishes which I've heard of. I mean, who knows if I will ever return to NYC, let alone Momofuku?
I was led to their bar area for my encore round.
Cold Fried Chicken. This tasted exactly like how my leftover fried chicken would taste after a night in the fridge. You know, those mornings where you are hungry but too lazy to reheat them.
I told the server that it tasted exactly like cold overnight fried chicken when she asked, which she then defensively explained how it's not just your ordinary cold overnight fried chicken, though the steps to making them sounded exactly like a cold overnight fried chicken to me. It's amusing; I don't regret trying it. It's definitely one of those absurd things that they can get away with because of their brand. I mean, if some unknown roadside chicken joint were to serve a cold overnight fried chicken, people would have called the food safety authorities before they could pull their shutters down for the day.
Japanese cheesecake, served warm.
If the cake was cold, then it definitely counts as a nice, moist cake. But the cake was served warm, so it felt mushy to me, in a bad way. I think it's just one of the dishes that I would prefer it to be cold.
Self-help utensils drawer.
All in all, it was a satisfying meal - more so for the fangirl in me.
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