Momofuku Noodle Bar

In 2011, I walk into Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village in NYC by accident on New Year's Day, when I couldn't find another place open for brunch. But Momofuku was open and with a line up. Seriously, for ramen? Unbeknown to me, I had stumbled into one of the most popular restaurants in the city that specialized in "gourmet" ramen, a popular culinary trend that had taken off like a rocket in NYC. As a typical Asian, ramen was nothing new to me and I was quite taken back by all the fuss over this.

Ever since that day, I could not stop hearing about the Momofuku name like it was the best new thing since sliced bread in the culinary world. So when I heard chef David Chang was opening his trademark restaurant in Toronto's new Shangri-La Hotel, I was happy to visit again. 

Like with any new opening of a hot restaurant, hour-long lineups are inevitable. We wisely tried our luck right at 5 pm on a Sunday evening as soon as it open, and got in right away. We quickly ordered their namesake ramen (pork belly and shoulder, fish cake and egg) and their ridiculously famous pork buns. Good service - the food came just as quickly. Plus we sat at the bar and watched the newbie staff in action and hustling it (Love this - it's like live theatre to me).

Ramen itself is nothing earth-shattering but make no mistake: this ramen is no Mr Noodle. These fresh noodles have a wonderful chewy texture and authenticity about it. The broth has a hearty yet complex flavour (supposedly made from chicken legs, roasted pork bones, ham hocks and bacon) with morsels of juicy Berkshire pork belly swimming in it. Each bowl is nicely topped off by a couple sheets of nori to add texture.

There is so much hype over their pork buns and when they arrived, I was taken back by the simplicity - a generous morsel of pork wrapped in a mini pita-like fluffy pillow, served with hoisin sauce, scallions and cucumber. But they were so very good and I could've eaten half a dozen. The freshness makes all the difference.

I will surely head back to Momofuku from time to time to get my dose of one of my favorite comfort foods. It's also worth the visit next door to check out the captivating lobby of the Shangri-La Hotel. 

Rating: 8/10