Check out the Latest Posts:

Shortly after reading that David Chang planned on opening two Momofuku restaurants in Toronto, I was sent off to New York for work. I was really curious about all the hype around the Momofuku restaurants, so my co-worker and I made a trip out to the Momofuku Noodle Bar, located in the East Village.

Pork Buns – with hoisin, scallion and cucumber (

We arrived around 9pm and found the restaurant really loud and lively. The restaurant is pretty small and the seating (on stools and benches) is a bit cramped. They have long communal tables as well as seating at the bar. Luckily when we arrived, a couple seats had just cleared and we were able to be seated immediately.

The service was quick and friendly as the servers acknowledged us immediately and our food was served pretty quickly after ordering. We started with Momofuku’s famous Pork Buns – with hoisin, scallion and cucumber ($10). The serving came with two buns. The pork belly was tender, fatty, tasty and served on a soft white bun. The cucumber gave the buns a nice crunch to contract the softness of the pork and buns. Although these were good, I wouldn’t call them mind-blowing (which was certainly what I was expecting!). Maybe it was because I had such high expectations for them. Also, at $5 a piece, I thought the price was a little steep.

Momofuku Ramen – with pork belly, pork shoulder and poached egg

We also ordered two bowls of ramen to share. We knew we had to order the Momofuku Ramen – with pork belly, pork shoulder and poached egg ($16). The pork belly was the same was the pork found in the buns we started with. Again, the pork was tender, fatty and tasty. The noodles, which reminded me of wonton noodles, were decent, but the broth was a bit of a letdown. For a ramen joint with an amazing broth, I’d recommend Ippudo, which is just a 10 minute walk away.

The second ramen dish we ordered was the Brisket Ramen – hand cut noodles, soy egg and grilled scallion ($15). I was looking forward to this dish since I prefer thicker noodles. However, I was a little let down by this. The noodles didn’t taste very fresh and as for the smoked brisket, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. However, I think the main problem I had with this dish was the broth. It had a strange flavour to it which I couldn’t quite pinpoint. When the two bowls of ramen were first served to us, the brisket ramen looked better based on appearance alone. However, I preferred the Momofuku ramen (which I didn’t even find that great…).

Brisket Ramen – hand cut noodles, soy egg and grilled scallion

I was pretty disappointed with my experience here after hearing such great things about the Momofuku restaurants. Even their famous pork buns didn’t blow me away. I also found their prices to be pretty high ($15/$16 for a bowl of ramen), but this seems to be the norm in NYC. My thoughts overall? Overrated!

At a glance:

  • Overall… overrated!
  • The space is small and gets pretty busy, so the waits can be long
  • Pricey at approximately $15 for a bowl of ramen
  • Ratings (out of 5):

  • Food: 3 stars
  • Service: 4 stars
  • Atmosphere: 4 stars
  • Momofuku Noodle Bar on Urbanspoon



    1. Kim (Reply) on Wednesday 29, 2011

      I totally agree! Noodle bar was overrated but when are we going to the main restaurant to eat the roasted pig platter!!!

      • Jess (Reply) on Wednesday 29, 2011

        too bad you won’t be here when they open one in toronto in 2012 🙁